How to Clean A Microwave in 5 Minutes! No Scrubbing

Is your microwave gross? Are you looking to clean your microwave quickly but hate cleaning? Did you know that you can easily clean your dirty microwave with vinegar, water, and steam with no scrubbing required?

In this post, you’ll learn how to safely clean your microwave with vinegar. Using this green cleaning method, you can steam clean a microwave matter of minutes.

With this microwave cleaning hack, there is no need for harsh chemicals. Using our microwave cleaning hack, you won’t need to use any elbow grease to scrub away the gunk and grime. Just let the vinegar and microwave do most of the work.

How to Steam Clean Microwave with Vinegar

Have you ever had something explode in the microwave? A bowl of soup? Pasta sauce? What a mess! I try to cover most of my food, but sometimes the paper towel comes off, or food sneaks through anyway. You can clean it with just water and vinegar in a few minutes.

Did you know you can easily clean your dirty microwave with vinegar and steam? It only takes five minutes to clean your microwave oven, and I was amazed at how great it worked.  Yes, vinegar is fantastic.  There are more than 50 other uses for vinegar.

 

What You Need To Steam Clean A Microwave

• a small microwave-safe bowl or any microwave safe container
• paper towels
• 1- 2 cups of water
• 2 Tablespoons of vinegar
• toothpick or wooden spoon
• optional – a drop or two of essential oil to diminish the vinegar smell.  I used lemon oil. (deals on essential oils). A few drops of lemon juice, orange juice, or lime juice also mask the vinegar odor. This is also a great way to get rid of any lingering burnt popcorn smell.

How To Steam Clean Your Microwave Using Vinegar

1. Microwave the water, vinegar, oil, and toothpick* in a microwave-safe bowl for five minutes.
2. Keep the microwave door closed for five more minutes allowing the steam to do its work.
3. While you are steaming your microwave, clean the front of the microwave with a wet paper towel or a damp sponge.
4. Open the microwave door and carefully remove the bowl of hot liquid. Use oven mitts to be safe.
5. Use a sponge or clean cloth to wipe the debris out of the inside of the microwave. Don’t forget about the ceiling.
6. To clean the microwave plate, run it in your dishwasher. The turntable ring can also be cleaned in the dishwasher. If the glass plate is too large for your dishwasher, or if you don’t have one, you can hand wash it in the sink with soapy water.

You will be amazed at how easily the food particles, gunk, and grime are removed from the microwave’s interior. Even caked-on food and stubborn stains should wipe away with a damp paper towel or wet cloth.

*The toothpick is to keep the liquid from exploding.  In certain containers, the liquid can get super-heated and “explode.” See the next section.

The reason this works so well is the acidic steam breaks down the residue in your microwave interior without the need for harsh cleaning agents.

Can Vinegar Explode In A Microwave?

Yes. Vinegar can explode in a microwave.

****Caution – Please do this at your own risk.  It worked fine for me, but everyone’s microwaves are different.  Always keep an eye on the microwave and remember contents will be hot. Because liquids can get super-heated and explode, know that vinegar can explode in the microwave.

Although this is uncommon, you will still need to keep a close eye on the vinegar. Setting a toothpick or wooden spoon in the vinegar should keep it from exploding.

Steam Clean A Microwave With Vinegar And A Sponge

In addition, you can use a similar method to steam clean your microwave using a sponge.  

Soak a sponge in the vinegar, water, and vegetable oil mixture. Set the sponge on the turntable. Then microwave the sponge for 2 minutes.  This creates a small amount of steam and works well for simple cleanups and disinfecting your sponge. The sponge will be hot.

Clean Your Microwave Turntable

The above methods will clean your microwave turntable too. But sometimes, you may want to clean the turntable. The easiest way is to put your turntable in the dishwasher with the rest of your dishes.

If it doesn’t fit, you can soak your microwave turntable in your sink overnight with warm water and vinegar. Soaking in dish soap with water also works but may require a little more scrubbing than using vinegar.

Did you know you can also clean your dishwasher with vinegar?

Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner

Amazon sells these cute little angry mama kitchen gizmo microwave cleaners.

Here are Angry Mama microwave cleaner directions.

It’s super easy!  All you have to do is add vinegar and water and microwave for 7 minutes. Then, steam comes out of the Angry Mama head to soften dirt and stains for easier cleaning.  Conveniently, you can buy these microwave cleaners on Amazon, and they are currently on sale, though prices change often.

For only a couple bucks you can have a sparkling clean microwave using white vinegar.

How To Clean The Exterior Of a Microwave

Steam cleaning is great for the interior of your microwave, but what about the exterior? Just use your favorite glass cleaner. Window cleaners and a soft cloth or sponge to wipe the fingerprints and smudges away.

Last Resort For A Clean Microwave Oven? Buy A New Microwave Oven!

If you don’t feel like cleaning your microwave oven, you could just buy a new microwave. If you are looking for deals on new microwave ovens, then Amazon has microwaves here.

More Cleaning hacks

• How to Clean A Keurig Coffee Maker with Vinegar – Easy and Quick Video Tutorials
• How to Clean Your Oven with Vinegar and Baking Soda – Green Cleaning Method
• How to Clean an Instant Pot – Comprehensive Guide
• How to Clean Your Dishwasher With Vinegar Or Cleaning Tablet
• How to Clean Your Washing Machine with Vinegar and Baking Soda (Front Load and Top Loading)

For more cleaning ideas, hacks, and guides check out Green Cleaning.

As parents to 3 little kids, we are always on the hunt for non-toxic/eco-friendly products.  We found one we use daily called Force of Nature, It's a little appliance that uses electricity to turn salt, water & vinegar into a multi-purpose cleaner, EPA-registered disinfectant, and deodorizer. It's strong enough to kill bacteria and viruses just like bleach, but it has no toxic chemicals whatsoever!  It's also EPA-approved for use against Covid-19.  They have a promotion right now for 40% off & free shipping if you use coupon code ORGANIZE40 (for bundles).  Give it a try:  Force of Nature  See our full review of Force of Nature.