How to Clean Your Microwave Oven Without Trying

Broken Microwave Oven

My microwave oven broke in the winter of 2010-2011, during one of the many intermittent power outages we had. Some were brown outs and some were multiple days of black outs. So when the microwave stopped working at some point, we thought the power surge killed its circuitry. So we unplugged it and didn't use it. For almost a year.

It is a built in model so we didn't take it out to replace it. We nixed the idea of buying a cheap portable one since, one day, we'd renovate the kitchen and replace the built in one. Why buy another?

Then, last year, our friends visited us over a weekend and their kids wanted to heat up something - can't remember what - and they automatically went for the microwave, like they do in their home. They didn't know that we unplugged it and haven't been using it. When they yelled, it wasn't working, we nonchalantly shrugged our shoulders and said, "We think it's broken." When they looked at me like I had two heads, I answered them, "Yes, we didn't bother to replace it and no, we don't miss it." Baffled but challenged, they plugged it and turned it on.

Now, when I tell you we were laughing so hard that we almost peed in our pants is an understatement because the dang thing whirred and turned it on fine! The kids heated up whatever it was that they had, and left the kitchen, leaving us, the adults uncontrollably laughing, clutching our stomachs. My friends couldn't believe that we didn't bother to turn it on for over a year, thinking, it's broken.

What can I say? We didn't feel the need for it since I learned to cook without making leftovers to reheat! We didn't eat foods that needed fast heating either, I guess.

I still smile when I think about us laughing that night. It was funny. You had to be there.

But this post is not about my broken microwave oven.

Now I have to clean it?

Yup. This is about how, now, I have to clean the stupid thing, since it's working again. When it was broken, I didn't have to clean it! But now that it's working and my kids are using it again, it gets dirty, daily! Sometimes I don't even know it's dirty because I still forget to use it and I don't see the mess.

Now, sometimes I think I'm really clever....like not turning on the microwave oven, thinking, it was broken. (Me: Microwave is clean! Yay!) And then, there are times when I have to laugh out loud because I've been so dumb for not thinking of an idea sooner....like not turning on the microwave oven, thinking, it was broken. (Me: It didn't work yesterday so why would it work today? Besides, we don't need it anyway.)

Not having a working microwave is not the worst thing in the world. But having some "unknown" food explode in it is pretty close being the worst.

And again, I had the dumbest laugh (at myself) for not realizing the obvious...like cleaning the microwave oven effortlessly. This 'new' - no, "Duh!" method, unequivocally falls under the category of, "Duhhhh....why didn't I think of this before (WDITOTB)???" It's added to the many *slapping my forehead* ideas that already reside in my WDITOTB file.

So here it goes.

How to clean your microwave oven effortlessly.

Place a *Microwave Safe glass bowl (I'm using a Pyrex bowl) with one cup of water and juice from one lemon. Place it in the middle of the microwave and turn it on HIGH for 2 minutes. By the way, "Micro-Safe"  means, just that. It's safe to use in the microwave. It does NOT mean it's safe for YOU. So never, NEVER heat plastic in the microwave, even if it says "Micro Safe". Chemicals from the plastic still can leach into the food when heated in such high temperature. Always use micro safe GLASS in the microwave.

After 2 minutes, the microwave oven should be steamy and the walls moist. Spray all the surfaces with vinegar and wipe down with sponge. If the stain is stubborn, you can repeat the above steps for another 2 minutes and spray & wipe down again.

Now tell me this doesn't look clean. And how stupid simple was this cleaning job? Forgive me if you already do this but as I said, discovering this method of cleaning was one of those "Duhhhh" moment revelations, like when I found out that my microwave oven was working just fine.

As you can see, I don't put that much emphasis of my life on microwaving foods. And honestly? You shouldn't either. Cook and eat fresh foods. Don't use the microwave if you can help it.

But if you do and dirty up the box, now you know how to clean it, effortlessly.