# I'm the idiot who burned something in the microwave, help me clean it **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945 "2017-12-20T20:16:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/1 "2017-12-20T20:16:54Z")
Stupid me put food in the microwave for 3.00 rather than 30 seconds and then I went to take out the recycling. Suffice to say, I have an awful scorched smell in the microwave now. What are you suggestions for cleaning it and getting rid of the smell? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/2 "2017-12-20T21:06:48Z")
I’d start by putting a big pyrex measuring cup (or bowl) full of water in the microwave and running it about three minutes, or long enough to get some good steam going. Let it sit until your comfortable removing the cup and wipe out the inside of the box, maybe with a spritz of 409 or other cleaner. That should be a good first step and you can see how much remains. Maybe do it again if it needs it. Of course if anything spilled and baked on, that would have to be dealt with separately, first. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/3 "2017-12-20T22:20:55Z")
Add lemon juice to that boiling water. > **[How To Clean Your Microwave Naturally with Just a Lemon](https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-clean-your-microwave-with-just-a-lemon-cleaning-lessons-from-the-kitchn-200294)** > > If you've been avoiding cleaning your microwave, this trick is going to make you very happy. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/4 "2017-12-20T22:22:54Z")
Worst case, microwaves are all but disposable. I remember our first one costing hundreds of dollars; you can get 'em for like $40, now. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/5 "2017-12-20T22:31:32Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I’d start by putting a big pyrex measuring cup (or bowl) full of water in the microwave and running it about three minutes… Note to the OP: Three, not thirty. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/6 "2017-12-20T22:37:29Z")
Yep, boil some water in a big microwave-safe bowl and when it shuts off, let the door stay closed for at least several minutes. The steam cleaning will soften up the crud really well. And while you’re scrubbing out the walls, remove the glass turntable dishj, put a puddle of full-strength cleaner on it and let it sit awhile. Then scour away with steel wool. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/7 "2017-12-20T22:43:29Z")
To get rid of the smell, after you have run water and cleaned it out, put a cup full of coffee grounds in the microwave and leave it there for a day or so. Don’t run the microwave, just leave it in there with the door closed. That’ll probably absorb most of the bad smell. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/8 "2017-12-21T02:18:20Z")
For what it’s worth, I just ordered one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016AJGG2A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)Amazon Link for my wife for _The Big Holiday_ Didn’t they trademark Christmas or something? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/9 "2017-12-21T02:58:47Z")
That is awesome. But would a bowl full of vinegar and water do the same thing, or do the small holes on her head actually make the steam more efficient at cleaning? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/10 "2017-12-21T03:29:15Z")
The recommendation I heard for deodorizing the microwave oven is to put several tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl of water and then running the microwave on high for several minutes. It seems to work for me. You might end up with a thin layer of baking soda on the inside surfaces of the microwave, but it wipes away easily enough. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/11 "2017-12-21T07:56:48Z")
[Help! My microwave stinks!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=411527) > [@Help! My microwave stinks!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-microwave-stinks/395161/1): > > Really, really stinks! We had a heat bag that you warmed up in the microwave and then put it on a sore muscle for soft gentle heat. The bag was cloth, and it was filled with grain, so that each time you microwaved it the grain warmed up. > > Worked like a charm - until we got a new microwave. Turns out the new one is much more powerful than our old one. So the same amount of time on “high”, instead of just heating up the grain - well - it burst into flame. Still in the microwave. Burning through the cloth bag. And it stunk! Imagine an entire bag of Orville Redenbacher popcorn burning inside a cotton bag, and you’ve pretty much got it. :eek: > > It was so hot that even once I got it out of the oven and extinguished the flames and tossed it into the garbage, the garbage bag started melting. So I had to run it out through a snow storm to get it in the garbage bin in the alley before it all melted. :eek: > > Great. Now we’ve got burning plastic added to the mix. :smack: > > That was on Sunday. And even though I’ve cleaned the microwave several times, every time we open the door we get a horrible stinky smoky smell. And it gets worse if we actually use it. I think it must have smoke inside the vents where I can’t get at it, and each time it heats up, the smoke smell re-apppears. ☹ > > So do any of you smart Dopers have any suggestions for how I can clean it? Is there any product or cleaning agent that I can use? Or do I just have a big stinky microwave forever? :eek: Helpful suggestions followed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/12 "2017-12-21T07:58:15Z")
From ten years ago: [Help! My microwave stinks!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=411527) > [@Help! My microwave stinks!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-microwave-stinks/395161/1): > > Really, really stinks! We had a heat bag that you warmed up in the microwave and then put it on a sore muscle for soft gentle heat. The bag was cloth, and it was filled with grain, so that each time you microwaved it the grain warmed up. > > Worked like a charm - until we got a new microwave. Turns out the new one is much more powerful than our old one. So the same amount of time on “high”, instead of just heating up the grain - well - it burst into flame. Still in the microwave. Burning through the cloth bag. And it stunk! Imagine an entire bag of Orville Redenbacher popcorn burning inside a cotton bag, and you’ve pretty much got it. :eek: > > It was so hot that even once I got it out of the oven and extinguished the flames and tossed it into the garbage, the garbage bag started melting. So I had to run it out through a snow storm to get it in the garbage bin in the alley before it all melted. :eek: > > Great. Now we’ve got burning plastic added to the mix. :smack: > > That was on Sunday. And even though I’ve cleaned the microwave several times, every time we open the door we get a horrible stinky smoky smell. And it gets worse if we actually use it. I think it must have smoke inside the vents where I can’t get at it, and each time it heats up, the smoke smell re-apppears. ☹ > > So do any of you smart Dopers have any suggestions for how I can clean it? Is there any product or cleaning agent that I can use? Or do I just have a big stinky microwave forever? :eek: Helpful suggestions followed. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945/13 "2017-12-21T12:47:02Z")
> [@Northern Piper](#): > > So I had to run it out through a snow storm to get it in the garbage bin in the alley before it all melted. No snowbank handy? At least temporarily.