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How To Clean Microwave Stains

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How do you clean microwave stains so that it looks as good as brand new? Here are a few quick fix solutions to help you address those stubborn stains inside your microwave.

Clean household appliances are a miracle to witness. All it takes is a leftover spaghetti to explode in the microwave and it’s all down hill from there.

Overcooked popcorn is a culprit of many tough microwave stains. Removing brown and yellow stains from the microwave is not easy, but with a little time and patience you can effectively get the job down.

Homemade kitchen cleaner in a spray bottle. A scrubbing brush and cleaning cloth are placed along side.

How To Remove Stubborn Microwave Stains

All-purpose cleaners work well if you want to clean microwave with chemicals, however there are some alternatives methods to remove microwave stains that we will cover in this demonstration.

Grab a few household cleaning agents and muster up a tiny bit of elbow grease. Time to do some microwave cleaning and remove those stubborn stains!

Cleaning Paste Materials:

  • ¼ cup baking soda or Bar Keeper’s Friend
  • ⅛ cup lemon juice or white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon liquid detergent
  • Toothbrush, cleaning rag or sponge

Cleaning Paste Instructions:

Gentle abrasives and an acidic liquid is the best way to remove tough stains in the microwave. Baking soda and Bar Keeper’s Friend are excellent powdered cleaners.

To create a powerful cleaning paste, mix either one with and acid like lemon juice or vinegar and a drop of liquid detergent. Use a toothbrush, cleaning rag or sponge to lather the paste and remove the stubborn stain.

Use a toothbrush, cleaning rag or sponges to buff the stains with the cleaning paste.

For a more difficult stain, cover the spot with a layer of paste and leave it for 20 minutes or longer. Then, scrub with a non-abrasive sponge (don’t want to scratch the material inside the microwave).

Yellow Stains In Microwave

One of the most common microwaves stains is from burnt popcorn. Stains really shouldn’t be left in the microwave for too long or else it can result in permanent discoloration.

Liquids, powders and oils and create a yellow film when burned into the microwave surface.

I have found that cleaning a microwave with lemon works well to remedy this situation quickly.

Slice up a lemon and squeeze the juice into a microwave safe container. Add the lemon and ½ cup of water to the bowl, and then place it inside the microwave.

Turn on high for 3 minutes until the water begins boiling. Leave the container inside the microwave with the door closed so that it builds up steam.

After about 5 minutes, carefully remove the bowl with the lemons. The yellow stains and food mess should while away with a clean cloth or sponge.

If the stain remains, then cover the stain with the cleaning paste and let it sit for 20 minutes. Gently scrub the surface to lift the stain and remove and residual film.

Burn Marks In Microwave

Occasionally, the inside of a microwave gets brownish, yellow or dark gray scorch marks look like an ugly bruise on the surface of the hard plastic. This can occur when the metal grate that comes with the appliance is used incorrectly.

The rack has been tuned to the oven, therefore it won’t cause sparks inside the appliance. However, it will leave scorch marks if it gets bumped out of place and comes in contact with the interior surface.

Other metals like aluminum foil, serving utensils and or non-microwave cookware will cause arcing that also leaves burn marks inside the kitchen appliance.

The cleaning paste is the best way to remove any stain resulting inside the microwave. Use a soft toothbrush to scrub the nooks and crannies without damaging the material of the microwave surface.

It’s best to address the stain as soon as possible. The longer you leave the stain and the more times it gets baked on, the greater the chance it will become permanent.

Stains that are acknowledged right away have a much better chance of being completely removed.

How to clean microwave stains

K

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

Good microwave cleaning tips! You should not leave bar keepers friend on for longer than 1 minute (with the exception being a few minutes on plastic or porcelain.)