How to Clean a Microwave (Inside & Out) the Easy, Natural Way
By Jasman, Co-founder of PureZest | Updated October 2026 | 7-minute read
If you want to know how to clean a microwave without scrubbing for half an hour, the trick is simple: steam first, then let a degreaser do the work. In this guide, I'll walk you through cleaning the inside, the turntable, the door and the outside, plus how to get rid of lingering smells. With Canadian Thanksgiving leftovers about to go round and round in microwaves across the country, there's no better week to do it.
Key Takeaways
- Steam first: microwave a bowl of water with lemon slices for 3-5 minutes, then leave the door shut for 5 more minutes to soften stuck-on food.
- Then wipe: spray a gentle degreaser on the walls and ceiling, wait about 1 minute, and wipe with a microfibre cloth.
- Wash the turntable separately in warm water with dish soap. It's usually dishwasher-safe too, but check your manual.
- Spray the cloth, not the microwave, around vents and the keypad so liquid doesn't drip inside.
- Never run a microwave empty and never use abrasive pads or bleach inside it.
Why Is My Microwave So Hard to Clean?
Microwave mess is hard to remove because splatters get reheated over and over, which bakes grease and sugars onto the walls. Each time you heat food, the old splatter cooks a little more and sticks a little harder.
Grease also traps odours, which is why a microwave can smell like last week's curry long after the food is gone. The fix is to soften that layer with steam, then break down the grease rather than scrape it.
What You'll Need
- A microwave-safe glass bowl or large measuring cup
- 1 cup of water and half a lemon (sliced) or a splash of white vinegar
- A wooden spoon or chopstick (to place in the bowl)
- PureZest Multi-Purpose Cleaner for grease
- PureZest Enzyme Dish Soap for the turntable
- Microfibre cloths or sponge wipes
- Baking soda (optional, for odours or stubborn spots)
How to Clean a Microwave With Lemon (Steam Method)
The steam method loosens dried-on food so it wipes off instead of needing to be chiselled off. It works in about 10 minutes.
- Fill a bowl with about 1 cup of water. Squeeze in half a lemon and drop the slices in.
- Add a wooden spoon or chopstick to the bowl. This gives bubbles somewhere to form and helps prevent the water from superheating and boiling over suddenly.
- Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, until the water boils and the window steams up.
- Leave the door closed for 5 minutes. This is the step most people skip, and it's where the softening happens.
- Carefully remove the bowl with oven mitts. It will be very hot.
- Wipe the interior with a damp microfibre cloth, starting at the ceiling and working down.
In hard-water areas like the Prairies or southern Ontario, you may see faint white mineral spots after the steam dries. A quick final wipe takes care of them.
How to Clean the Inside of a Microwave With Baked-On Grease
For greasy or crusty splatters that steam alone doesn't lift, follow the steam with a degreaser. This is how I cleaned microwaves when I ran a cleaning services business, and it saves a lot of elbow grease.
- Steam first using the method above.
- Spray PureZest Multi-Purpose Cleaner onto the walls, ceiling and floor of the microwave. Avoid spraying directly into the vent holes.
- Wait about 1 minute. The citrus enzymes and degreasing agents need a moment to break down fats.
- Wipe clean with a microfibre cloth.
- For stubborn spots, make a paste of baking soda and a little water, apply it, and rub gently with a soft cloth. Don't use steel wool or scouring pads, which can scratch the interior coating.
- Finish with a cloth dampened in plain water so the surfaces that sit near your food are left clean and residue-free, then dry with a clean cloth.
How to Clean a Microwave With Vinegar
Vinegar works the same way as lemon in the steam method. Use 1 cup of water with 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar, then follow the same steam-and-wait steps.
Vinegar is good at softening food and lifting light mineral spots, but it isn't a strong degreaser on its own. If your microwave has a greasy film, follow it with a degreasing cleaner. We compared the two approaches in Vinegar vs. Enzymes: Which Natural Cleaner Actually Wins?
How to Clean the Microwave Turntable and Roller Ring
- Remove the glass plate and roller ring once they're cool.
- Soak them in warm water with a squirt of PureZest Enzyme Dish Soap for 5-10 minutes if there's dried-on food.
- Wash, rinse and dry before putting them back.
- Wipe the floor of the microwave and the area under the ring while they're out. Crumbs here can make the turntable wobble or grind.
Let a hot plate cool first; a sudden temperature change can crack it.
How to Clean the Microwave Door, Keypad and Outside
The door seal and keypad collect fingerprints and drips, and they need a gentler approach.
- Door glass (inside): wipe with the degreaser and a microfibre cloth after steaming.
- Door edges and seal: wipe carefully with a damp cloth. Food buildup here can stop the door from closing properly.
- Keypad and controls: spray cleaner onto the cloth, never directly onto the panel, so liquid can't seep behind the buttons.
- Stainless steel exterior: wipe in the direction of the grain with a microfibre cloth. Our guide on how to clean stainless steel appliances covers streak-free results in detail.
- Over-the-range models: the metal grease filter underneath can be soaked in hot water with dish soap, the same way you'd treat a range hood filter.
Health Canada advises checking that the microwave door closes properly and that the hinges and seals aren't damaged. If they are, stop using it and have it serviced. You can read more in Health Canada's guidance on microwave ovens.
How to Get Rid of a Burnt Smell in the Microwave
To get rid of a burnt or lingering smell, clean the grease first, then deodorize. Odours cling to residue, so a fragrance alone won't solve it.
- Do a full steam-and-degrease clean as described above.
- Run the lemon-water steam method a second time.
- Leave a small open bowl of baking soda inside overnight with the door closed (don't turn the microwave on).
- Prop the door open for an hour the next day to air it out.
What NOT to Do When Cleaning a Microwave
- Don't run it empty. Always have water or food inside when it's on.
- Don't use bleach or oven cleaner inside the microwave. And never mix bleach with acids like vinegar or lemon juice, or with ammonia, because it can release harmful gases.
- Don't use steel wool or abrasive scrubbers on the interior coating or the door glass.
- Don't spray directly into vents or onto the control panel.
- Don't put metal bowls or foil in for the steam method.
- Unplug before deep cleaning the exterior or vents, and test any new cleaner on a small hidden spot first.
How Often Should You Clean Your Microwave?
Wipe up spills as soon as the microwave cools, and do a quick steam clean once a week if you use it daily. A full clean, including the turntable, door seal and exterior, every 2-4 weeks keeps buildup from baking on.
Prevention makes it much easier:
- Cover food with a microwave-safe lid or a paper towel.
- Heat saucy dishes in shorter bursts and stir in between.
- Do a 10-second wipe while the interior is still slightly warm, when splatters come off easily.
Cleaning the whole kitchen before guests arrive? Our guide to cleaning kitchen grease naturally covers stovetops, range hoods and cabinets.
Why We Use PureZest Multi-Purpose Cleaner for Microwaves
We built our Multi-Purpose Cleaner to handle kitchen grease without harsh fumes, which matters in a small enclosed space like a microwave.
- Enzyme-based degreaser: citrus enzymes help break down cooked-on fats and food residue.
- No bleach, no ammonia, no parabens.
- No added synthetic fragrances or dyes, just a light note of natural orange essence.
- Quick to use: spray, wait about 1 minute, wipe.
- One bottle for the whole kitchen: stovetops, range hoods, ovens, cabinets and appliances.
Pair it with our Enzyme Dish Soap for the turntable, or get both in the Kitchen Cleaning Combo. When you run low, the 1.9 L refill helps cut down on plastic bottles.
Shop PureZest Multi-Purpose Cleaner
Looking for more than a degreaser? Browse all our natural kitchen cleaning products, from enzyme dish soap to plastic-free scrubbers and refills.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you clean a microwave in 5 minutes?
Microwave a bowl of water with lemon slices for 3 minutes, leave the door shut for 2 minutes, then wipe the interior with a damp cloth. For grease, spray a degreaser, wait a minute and wipe again.
How do you clean a microwave with lemon?
Add half a sliced lemon to 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 3-5 minutes. Leave the door closed for 5 minutes so the steam can soften the mess, then wipe everything down.
Is vinegar or lemon better for cleaning a microwave?
Both work well for steaming. Lemon leaves a fresher scent, while vinegar is slightly better on mineral spots. Neither is a strong degreaser, so follow up with one if there's a greasy film.
How do you clean a really dirty microwave?
Steam it twice, then apply a degreaser and let it sit for a minute before wiping. For crusty spots, use a baking soda paste and a soft cloth instead of steel wool.
Can you use dish soap to clean a microwave?
Yes. A few drops of dish soap in warm water on a cloth works for light wipe-downs, and dish soap is ideal for washing the turntable in the sink. Finish with a cloth dampened in plain water so no residue is left behind.
How do you get the smell out of a microwave?
Clean off the grease first, because odours cling to residue. Then steam with lemon water and leave an open bowl of baking soda inside overnight with the microwave off.
The Bottom Line
The easiest way to clean a microwave is to steam it with lemon water, let it sit, then wipe away grease with a gentle degreaser. Wash the turntable separately, spray the cloth rather than the controls, and do a quick weekly steam to stop buildup from baking on. For a fast, fume-free clean, try PureZest Multi-Purpose Cleaner.
About the author: Jasman is the co-founder of PureZest, a BC-based natural cleaning brand, and previously ran a cleaning services business.
