Nobody wants a stinky microwave. If you want to learn how to remove burning odors from your microwave you should learn to avoid them first. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. It applies to both Covid-19 and to cleaning up your microwave during these trying times.
Don’t microwave plastics that might melt inside the device and avoid setting the power too high for too long to prevent burning food.
How to Remove Burnt Smell from Microwave
You can avail of a multitude of methods to remove burnt smell from your microwave, chief among them boiling a bowl of baking soda or vinegar solution. You can also use a deodorizing product to make all that burnt smell go away.
You should mix 5 teaspoons of baking soda with half a cup of water in order to start getting rid of burnt food smell inside your microwave oven. The solution should be inside a compact microwave-safe bowl for good measure. Heat it up on the highest power level for 6 minutes.
Leave the steamy concoction inside the unit for about an hour. Afterwards, use water and soap to wipe down the inside of the microwave. The smell should be gone soon afterwards.
How to Get Rid of Smells Inside the Microwave Quickly
If you want to get rid of smells in the microwave fast, particularly smoky or burnt smells, you came to the right article. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and there’s more than one recipe to clean your microwave.
You can utilize the same great solutions to clean stinky washing machines or dishwashers as well. The method of treatment might vary but if you use the same ingredients with varying portions you should end up with fresh-smelling appliances and a bacteria-free microwave when push comes to shove.
The default treatment, of course, is to scrub the microwave with soap and water, rinse off with a dishcloth, and then microwave a cup of water to release steam that you should wipe down as well.
Inspect Your Microwave to Learn the Origin of the Smell
If you notice a burnt smell emanating from within your microwave, open the device and check its cavity. Learn where the smells are originating from inside your microwave. Inspect the interior of the microwave and wipe down everything that could be wiped.
Perhaps the vile smell sits within hidden food splatters or spills on the plate and walls as well as under the rotating tray. Clean the burnt smell away with a damp dishcloth or sponge. Leave the door open to let the water dry and the smell escape into your kitchen vents.
For stubborn stains, use hot soapy water and gentle scrubbing from a scouring pad.
You may also like this post: How to Remove Odor from Microwave?
How to Avoid Burnt Smell Inside the Microwave
To avoid burnt smell inside the microwave, go and heat food up in minute-long increments or in a gradual manner. You can burn things like fish or popcorn by overcooking or microwaving them for too long. A DIY air freshener can only do so much to mask the smell.
Use microwave-safe containers as well. Get ceramic bowls or thick glass bowls for heating purposes. If you only got plastic containers on hand, make sure they feature the microwave-safe label and logo on them even if they’re made by Tupperware or Rubbermaid.
If one method fails to work, try another method instead. It doesn’t hurt to do some trial and error with your microwave deodorizing endeavors.
How to Do the Vinegar Steam Treatment
If the burning odor lingers, use vinegar to remove them. Adjust vinegar amount according to the severity of the odor. More vinegar for stronger odors and less vinegar for fainter odors. The bitter-burning smell might require a lot of vinegar to work.
The sour smell is temporary and deodorizing is forever. You’ll need:
- Water
- Stirrer or spoon
- Glass measuring cup
- 3 tablespoons of white vinegar
Fill half of the measuring cup with water. Put in vinegar. Mix everything gently with a spoon or stirrer. Heat the solution to boiling for about 90 seconds on most 1-kilowatt microwaves. The steam forms within the microwave door as the water starts to boil.
Keep the door closed for 3 minutes. Let the steam coat the microwave from within. The debris should end up loose care of the vinegar and water vapor combination. After all, vinegar’s acidity might be weak but it’s acidic nonetheless.
Take the measuring cup out of the microwave then wipe the inside with a paper towel or damp cloth. After the device cols down, use the vinegar water to clean down mirrors, glass, refrigerator doors, and the coffee machine.
How to Do the Lemon Steam Treatment
You can compare the lemon stream treatment to the vinegar steam treatment. They both use acidic content to loosen burnt food splatter and stains for easy wipe-downs with a wet cloth or paper towels. They also serve as effective deodorizers when push comes to shove.
You need the following ingredients and tools for this to work.
- Lemon
- Glass bowl
- ½ cup of water
Cut the lemon. Add water to the dish. Squeeze the cut lemon into the bowl of water. Still the contents. Put the halves of the squeezed lemon inside the container. Put it inside the microwave and heat it up for 90 seconds to 180 seconds or 1½ minutes to 3 minutes
Heat the solution until a steam bath happens within the microwave cavity. Like with the vinegar steam bath, let it sit for 3 minutes then wipe down later for good measure. The water serves as both a deodorizer and disinfectant.
You can also use lemon essential oil for this deodorizing method, but only use four drops of oil since it’s a concentrated bottle.
Never Forget the Following
The best advice to follow when it comes to getting rid of burning small inside the microwave is to deal with it immediately. The longer you let the smell linger the harder to deodorize your microwave. At least open your microwave to let the smell dissipate.
Also, clean the area where the burn happened. Hopefully, it didn’t start a fire that reached all the way to the ceiling of your device, thus damaging it beyond repair. You can mask the odor, let the odor get absorbed by activated charcoal, or wipe the smells away with baking soda.
References:
- Joan Clark, “How to Get Burnt Smell Out of Microwave“, TipsBulletin.com, Retrieved August 19, 2021
