Today, almost everyone has a microwave oven at home. It is mainly needed for quick heating of food or cooking simple dishes. However, in the process of cooking, food can burn, and then an unpleasant burnt aroma remains. Perhaps there was a dish with a spicy aroma in the microwave, which remained later. To solve this problem, there are a number of popular tips on how to get rid of the smell in the microwave.
In order to prevent the appearance of odors in the microwave, it should be regularly aired after any activity, leaving the door open for a while. However, it is suitable for prevention, so if the smell appears, special food neutralizers should be used. They are in the house of any housewife and allow you to complete the task without much difficulty.
Simple options for regular use
An unpleasant smell in a microwave oven is not necessarily caused by burnt food. Often it is the dishes that leave an intense aroma in the oven. Especially if the oven was previously turned on to cook popcorn, heat up fish or a very aromatic dish with a bouquet of spices. The microwave oven should be ventilated between heating subsequent foods. Otherwise, the food may turn out to be unpleasant to the taste.
After heating food with a strong smell in the microwave, you can put an absorbent inside that will help get rid of the aromas:
- Orange peel is an effective and quick solution to the problem. It can be dried in a microwave oven for three minutes, after which all unpleasant odors are eliminated.
- Peppermint toothpaste (or teeth whitening), tooth powder, or mouth fresheners will help clean the dirt and get rid of the microwave odor. It is enough to mix any of the proposed components with water and wipe the walls of the oven with the solution. The brand of paste does not play a role, the cheapest will do. It remains to wait an hour to start wiping the surfaces of the walls.
- Prepare a cleaning solution of vinegar and water in equal parts. Wash the inside of the microwave with them after each cooking. It is convenient to use a sprayer for these purposes.
- Salt or baking soda (sprinkling 1-2 cups on a plate) is enough to leave in a closed oven overnight. In the morning, all smells will disappear completely.
- Activated carbon is an excellent sorbent and perfectly absorbs odors. For a model of standard sizes, you will need up to seven tablets. If you put them in the camera from the evening, then in the morning you can start the stove to heat food.
- Brewed coffee has a pleasant aroma. Its ground grains will reliably eliminate unpleasant odors during the night. You will need one tablespoon poured into a bowl.
- Clean the onion, cut it in half or cut it into slices, let it lie inside the oven for a couple of hours. You can pour vinegar into a plate with onions to enhance the effect.
Elimination of persistent odors
If you haven’t washed the microwave for a long time or there is burnt food in it, it will be more difficult to get rid of the smell. For these purposes, use one of the following methods:
- Vinegar will eliminate the smell and clean the walls of the microwave oven from dirt. Take a bowl that is suitable for cooking in a microwave oven, pour a solution of vinegar into it (2 tablespoons per glass of water). Heat in the microwave at full power for 5 minutes (it is better to open the window for ventilation). Leave to cool, do not open the door. Vinegar and water vapors will soften the burnt particles that exhausted the unpleasant smell. Rinse the inside of the microwave oven with clean water.
- Cut a lemon or orange into slices, put in a bowl and pour 2 cups of water. Heat this “lemonade” in the microwave to get rid of the smell. Heat for 3-4 minutes. Leave the container to cool for half an hour, maybe overnight. Citrus removes any other aromas, including residues from vinegar.
- Pour hot water over aromatic herbs (mint, lavender, thyme). Put the tea in the microwave and turn it on for 5-7 minutes. Good interrupts the aroma of garlic and fish.
- Baking soda dissolves in water (4 tablespoons per glass of water). The resulting solution is applied to the walls of the microwave oven using a sponge or cotton wool. Leave for an hour. Repeat the procedure again. Wash after another hour, the smell will go with the soda.
Odor reduction function
Some microwave ovens are equipped with the function of removing dirt and odors from the inside. These are more expensive models, but very effective and convenient for users. It is worth checking whether the microwave oven has such an option.
The cleaning process consists in pressing the appropriate button. Then the device starts cleaning with steam. The next step is drying. The program usually takes about 15 minutes, and the microwave oven becomes fresh, clean and odorless.
As you can see, removing the smell from the microwave oven is quite simple. You will need to use one of the above tips.