How to Use Vinegar to Clean a Microwave Naturally

Expensive cleaners for your microwave are unnecessary when you have vinegar.

Spending on an expensive cleaner to use on your microwave is unnecessary when you may already have one among your household products — white distilled vinegar. Also, vinegar is all-natural, environmentally friendly and easy to use. Utilizing it in your microwave is an easy, straightforward process.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Sponge
• Bowl
• 1/2-cup of vinegar

1. Pour between ¼-cup and ½-cup white distilled vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl. Rinse a kitchen sponge with tap water and put it into the bowl.

2. Put the bowl, sponge and all, into the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. This will not only cause steam in the microwave, which will loosen the stuck-on dirt but also sanitize your sponge.

3. Wait about a minute or longer after you are done microwaving your sponge. This allows the vinegar and sponge to cool and also gives the steam more time to work. Practice extreme caution because the contents will be hot.

4. Open the microwave door after you are sure the bowl is cool enough to handle. Open away from your face, since you may find the smell strong. Squeeze excess vinegar from the sponge and proceed to wipe the inside of the microwave, starting at the top and working your way down.

5. Rinse the sponge with tap water, dip it in the vinegar, squeeze excess vinegar and wipe the outside of the microwave. If you prefer, you can wipe the outside and/or the inside with a dry towel afterward to avoid streaking.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not discard the remaining vinegar when you are done. You can use it to clean other parts of your kitchen.

• Remember, vinegar is naturally antibacterial and antiviral. It is a perfectly safe, very cheap multipurpose cleaner.

• Again, practice extreme caution when opening the microwave door after heating the bowl of vinegar because it can get extremely hot.

References

• Cleaning With Vinegar: Cleaning With Vinegar
• The Vinegar Institute: Uses & Tips