You won’t need lemons to help clean microwaves (Image: Getty)
Cleaning appliances can be an arduous job, and the longer they’re left to their own devices, the more neglected and dirtier they can get. Microwaves can become a major source of grime in the kitchen, and the longer the grime is left to fester, the harder it may be to remove it.
A popular cleaning hack is to use a lemon, but one chef argued that this citrus tactic actually does nothing for the cleanliness of the appliance. Chef Charles Kim, known as Chef Fatty on social media, urged people to ditch lemon in favour of a homemade cleaning paste for the job. In a recent video, the chef said: “What happens if you cut a lemon in half and you throw it in the microwave? It might make it smell good but nothing really happens.”
Heating water in the microwave will help loosen grime (Image: Getty)
How to clean microwaves
Chef Fatty isn’t a fan of the lemon hack, as on its own, it doesn’t do much other than give the microwave a citrus smell. Instead, the chef uses a two pronged approach to clean the appliance.
First, fill a microwave-safe bowl or jar with two cups (approximately 236ml) of water and place it in the microwave. Heat the water for between three to five minutes.
Remove the jar from the microwave and give the inside of the appliance a wipe. You’ll find that the water will loosen any grease or grime that’s splattered on the inside.
While most of the loose dirt can be removed easily by wiping, there may be some stubborn grime stains that need a bit more help. This Chef Fatty then uses his own “super paste” to clean up stubborn and stuck-on grime.
This paste uses two parts washing soda to one part hydrogen peroxide, along with a few drops of washing-up liquid. Make sure you give the paste a good mix. Apply the paste directly on top of the stubborn grime, and wait between 15 and 20 minutes.
Follow by giving the grime a good scrub, and it should lift the grime straight away. s a mild abrasive, baking soda also helps dislodge stubborn grease or food particles without causing surface damage.
Hydrogen peroxide removes grime primarily through oxidation, a chemical reaction in which an extra oxygen atom breaks off and destroys organic matter. This will help lift stuck-on grime and food particles even more.
Combining it with washing-up liquid makes the entire cleaning process considerably more straightforward. As washing-up liquid functions as an emulsifier, it binds to grease and oil stains, enabling them to be rinsed away with water.
Washing up liquid contains surfactants that are both hydrophilic – attracting water – and hydrophobic – repelling water and binding to oil. These surfactants bind to the grease, allowing oil and water to mix and form a stable emulsion that can then be washed away.
If you don’t have washing soda to hand, you can make it from scratch by baking baking soda. Cover a baking tray with a generous amount of baking soda.
Bake the baking soda on the tray at 180℃ for 30 minutes to make washing soda. Heating baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) converts it to washing soda (sodium carbonate), a stronger, more alkaline cleaner used in washing powder.
Heating the baking soda triggers a chemical reaction that removes water and produces carbon dioxide gas. The pH rises during heating, making it much more effective at cutting grease, softening hard water, and lifting stains.
