Inside your microwave can be quite a nasty place, especially if you’re not regularly cleaning it. Whether you’re using it to heat up your soup or defrost any meat, it’s one of the most used appliances in the kitchen. So, it’s important you look after it.
The last thing you want is bacteria crawling all over a place where you put your food. You wouldn’t spend months not cleaning your cooking dishes, so don’t avoid your microwave. Fortunately, there’s a really simple way to clean it that requires minimal effort and just one ingredient.
Using a lemon to clean the microwave
Believe it or not, there is no reason to use any harsh chemicals to clean your microwave - no matter how encrusted those pieces of food are. Forget the spray bottles the next time you’re shopping and grab a bag of lemons instead. You’ll be amazed at how many appliances you can clean with lemons.
Method - a quick acidic clean
One way you can clean the microwave is by grabbing a bowl of warm water. Make sure that it is relatively large (can fit the lemon in it) and is microwaveable safe. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the warm water. Then put the two halves into the mug as well.
Put the microwaveable bowl into the machine and set it for 3 minutes. You might need to increase the time depending on how powerful your microwave is. The end result should see the water boiling. Once the water is boiling, leave the microwave off. Don’t open the door!
The steam from the bowl will help to remove the food and dirt that has gathered on the inside of the microwave. After 5 minutes of allowing the lemon steam to do its job, you can open the door and wipe clean.
If you find there are any stubborn areas, grab the lemon half from the bowl and scrub at the dirt with it. Use your cloth to wipe away everything else and grab a separate one to dry it out.
Why you should use a lemon to clean your microwave
There are plenty of ingredients out there that you could use to clean your microwave with. Ultimately, it’s a food preparation area so the more natural the better. That’s not to say there are unsafe products out there, but why would you want to spend money on an expensive cleaner when all you need is a lemon or two.
Lemons have great natural cleaning powers without being too harsh on appliances. The antibacterial and anti-fungal properties are perfect for cleaning your microwave. They also banish any bad smells - especially ideal if it’s been a while since you scrubbed your microwave!
Don’t forget, no matter how you clean your microwave be sure to clean the inside of the door and the turntable. These are the areas that tend to be crawling with bacteria so they require special attention. You should be able to remove your turntable completely, in which case, clean it like you would any other dish in your home - with warm soapy water.
Other ways to use lemon when cleaning appliances
As we mentioned, lemons have impressive cleaning properties, so don’t just use them for your microwave. Why not use them to clean your oven? You can use the exact same method to clean your oven as you did with your microwave. Just grab a bigger bowl, more water and perhaps another lemon.
You can also use lemons to clean your kettle. Fill it with some water and then squeeze the lemon juice in. Leave the lemon halves out of your kettle though, otherwise, it may cause some issues. Once it has boiled, lift off the lid ever so slightly so that the steam comes out of the spout and the hole at the top. Once it’s cooled down you can pour out the water and wipe the appliance with a cloth.
As lemons are a food item, they can go out of date. To reduce your food waste, make sure you only buy one of two lemons at once. The last thing you want to do is buy a bag full of lemons and then not have enough items to clean. Although, it’s not just kitchen appliances that you can use them on. They’re great for cleaning your bathtub, kitchen sink and even some flooring types too!
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