How to Clean Your Microwave the Green Way

There must be a better way...
I love my microwave. It warms, it cooks, and holds bottles until I can retrieve them. It also, in a absent minded event can become covered in the meal of the day. This means brown spots, pasta sauce splatters, greasy crispy bits and often left smelling like fish and popcorn. Not very appetizing. No matter how hard you try to be careful, your appliances end up looking less than brand spanking new. You put it off, which only makes the problem worst, and once its time to clean your microwave, you have to use every household product to get it off.

I am not different than you, using soap and dangerous products to clean my microwave. The very place where you make the food for your family, or bottles for your child, is being cleaned with ingredients you can't even pronounce. I knew there had to be a better way, a greener way. So I searched on the web, for a article that would tell me how to clean things the safest green way. I tried quite a few natural products, but in the end found that what was in my refrigerator was the cheapest, easiest, and healthiest way I could clean my microwave without any chemicals.

Green Deodorizing
The best way I know to deodorize my microwave is by using a lemon. Yes, a lemon. Not only does it leave your microwave smelling lemony fresh, it also cuts light grease. If a few grease splatters land on the ceiling of the microwave, I can easily clean it off by scrubbing it with a lemon. I usually take a lemon, cut it in half, and literally wipe down the inside with the fleshy part of it. If I think it still smells a bit like last nights dinner, I microwave some lemon juice in a dish. After letting it bubble for about a minute, I wipe the inside down with a dry paper towel. You can leave the door open or closed, but trust me it will smell amazing.

Green: The unscented way
Don't like lemon? Some people don't enjoy the idea of a lemon scented kitchen, no matter how faint. For you my friend, I offer the wonders of baking soda. This is another great chemical free green way, that has been used in my house to clean things for ages. Among it's various household uses, it is the best scrubber and deodorizer for pans, and appliances. When I really have a stuck on mess that lemon just won't cut, I use baking soda. The amount you use is dependent upon how long you have put off cleaning your microwave.

I typically use a saucer of water with a level tablespoon of baking soda. I microwave this for about a minute, and repeat until the gunk is soft enough to wipe away. Note, if you continue to microwave the saucer, the water will run out, so I add more water and soda as needed. Anywho, if even after that I have crispy bits or stains that refuse to leave, I scrub it with equal parts of lemon juice and baking soda. The acidic, whitening properties of the lemon juice plus the gentle abrasive action of the baking soda make the perfect green way to clean any mess. Just remember to wipe out with a wet sponge, and it'll be good as store brought new.

Prevent the splatter
A tip I use to prevent spatters? Good old trusty paper towel. If you plan on reheating something crispy, I loosely place the towel on top. If you plan on microwaving something juicy, such as beans, I press the towel onto the food to prevent splashes or explosions. The favorite trick is spaghetti, placing a damp paper towel over your pasta will prevent dry-out, and leave it fresh tasting. It will not mess your food up in any way, and helps make clean up easier if you do happen to get a absent minded splatter. I hope these tips will allow you to keep your family healthy, and allow you to spend less time cleaning and more time living. Good luck with your green cleaning!