# I'm the idiot who burned something in the microwave, help me clean it

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-the-idiot-who-burned-something-in-the-microwave-help-me-clean-it/804945>\
**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:** 1\
**Showing post:** 11

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**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")

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[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.

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