Does anybody know the best way to clean soot from a microwave

[ashling]

the inside, that is.

[Brigid]

1. Wow.

You really did a number on that sponge, didn't you? :rofl:

[ashling]

4. Let's just say

there are no fuckin little germs left in that sponge.

[trof]

6. CHARCOAL! Like I said.

:rofl:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. OK, I'm BACK.

Learned this from HELOISE, who is the GODDESS of household cleaning hints.

Clean Your Microwave

By Heloise

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/heloise/cleaning/spring-cleaning/heloise-spring-cleaning-microwave-grime



Clean up spills with a sponge, not a spray.

Here's an easy way to wipe out microwave grime: Place inside a 4-cup large microwave-safe bowl that contains 1 cup of water and a chopped-up lemon, lime or orange or several tablespoons of vinegar. Turn on High for several minutes or until the solution boils and the window is steamy. You must let it sit to cool for 15 minutes before opening the door. Remove and wipe out inside. Clean the rubber gasket around the door with a sponge dampened with water only. If the window is greasy, clean with a mixture of half vinegar and half water, then dry.

:toast:

[ashling]

3. Are you sure about the 15 minute thing?

That's critical for me. :shrug:

edit: OK, I'm gonna trust you on this ...

let me make sure my renters insurance is paid up.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. YES

It sits to COOL for 15 minutes, and while that's happening, condensation builds up inside, which is why you can just wipe away the scuzz with a sponge.

:toast:

[ashling]

8. 'K, thanks

One time when I was about 12 or 13 I was in charge of making the instant mashed potatoes ....

... it called for 1 (maybe 2) tsps of salt.

Well, Nobody had told me the difference between a tsp and a tb...

so it really wasn't my fault it was so salty it would choke a cow looking for a salt lick...

anyway, my dad decided we were going to make it work ....

we added cornflakes to that pot all night and it was still salty...

So then my dad decided that I was going to learn from my mistake

(or some completely illogical thing like that) ...

and I had to eat all of it,

Since then I have been tsp/tb challenged ... and this is sort of the same thing.

You know, cut twice, measure once ... or something like that.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

9. Maybe you need to get a roll of that yellow police tape...

...and wrap it back and forth, back and forth, back and forth across the kitchen door.

Just sayin'...an ounce of prevention and all that good stuff.

:-)

[ashling]

11. That's not a bad idea

[Amerigo Vespucci]

15. I always try to be supportive in my posts

It's been a challenge lately, especially with that guy who bought the $35 meatloaf pan. Talk about a test of patience. I think I got a C minus grade on that one, but he was working on my last good nerve.

:hide:

I KEED!

:-)

[ashling]

16. Of all the DUers from whom I expected support I knew I could count on

California Peggy, actually . . .
Oh, well.

Seriously, thanks for your support. :hi:

BTW, how long would meatloaf take in one of those pans ... in the microwave?

I know,

I'm hopeless. :rofl:

[MiddleFingerMom]

12. Much tastier (and more socially-ostracizing) was not understanding the difference...

.
.
.
... between cloves of garlic and bulbs of garlic.
.
.
.
MiddleFingerMomMom's spaghetti sauce recipe fortunately only called for
1 or 2 cloves for a big pot, so a 1-or-2-bulb sauce -- while pungent and
calling for courage and fortitude (intestinal and otherwise) was still edible
(on a VERY limited budget, most mistakes are much more edible than in
ordinary circumstances).
.
Not knowing my mistake, for years I was willing to compromise by only
putting 10-12 cloves in. My GF at he time told me she could ALWAYS tell
when I had made spaghetti within the last 3 days as I would SWEAT garlic.
.
.
.

[ashling]

13. Well then , you understand the whole concept

[trof]

7. Along with the first 'sponge cleaning' post, one of the funniest lately.

Thanks.

[ashling]

14. Glad my misfortune amused you

I guess your into throwing dwarfs too?

:rofl:

[madinmaryland]

10. It's probably cheaper to just go and buy a new one.

:shrug:

[ashling]

24. Yeah, I guess so

microwaves are not as expensive as they used to be :shrug:

[struggle4progress]

17. I would dampen some paper towel with ammonia, plaster the interior of the microwave with single

ply of the dampened towel, and wait a few minutes with the door closed. I find ammonia takes stuff like that off pretty well: it might wipe clear

Try not to drip liquid down into any vents when doing that

You could also try something like that spraybottle glass cleaner that smells like it's got ammonia and acetone-or-isopropyl in it. Again try not to spray it into vents

Maybe add a drop or two of liquid dish detergent to the ammonia, if you use ammonia. Or you could alternate between wiping with a hot soapy sponge, wiping with an ammonia-dampened sponge, and wiping with a rubbing alcohol-dampened sponge. The soot may be a mixture of stuff, and different solutions may loosen different particles of it

[texanwitch]

18. Try a really burned potato.

The old microwave was never the same again.

[ashling]

20. I've got the burned part down cold.

Well, sort of hot .. with flames and stuff ... but you get my drift.

:rofl:

[LeftyMom]

19. Microwave half of a lemon, then wipe the inside with a paper towel.

Everything under the sun will come right off, and your kitchen will smell awesome.

[ashling]

21. How long does it take

for a lemon to catch on fire in the microwave.

I think I had better keep it under that, don't you?

[HopeHoops]

22. I'm afraid to ask, but will anyway. How the HELL did you get soot on the inside?

:shrug:

[timtom]

23. Hasn't the Chimneysweeps Union

kept up with the latest technology? They should be able to direct you...

I'm sorry. I'm in a sportive mood right now.

I don't have a substantive answer. Sorry.

[AtomicKitten]

25. Scrub it with a baking soda paste.

Whatever is left behind isn't coming off.