If the inside of your microwave looks like a B-grade splatter movie, it’s time to grit your teeth and give your hard-working appliance some much-needed attention. 

We know that nobody enjoys scrubbing away at the crusty residue from things like exploded beans and soup spills, so we’re going to share our three best tips for quickly getting rid of gunky microwave goo. All you’ll need is vinegar and baking soda—no elbow grease required.

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Vinegar and baking soda are the easiest and safest ways to clean your microwave. 

Learn how to put vinegar and baking soda to work in your microwave.

Before you start

Using natural, homemade cleaners inside your microwave is a much better option than using toxic chemical cleaners. These non-toxic cleaners can remove cooking smells, grease, and dried food just as easily as commercial solutions.

If you use your microwave regularly, it’s a good idea to keep these on hand in your cupboard:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Cloths or sponges
• Paper towels
• Microwave-safe bowl

Now let’s take a look at our top three time-saving methods to clean your microwave naturally.

1. Baking soda

Baking soda is one of the most useful products in your kitchen. You can use it to get coffee stains out of carpet, and of course to clean and freshen your microwave.

1. Half-fill a microwave-safe bowl with water, and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Place this in the microwave, and turn the microwave to a high setting. 
2. Run your microwave for 2 to 5 minutes until the bowl starts to produce a good amount of steam. The steam will do all the hard work here to loosen the dried, caked-on food particles.
3. Once this is done, remove the bowl carefully, and wipe down all the surfaces of your microwave with a paper towel, sponge, or cloth.

Pro tip: To remove extra stubborn splatters from the surfaces of your microwave, mix together 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water to create a spreadable paste. Apply this to the dried-on food and leave it to sit for 10 minutes. Then use a wet sponge or cloth to wipe away the paste and food residue.

2. Vinegar

White vinegar is another household champion. It has strong cleaning and antibacterial properties that help you effort clean mirrors and freshen up floor grouting. Here, we’re going to show you how to clean a microwave with vinegar.

1. Grab a large microwave-safe bowl, and add ½ cup of vinegar. Place it in the microwave, and run this on a medium-high setting for around 5 minutes so it can steam up the inside of the microwave. 
2. When the timer goes off, leave the bowl in the microwave for another couple of minutes. Remove the bowl and dip a sponge or cloth into this warm vinegar solution. Begin wiping down the inside of your microwave, and you’ll see how effective this method is. Crusted-on food wipes right off.

Homeaglow pro tip: if you’re not a fan of the smell of vinegar, you can add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the bowl of water as well. This will mask the vinegar odor and leave your microwave lemony fresh.

3. Vinegar and baking soda

This method uses the power of both vinegar and baking soda to remove even the toughest microwave goo.

1. Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 500ml of water and stir until the baking soda dissolves. 
2. Dip a sponge or cloth into this solution, and wipe down all the surfaces in your microwave, paying extra attention to the caked-on food patches.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, add equal parts of water and white vinegar. Place the bowl into your microwave and run it on high for around 3 minutes, or until you notice the water boiling and steaming.
4. Once this is finished, leave the bowl to sit inside the microwave for another 10 minutes so the steam can continue to do its work. 
5. Carefully remove the bowl, then dip a cloth into the warm vinegar solution and clean down the walls, floor, and ceiling of your microwave. 

The magic of the baking soda combined with the vinegar steam will have loosened all the dried-on spills and splatters nicely so they can be effortlessly wiped away.

Don’t have vinegar or baking soda in the house? 

No problem— we’ve got you covered with this final tip on how to clean your microwave fast. All you need is a few paper towels.

1. Dip the paper towels quickly in a bowl of water until they’re wet, then place them on the microwave turntable. 
2. Run the microwave for one minute on high so the steam helps loosen the dirt inside. Use these hot paper towels to clean the inside walls, ceiling, and turntable areas of your microwave.

Note: Ensure that your paper towel is saturated with water. Dry paper can catch fire in a microwave.

It’s simple to clean a microwave with vinegar and baking soda

You don’t have to use harsh commercial chemicals to clean your microwave. You can quickly make a gentle, natural cleaner from vinegar or baking soda that’s just as effective.

If you absolutely loathe cleaning your microwave, you can always book a professional, affordable cleaner to take care of things with Eagle Cleaning We know that keeping your microwave fresh and clean is an ongoing chore. Hire a professional house cleaning today.

Check out our follow up blog entry on How To Keep Your Stainless Steel Appliances Like New.