A while ago Chris totally amazed me by making our microwave oven look like new on the inside after a few months of extensive use.
How Chris did it was totally amazing since the previous cleaning was done by me and it took way too long.
Now you're probably saying, cleaning a microwave is a snap, and you're right.
As long as you do it on a regular basis it is easy to maintain, but this was not the case.
These last few months we have been moving walls, moving plumbing, electrical a window and a door then painting.
In addition, we were cleaning and installing new molding and some finish work.
All labor intensive work that takes a long time.
So cleaning the microwave oven was not first in my “to do” list.
I was totally in awe.
It has been 25 years since I remember her telling me that trick when cleaning a micro_wave.
Chris was shown that neat little 5 minute cleaning trick when she worked in the evenings for an appliance retailer.
Now you're probably guessing, how can you clean the inside of a crusty oven without using some harsh chemicals, scraper and rubber gloves in under 5 minutes?
Heck, the last time I cleaned it, it took over 45 minutes (duh.....)!
Well, you will be surprised because unless you know the secret, or read your microwave oven manual from cover to cover, you will do the same as I did, waste a lot of time!
Without using any real harsh chemicals Chris made the oven sparkle. And, you can purchase these items in your local market.
Now, we have these 2-inch by 2-inch tiles as a counter top (very eighties) and the grout is a bit of a chore to maintain. We started using an antibacterial dish soap to wash our dishes and so we use it on the counter as well.
When cleaning, I prefer a Teflon sided sponge where one side is soft and the other a bit rough (it seems to work best for me).
Chris on the other-hand uses anything soft and prefers a regular soft sponge and a towel when cleaning. However, I digress....
The secret to the 5 minute cleaning is this:
Soap up a sponge and wipe the inside of your oven making sure every part of the inside is soapy.
Set the wave for 30 seconds on high after you have soaped up the inside of the wave so that the crusty grease, grime sauces, exploding vegetables, etc., etc. gets soft.
OK, you're kidding..... right?
Not at all.
In just 30 seconds on high power the sudsy soap does the trick.
The rest of the time you're wiping the goo off the sides, bottom and top then drying with a hand towel or paper towels.
In addition, if it first does not make the mess soft, do another 30 seconds on high.
Go figure I would forget how this was done, but more so why did I not remember? Or, was Chris just trying to get me to clean more.... hmm.....
In any event, I just got back 40 minutes of my life and Chris let the cat out of bag, I mean the kitchen. And so can you.
HAPPY DANCE!!
John
P.S. - If you are strapped for time and need your wave cleaned, call me!
P.P.S. - Just Kidding, I've got enough to do.
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