My microwave has definitely seen better days. Recently, I went to heat up some leftovers in the microwave and realized it was time to get serious about cleaning it. But instead of using a harsh cleaner and spending time scrubbing, I decided to try a trick I’ve encountered many times on my Tip Hero trips. I’ve tried similar techniques on smaller messes before, but I was curious to see if I could effectively clean up this epic mess with the help of some lemons and water.
First, I took a half cup of water, a fairly small bowl and a lemon. I poured the water into the bowl, then cut the lemon in half.
Next, I squeezed as much juice as I could from the two lemon halves into the water before tossing the two halves directly into the water.
Next, it was time for the bowl to go into the war zone. I set the microwave to run for 3 minutes and hoped for the best.
After the 3 minutes, I left the microwave with the door closed for another 4-5 minutes. I wanted the magic steam from the lemon water to really soak up the mess in the microwave. This would make my job much easier when it came time to wipe it up.
After that wait, I grabbed a rag and simply wiped the spill down (I didn’t have to scrub at all – yay)! For a few tougher spots, I dipped the rag directly into the lemon water and used it to wipe up the mess.
After a good wipe, the microwave looked pretty clean. But there were still some dirty areas in the crevices.
I decided to grab an old toothbrush and dip it directly into the warm lemon water.
Then I used the soaked toothbrush to clean up the hard-to-reach spots.
My microwave is sparkling again! Let’s hope the microwave never gets this bad again. But if it does, I’ll know what to do.
