Whether you use your microwave for popcorn, reheating pizza or cooking vegetables, inevitably your appliance is going to develop a stinky odor. Regardless of whether your microwave smells of burned popcorn or has a broccoli odor, you need to get that bad odor out before it makes your whole kitchen smell. So, here are some tips and tricks to restore the fresh smell of your microwave.
Vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent and has a smell that quickly dissipates. So, it can be very useful for combating any bad smells in your microwave. Put a tablespoon of white vinegar in a microwave safe bowl with ½ cup of water. Microwave this for approximately 2 minutes and allow the door to stay shut for 15 minutes. The steam will allow any smell-causing particles stuck to the interior to be loosened and the vinegar will absorb any odors. After 15 minutes, remove the bowl and wipe the interior of the microwave with a damp paper towel.
If you’ve still got lingering bad smells inside your microwave, you’ll need to step up your cleaning approach with a sponge cleaner. Soak a kitchen sponge in white vinegar and sprinkle it with baking soda. Microwave the sponge for 30 seconds. Use the sponge to carefully wipe the interior of the microwave, paying particular attention to the door and glass tray.
Citrus is often used to banish kitchen smells, and these fruits can be used to great effect in your microwave. You can banish any stubborn smells with a simple fruit mixture. Slice a lemon in half or peel two oranges and place the fruit or peels in a bowl with 2 cups of water. Microwave the bowl for 4 minutes, but you’ll need to watch it carefully to ensure that the bowl doesn’t boil dry and the citrus doesn’t burn. If possible, leave the bowl with the citrus and water inside your microwave with the door unopened for 12 hours or overnight. This should remove any stubborn smells and leave the microwave smelling pleasantly fruity.
If all the above tips have still failed to remove any bad smells, or you don’t want any lingering smells of citrus or vinegar, you can use a box of baking soda. Open up a box and place it in the microwave. Close the door and leave it in place for 12 hours or overnight. Baking soda can neutralize odors without adding any additional smells. If you don’t have any baking soda on hand and don’t mind the smell of coffee, you can substitute coffee grounds. Place the damp grounds from your morning coffee in a dish and leave it in the microwave all day. You can speed up the cleaning process by microwaving half a cup of water containing 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds for a few minutes.
Bad smells in your microwave can be a real problem, and hopefully, these tips will help restore a fresh odor in your appliance. Remember that smells are often caused by food residue, so be sure to wipe up any spills or splatters of food quickly to avoid odors lingering. It is best to try to remove any residue while it is still warm, so don’t leave food spills to go cold and solidify inside your microwave unless you enjoy tackling those bad odors on a regular basis.
If you are still having difficulties with your microwave, you should speak to a professional home appliance repair technician for an effective and long-lasting solution.
For help with any microwave repair issues, be sure that you contact a professional appliance repair service.