Microwaves are notorious for acquiring splattered, gunky build-up that is impossible to scrub off. Impossible. It is quite frustrating too, because while you can clean off the turntable, all of the microwave’s sides are covered in burnt food bits—ick! Whether this cleaning catastrophe is in your home or your work’s break room (we can all relate to that one!), we have a simple and cheap cleaning solution for your microwave…once and for all.
Here’s what ya need:
- a microwave-safe bowl
- 1 cup of white-distilled vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- a toothpick
- and a pair of oven mitts
What to do:
To begin, you will want to pour your 1:1 vinegar and water ratio into a bowl and place it in your microwave. Then, add a wooden toothpick to your solution as a preliminary safety step; although not a common issue, this helps to reduce the chance of a superheating explosion because bubbles will be able to form & escape with the aid of the toothpick.
You’ll want to turn on your microwave for about 5 minutes and then allow it to steam inside for a few minutes to loosen up the gunk. Next, use your oven mitts and carefully remove the bowl and its contents. The liquid is hot, so use caution. Finally, use a paper towel or scrubby sponge to wipe out your softened food bits. You will see a huge transformation right away—let’s just say microwaves aren’t supposed to be yellow inside. Oh, and another bonus? The vinegar from your steamy cleaning solution will help to eliminate that stale, over-cooked food smell too. That’s it!
How easy was that?
Photo by: Chris Kelly
