How to Clean Your Microwave with All-Natural Ingredients

If you’re like most Americans, your microwave oven is an essential home appliance that you use on a regular basis. Because microwaves get put through so much use, that means that they also end up needing a good cleaning more frequently than almost any other appliance.

How often have you looked inside your microwave to find crumbs, specks of liquid, and a blob of who-knows-what on the walls or turntable? It’s not exactly the squeaky clean and sanitary conditions in which most people would prefer to warm up their food. By that same token, scrubbing and disinfecting your microwave with bleach or other harsh chemical cleaners also raises some health concerns.

Luckily, there’s good news: you can clean and disinfect the inside of your microwave using 100-percent, all-natural ingredients.

Here is what you’ll need:

• ½ cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup of clean water
• 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice OR a few drops of lemon essential oil
• 1 microwaveable bowl
• 1 clean rag

Step 1: Get Your Mixture Ready

Pour the cup of water and the ½ cup of vinegar into your microwaveable bowl. The smell of the vinegar can be a little too strong for some people, so to neutralize the odor, add the 3 tablespoons of bottled or freshly squeezed lemon juice or a few drops of lemon essential oil.

Step 2: Heat It Up

Place the bowl into your microwave, and set it on high for at least 4 minutes. The mixture needs to create steam in order to loosen grime, so microwave the mixture for an extra minute or two if necessary. Carefully remove the bowl from your microwave so as not to burn yourself with the liquid or on the bowl (oven mitts recommended). Set the bowl aside for now, but don’t throw out the mixture just yet.

Step 3: Wipe, Wipe, Wipe

With your clean rag, start wiping the interior of your microwave. If necessary, dip your rag carefully into your hot vinegar mixture to attack those extra-stubborn spots that are still clinging on for dear life.

You’re all done! If your microwave’s gasket needs some TLC as well, scrub it gently with a water and baking soda mixture (best applied to a clean sponge), and then rinse it with a damp cloth.