How to Easily Clean a Microwave with Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is an underestimated powerhouse for nearly all things natural cleaning, including microwaves.

All it takes is the juice and rinds of one lemon plus water and heat to clean, degrease, and even mildly disinfect your microwave.

The secret lies in lemon juice’s natural citric acid, which is a common ingredient in many synthetic and natural cleaners as a degreaser, solvent, natural preservative, and pH adjuster.

Full disclosure: we don’t recommend microwaves for cooking (a controversial opinion, we know). 

However, we realize most homes have them and that they are useful for various tasks, including making DIY personal care products, heating up neck wraps, etc. Therefore, we want to promote safe, natural cleaning without harmful chemicals. 

This article shows you how in just four simple steps.

What You’ll Need

It only takes two 100% natural ingredients and zero special equipment to clean your microwave naturally. 

Here’s what you need::

• 1 whole lemon cut in half (save the rind/peel)
• 1 cup of water
• A microwave-proof bowl or liquid measuring cup
• A microfiber cloth or non-scratch sponge

It really is that simple!

Our 4-Step Process

This 4-step process utilizes the power of the lemon juice and optional peel plus natural steam to clean up microwave messes quickly.

Step 1: Prepare Your Lemon Cleaning Solution

There are several ways to do this, but basically, you’re making strong lemon water to be used as a steam bath for your microwave.

• Option 1: Squeeze a whole lemon into about a cup of water in a deep bowl. Add in the rind.
• Option 2: Add 3 teaspoons of bottled lemon juice to about 1 cup of water.
• Option 3: Slice a lemon into several sections and add it to about 1 cup of water.

Option 3 is a great way to use up extra lemon slices after a party, but any method will work well. 

Adding lemon peel provides extra deodorizing properties and adds a lovely lemony scent.

Step 2: Let The Microwave Do The Steam Cleaning For You

1. Turn the microwave on for 5 minutes.
2. After 5 minutes is up, leave the door closed for at least 15 minutes. This allows the steam and citric acid time to loosen and break up spills and messes.

Wipe Interior Clean

1. Slowly open the microwave so as not to get a steam burn, though the steam should have dissipated at this point.
2. Carefully remove the bowl using oven mitts or a kitchen towel. 
1. Do not discard as you can use this solution to clean the exterior.
3. Clean and wipe down interior surfaces, nooks, and crannies using your microfiber cloth or non-scratch sponge.

Note: For really cooked-on food, we recommend gently scouring and removing it with either a paste made from baking soda and water or Branch Basics Oxygen Boost and water. 

Dwell time may be required. In that case, apply the paste, let it dwell for 5-15 minutes, and then scrub clean.

Clean Exterior And Rotating Plate

1. Dip your microfiber cloth into the lemon water solution and use it to clean and wipe down the microwave exterior, including the door, control panel, handle, top, and sides.
2. Wash the rotating tray with Branch Basics All-Purpose or your favorite natural dish soap.
1. If dishwasher safe, run it through the dishwasher with Branch Basics Dishwasher Tablets or your favorite natural dish detergent.

If any areas are still greasy, spritz with a little Branch Basics All-Purpose or your favorite human-safe all-purpose cleaner. Let sit a few minutes and wipe with a microfiber cloth.

That’s a wrap!

FAQs About Cleaning Your Microwave

Is cleaning your microwave really this simple? Will lemon juice remove unwanted smells? How often should you clean your microwave?

Here, we answer your microwave cleaning FAQs.

How to Get Rid of Smells in Your Microwave with Lemon Juice

Did you know lemons have amazing natural deodorizing properties? 

This is partly why lemon essential oil is included in many cleaners, and why lemon juice has become a popular deodorant alternative.

So yes, they will deodorize your microwave while they clean it. Just follow the instructions above.

For extra deodorizing power, try dipping a cut lemon in baking soda and scrubbing the microwave’s interior. Let dwell for 15 minutes. Wipe clean.

Related reading: 7 Non-Toxic Air Fresheners And How To Remove Odors Naturally

How Often Should I Be Cleaning My Microwave?

It depends how often you use it and for what purpose.

If you use it daily for re-heating or cooking food, you’ll want to clean it every few days. 

Better yet, wipe it down between uses to avoid stuck-on messes. The more frequently you clean, the easier clean-ups will be.

If you use it now and then for heating up neck wraps or ingredients for DIY products, you probably only need to clean it periodically.

How Can You Clean And Deodorize A Microwave?

The above outlined procedure will clean and deodorize your microwave.

Can I Use Vinegar Instead Of Lemon Juice To Clean The Microwave?

You can substitute vinegar for lemon juice using this method and achieve similar results.

However, the smell of steaming/vapourized vinegar can be irritating or some people*, which is why we generally recommend using lemons.

Alternatively, you could steam the microwave using just water, then spray it down with vinegar for extra sanitizing and grease-cutting properties.

*Vinegar contains acetic acid, a lung irritant when sprayed. Its use is not recommended around babies, small children, or anyone with respiratory issues.

Can I Use Branch Basics To Clean My Microwave?

Absolutely! 

All-Purpose dilution works great for microwave interiors and handles to remove germs, dirt, grime, and stuck-on food. 

You can also use Streak-Free on the exterior or interior (like the window) and Oxygen Boost as outlined above, for messier messes.

Freshen Your Home With Branch Basics

We love using natural substances, like lemon juice and whole lemons, as part of our holistic cleaning routine.

This also includes Branch Basics, an all-in-one human-safe, biodegradable, plant- and mineral-based cleaning line designed to replace every harmful cleaner and laundry product in the home, including kitchen cleaners, surface cleaners, glass cleaners, dish soap, and more.

Like natural lemon, Branch Basics is multipurpose and made using only the safest ingredients for people and the planet. 

All our products are formulated using Made Safe ingredients rated 1-2 on the Environmental Working Group’s SkinDeep database (EWG rates products on a scale from 1-10, “1” being the least toxic and “10” being the most toxic) and are third-party tested as non-skin and eye irritants. 

To learn more about how Branch Basics works, check out: How To Get Started With Your Branch Basics Kit.

Ready to shop? Branch Basics Premium Starter Kits, available in refillable plastic or glass bottles, are the perfect place to start and provide everything you need to make All-Purpose, Bathroom, Laundry, Streak-Free, Foaming Wash, and custom dilutions for every job in your home (and beyond).

For more educational resources on natural cleaning, healthy living, and more check out our blog and Toss The Toxins Online Course.