Welcome to Pinterest Tested! Ever wonder if that miracle cleaner is really miraculous? Or what about that homemade facial cleanser or delicious-looking recipe? The Craft Patch is the place to find out! I am testing Pins that catch my eye to see if they really live up to the claims made on Pinterest. It’s like the Mythbusters of Domesticity!
Today I am testing THIS PIN.
THE TEST: The Pin says you can easily clean out your microwave by microwaving a bowl of equal parts water and vinegar until it boils (about two minutes). Then you can just wipe out the gunk.
I am embarrassed to admit that I let my microwave get so incredibly disgusting. I could make a long list of excuses, but is there really one that would make that nasty funk okay? I don’t think so!
But for the sake of the test, let’s proceed. If you have small children, you may want to cover their eyes:
Ahhhh!!!! The after is so much better! Boiling the vinegar water made everything wipe right off… except those dang back corners. I think I’ll have to attack those with a Q-tip.
THE RESULT: Ding, ding! Winner! The steam loosened up all the crud and made it much easier to wipe off. The only downside I can think of is that it made my kitchen smell like vinegar. Not the best smell, but there are worse.
Comments & Reviews
I've never tried it with vinegar because plain water boiled has worked for me for year and years.
I've done this with lemon juice instead of vinegar. It works well and leaves a nice, fresh smell instead of vinegar!
Use lemon juice instead of vinegar, works just as well!
I always just heat the water, no vinegar. Does the vinegar actually help that much? I figured it was just the steam that softened everything and made it easy to wipe out.
I've done it with just water for about a minute and the result is the same. You could even add lemon for a fresh scent. 🙂
I love your blog and am a frequent lurker 🙂
This is the only way I've ever cleaned my microwave, except I use water and lemon juice. I just microwave a bowl of water and what lemon juice I have on hand, for a couple minutes. It easily wipes away! I never thought of using vinegar and I know that smell can be a bit offensive. Just another idea 🙂
I have gotten the same results by placing a cup of water in the microwave, bring it to a boil and let it sit in there for about a minute. The steam alone makes everything easy to wipe off but no vinegar smell.
It works with just a splash of vinegar too, so that may help a little with the smell.
There is also a pin that says you can boil 2 cups of water and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. It works great and smells awesome. (Link: http://ideas.thenest.com/decor-tricks/cleaning-organizing/slideshows/chemical-free-cleaners.aspx)
I don't think it's so much about what is added to the water but just the fact that there is boiling, steaming water in your microwave so it loosens everything up.
Love your blog! 🙂
Hi, I found your blog via Pinterest and love what you do 🙂 I clean my microwave the same way but use half a lemon squeezed into a bowl of water, then leave the half in there too. It works perfectly (if the acid in the vinegar is what helps, there's the acid in lemons too) and no vinegar smell in your kitchen. The lemon smell is lovely! 🙂
you don't have to put vinegar in the water. Just put a cup of water in, microwave on high for 2 minutes, and let it sit for 30 seconds after it's done microwaving to steam everything up. Works just the same!
I normally just use water, maybe with 1/2 of a lemon in it. It works exactly the same, but smells SO much better!
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I will definitely try the lemon…it would smell so much better!
I used water (just water) for years. When I feel like getting fancy, I squeeze half a lemon into the water. Smells good and clean!
I tend to use one of those microwave plastic covers, to cover plates, you can get from the pound shop. Fabulous
I just use plain water, and it works just fine.
Aha! I am doing this AND the dawn with vinegar in the bath today. I guess it's vinegar Monday at my house.
I've done this before! Its great! Also another good one is the lemon baking soda scrub ! really awesome.
We used to keep a cup of water in all the time, not only does it soften yuk stuff, but the food being cooked as well.
Love love LOVE this – I've been doing it for years! I've used the vinegar one to soak off most of the ick, following it up with a steam of lemon juice and water. Now, here's a word of caution for all you over-acheivers out there (that would be….all of us:):
IF you steam more than twice to remove really Sticky Ick, (don't ask) the steam builds up inside the microwave, blowing the door off. I kid you not! Thus, steam away! Just leave some breathing room if you require more than your standard One Steam!!
Just did this! Put it in a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup and I started with 6 mins and then did 4 more, and with 2 minutes left, the vinegar/water solution literally blew up in my microwave. The noise scared me and I had water spewing out of the microwave! Definitely a clean microwave now but I was so shocked that it blew up!!
Just soak a dishrag in water and throw it in the microwave for a minute or two, use that the wipe the insides down. Its how we clean all the microwaves quickly and efficiently at the restaurant I work at. Be careful, the towel will be hot.
I tried this one too. talk about cleaning and removing nasty smells, well this did. I was totally surprised. just remember the water is very hot.
Try water and baking soda
I use plain water with a little dish soap.
You have to make sure it doesn't bubble up and boil over, but you microwave it for about a minute, then let it set for another minute, then wipe it out.
I don't heat anything up at all. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar with a few drops of essential oil in it….could be lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, orange (whatever I'm in the mood for when I make up a bottle) for cleaning my kitchen. I spray mixture in the microwave and a couple of minutes later just wipe it out. No heating or scrubbing involved. I've done this for years, but I also use a microwave dish cover when heating anything in the microwave to prevent extreme messes.
I never try like this before i will try to do…thanks for the idea…