Does your microwave still have the smell of yesterday’s meal in it? A smelly microwave with the lingering odor of other meals can become a nuisance when heating up your food and because your microwave may be a regularly used appliance in your kitchen, the smell of old food may also take over your entire kitchen. Fortunately, there are ways to deodorize your microwave and make sure it is clean and fresh to heat up meals for another day.
Use Vinegar and Baking Soda
Known to kill just about every type of tough stain and odor there is, vinegar and baking soda represent two of the most common solutions for fighting bad smells. These two stain and odor killers will help fight the old food odor in your microwave by placing a vinegar-soaked sponge with baking soda sprinkled on top of it in the center of the microwave and heating it for 20- 30 seconds. Once the timer stops, you will want to scrub the inside of the microwave with the same sponge and rinse it out with water and soap to get rid of the odors.
Let the Smell of Coffee Remove the Odors
Coffee has come to be known as a natural air freshener that you may have in your pantry or refrigerator. This strong odor killer will bust down the smell of old food with two tablespoons of coffee and half a cup of water in a microwave-safe mug heated for 2-10 minutes. However, for the odor to be removed successfully, the mixture should not boil. If the mixture begins to evaporate before 10 minutes, add more water as needed. Once the time is up, the old disgusting food odor should be gone. If it is not, repeat the process until the smell of last night’s dinner is gone.
Give Your Microwave A Lemony Smell
The smell of lemons is always nice, especially when getting rid of an old odor that has taken over your kitchen. This small and strong-smelling odor eliminator possesses antibacterial properties that will kill the smell that has stuck around. You can achieve the scent of fresh lemons in your microwave by cutting a lemon in half and squeezing the juice into a bowl with half a cup of water. Afterward, you will want to place the lemon rinds inside the bowl and leave the mixture in the microwave overnight. When you awake in the morning, the smell of lemons will be fresh in your microwave.
Let the Fragrant Aroma of Vanilla Extract Take Over
If you love baked goods, then you know how good they smell once they bake with the delicious ingredient vanilla extract. The aroma of vanilla can be achieved with four teaspoons of the extract in a microwave-safe bowl mixed with two cups of water. After heating, the mixture for a few minutes turn off the microwave but leave the bowl inside for 30 minutes and then wipe your microwave down. Once you are done, you will be able to enjoy the smell of vanilla in the air.
While your microwave may be regularly used for heating up your food, keeping the old smell of food away can be a challenge. However, with the right technique, the worry of your fresh heated food being invaded by the disgusting odor of old food will be gone.
