How to Clean A Microwave in 5 Minutes! No Scrubbing

Is your microwave gross? Are you looking to clean your microwave quickly? Did you know that you can easily clean your dirty microwave with vinegar, water, and steam? In this post, you’ll learn how long to microwave the water and how to do it safely. Using this green cleaning method, you can steam clean a microwave matter of minutes.

There is no need for harsh chemicals. You won’t need to use any elbow grease scrubbing away the gunk and grime using our microwave cleaning hack. 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. Using just water and vinegar, you can clean in a matter of minutes.

Did you know you can easily clean your dirty microwave with just vinegar and steam? It only takes 5 minutes to clean your microwave oven and I was amazed at how great it worked.  Yes, vinegar is amazing.  In fact, there are more than 50 other uses for vinegar.

 

What You Need To Steam Clean A Microwave

• a small microwave-safe bowl
• 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 works well to 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 5 minutes.
2. Keep the microwave door shut for 5 more minutes allowing the steam to do its work.
3. While you are steaming your microwave clean, wipe 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 an oven mitt 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.

You will be amazed at how easily the food particles, gunk, and grime are removed.

*The toothpick is to keep the liquid from exploding.  In certain containers, the liquid can get super-heated and “explode”. See 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 just 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 in a mixture of 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 softens 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.

Did you know you can also use vinegar to clean your Keurig, clean your oven, and clean silver? Find out how easy it is.

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See also: How to Clean A Keurig Coffee Maker with Vinegar – Easy and Quick Video Tutorials and How to Clean Your Oven with Vinegar and Baking Soda – Green Cleaning Method

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 HEYSUMMER.  Give it a try:  Force of Nature  See our full review of Force of Nature.