How to Clean and Deodorize a Microwave

Your microwave is actually one of the easiest things in the kitchen to clean, but most people don't do it until the problem has become overwhelming. Microwaves also collect odors throughout repeated used, but most people avoid dealing with this until they burn a bag of popcorn that spreads throughout the house. Cleansing and deodorizing of your microwave should not be put off until it becomes a chore. You spend enough time in the kitchen that you can make cleaning this appliance a part of your multitasking.

The first thing you need to do is get into the habit of cleaning up spills in the microwave as they occur. If you make a habit of cooking bacon in the microwave nearly every morning and you aren't cleaning the microwave every morning, by the time you finally do get around to it, you are likely to have a thick frosting of bacon grease on the floor. Personally, I wouldn't mind the aroma of bacon in every food I place inside a microwave, but if you do then you should clean your microwave every time you use it for bacon because you can guarantee that bacon grease is going to be getting everywhere inside the appliance.

If you just cannot bring yourself to clean up the microwave as you in the process of cooking and eating, you will have to learn how to deal with caked-on food in the microwave. Fortunately, cleaning caked-on food inside the microwave is simplicity itself. There are two ways to go about this. You can place a half-filled bowl of water inside the microwave and allow it to boil for two to three minutes on High. Or you can place a damp washcloth in the center of the microwave and cook on high for about 45 seconds. Either process has the effect of creating steam that loosens up the caked-on food. Be careful in removing the bowl or the washrag as they will probably be very hot. Clean off the food while it is still loosened by the steam.

Deodorizing your microwave is also easy. Place a bowl of water inside the microwave into which you have placed a few slices of lemon. Or sliced cherries. Or a teaspoon of vanilla extra. Or a teaspoon of banana extract. Really, to be honest, it doesn't matter what you put in the water as long as you make sure it is something that you consider a pleasant aroma. Mike it on high for between 30 and 60 seconds. The worse the odor you are trying to get rid of, the longer you will want to keep the bowl inside the microwave after cooking. You can open the door to stop the dinging, but leave the bowl and your choice of aromatic inside. If your burning of popcorn has infiltrated all the way to the other side of the house, you may find you need to keep the mixture inside your microwave all day before removing and wiping down the glass.