As microwaves are one of the most frequently used appliances, logically, they get messy the most. But the good news is you don't have to spend hours scrubbing away to get all those unsavory messes cleaned right up! These three cleaning tips will make your microwave looking good as new in no time.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is naturally abrasive liquid. It can scrape off spills without damaging the microwave. Mix two parts baking soda and one part water to make a thick, abrasive paste. Apply your baking soda paste to the worst of the stains, giving the whole inside of your microwave an even coat, then allow it to sit for five minutes. At this point, you can either wipe up the paste and the stains with it, or you can double up using the next method.

Lemon

This method has an added bonus. Not only is it the most simple microwave cleaning method, but it will, also, make your kitchen smell nice. Take an average-size lemon and slice it in half, placing both halves flat side down into a small bowl of water. Stick the bowl with the lemons into the microwave and heat on high for one minute, or until you see the microwave door start to steam up. Let the steam sit for a minute before opening the microwave door.

When all of this is done, open the microwave door and wipe the interior with a paper towel. The steam from the water should make all those crusted-on spills easy to wipe up, and the lemon fights bacteria and germs that may have been growing inside. Plus, it makes the whole thing smell fresh!

Vinegar

It’s another easy microwave cleaning method, and it will go perfectly after you soak the microwave with baking soda. Just fill a bowl with two cups of water and two tablespoons of white vinegar, and microwave the mixture for one or two minutes. Vinegar has powerful cleansing properties, and combined with steam it loosens up all the gunk caked onto your microwave. Keep the microwave door closed for a few minutes after it’s done running, to really let the steam go to work. Then open it up and wipe it down, making sure to remove any baking soda residue leftover from the previous method.

As you can see, there is no more burnt popcorn smell, or lingering odors from the last heated meal! In addition to being great cleaners, all of these hacks strip away unpleasant smells from your microwave too. Now you're ready to whip up an easy meal with no mess and no stress about germs or unwanted flavors.

For more tips like this, plus all the information you never knew you needed about your kitchen appliances, take a look at our other blog articles or visit our Learning Center page.