Removing yellow stains from a microwave is a big concern if you want to keep your microwave clean and efficient.
These stains not only look bad, but they can affect the performance of your microwave as well.
In this article, we will discuss how to remove yellow stains from microwave so that it remains in pristine condition for long.
A clean and well-maintained appliance is sure going to stay with you for a long time.
So let’s first see what these tough yellow stains are and how to get rid of them.
Also Read: What Size Microwave do I need?
What are the Yellow Stains that Buildup Inside a Microwave?
When you heat food, the spills and splutters from your food may fly around to all sides, gathering on the interior of your microwave with time.
Not only splutters but fumes of curries, oils, and the steam leaving your food may carry small residues with it that stick to the sides of the microwave.
These residues of food accumulate with time if you are not careful about cleaning the microwave regularly.
The longer you leave these stains inside the microwave, the tougher they become to clean.
That’s because when you use the microwave, the heat inside bakes not only the food but it heats and burns these stains over and over until they become tough.
Also Read: Toaster Ovens vs Microwave
How to Remove the Yellow Stains from a Microwave?
Removing yellow stains, burnt food, or food residues from inside of the microwave can be easy if you know how to do it properly.
It can be done very easily with some of your kitchen supplies. You don’t have to spend money on special cleaners.
Here we have explained the method of cleaning the yellow stains from the interior of the microwave step by step.
Method 1: Use Lemon or Vinegar
This is by far the easiest and one of the most accessible.
Step 1: Loosening up the Stains
The first step should be to loosen up the tough buildup inside the microwave. You don’t have to forcefully remove the stains when it can be done easily with some steam.
For loosening up the stains, place a bowl of water inside the microwave. Add a few drops of vinegar in water to make it more effective against the tough stains.
You can make use of a lemon or lime juice for this purpose. It will remove any bad odor from microwave as well leaving a very pleasant fragrance in your microwave – here’s a dedicated post to that specific issue.
Leave the microwave on for a few minutes until visible steam can be observed. The water in the bowl will heat up into steam which would then spread to all corners.
Keep the door closed for 10-15 minutes after the heating cycle so that steam can soften the food residues sticking to the corners.
The steam will loosen up the yellow stains or food splatters inside the microwave, which would then become easy to clean off.
Step 2: Cleaning The Interior
Once food residues are soft, they become easy to clean. You can make use of a damp cloth to remove the stains.
If the stains are sticky, you can dip the cloth in the bowl of water to make it more effective.
If it’s too greasy, you can add a few drops of your normal dishwashing soap in the water as well.
Be patient and carefully remove the stains from all walls and corners. Make sure to reach the hidden cavities and corners and remove the stain or sticky residue hiding inside.
When you are sure there are no stains left, dip the cloth in clean water or make use of another damp cloth to clean the soapy water from the microwave carefully.
Step 3: Dry with Clean Cloth
Dry the interior with a clean cloth. Keep the door opened for some air circulation. And close the door only when it is completely dry.
Method 2: Baking Soda
This is yet another highly popular and easy to apply method. Baking soda is also a common household item and therefore this method is also quite accessible like the previous one.
Step 1: Make a Paste
The first step involves making a paste out of the baking soda.
Take half a cup of baking soda and mix it with so that it becomes a thick paste. Don’t add too much water as you want the paste to stick.
Step 2: Apply the Paste
The next step involves applying that paste to the interior of the microwave oven. You can apply more paste at places where you spot a large number of yellow stains.
Step 3: Let it Sit
Leave the paste applied to the area overnight.
Step 4: Wipe
The next day you can return to your microwave and clean the paste off with a damp piece of cloth.
The baking soda method takes time, but if you did not find success with lime or vinegar, this method may give you the desired results.
Method 3: Use Commercial Products
There are plenty of commercial cleansers out there that can be used not just for a microwave oven, but also for regular ovens and cooking range.
These generally do not cost much and the best part is that they combine tried and tested formulae for stain removal. This saves you from experimentation yourself.
On top of that, each cleanser comes with its own instructions making them fairly straight forward to use.
Some Tips for Cleaning Microwave
Now that you have learned the how to remove yellow stains from microwave, it is also worth noting some other basic cleaning tips.
- Make a routine of thoroughly cleaning the microwave at least once in a week.
- Remove any visible stains right after using the microwave.
- Even when you don’t see any stains make sure you wipe the interior with a clean cloth after using it as the steam leaving the food takes food residues that buildup with time.
- Don’t use metal scrapers, knife, or sharp objects for removing the stains. They will leave scratches on the walls.
- Make use of lemon, vinegar, or baking soda for tough stains. Refrain from using strong cleaning agents like detergent too often.
What are the Burn Marks Inside the oven?
While yellow stains are the food residues that fly everywhere when you are cooking, brown marks on the sides of the microwave are burn marks that may occur when metal plates or racks come in contact with the sides of the microwave.
The heated surface may spark as it is bumped with the metal utensils and may leave brownish or burnt stains inside the oven.
These stains, along with yellow stains, are easy to remove with the methods described above.
Is Regular Cleaning of Microwave Enough?
Even if you are very careful about the cleanliness of your microwave, these stains can still build up inside the microwave.
That’s because the square shape of the microwave has corners and cavities which are difficult to clean.
In a routine cleaning process, we are not very particular about removing all the stains or food residues from every nook and corner of the microwave.
So even if you regularly clean the microwave, you should make sure to deep clean the microwave using above methods at least once in a week.
How Does Yellow Stains Effect the Performance of Your Microwave?
It affects in more than one way.
Looks Messy
These yellow stains look ugly.
They ruin the appearance of your microwave and make it look dirty and old.
Affects Performance
Not only these yellow stains look bad, but they slow your microwave down.
The food spills accumulate inside the microwave forming a thick layer. When you are cooking or reheating, the heat waves not only cook your food but have to cook these accumulated spills and residues as well.
Microwave radiation inside the microwave works on everything. Not only these stains are burning again and again, but they are also consuming heat as well.
It means your food will take longer to cook or heat up as microwave has to cook not only food but these food residues resting in corners and cavities of the microwave as well.
Not only does it translate to longer cooking time, but also higher energy bills over time.
Hygiene
The yellow stains are also very unhygienic.
The stains of oil, food splutters, residues left inside the creases of your microwave may develop fungi or other microorganisms.
It may contaminate your food as well. So taking care of the basic hygiene of your microwave is important for cooking healthy food inside it.
Bad Odor
The yellow stains and dirty interior may develop a bad odor inside your microwave as well.
The odor is unpleasant, and it may affect the food being cooked inside the microwave.
Conclusion
Learning how to remove yellow stains from microwave can help you ensure a neat and tidy appliance.
Yellows stains are not just ugly looking, they are unhygienic and also may affect the performance of your appliance.
Therefore, we hope that our aforementioned simple methods would come in handy.
FAQs
1. How do I get my microwave white again?
To begin, fill a microwave-safe bowl halfway with water. After that, add 1 to 2 teaspoons baking soda. In the microwave, place the bowl and set the timer for five minutes on high. The baking soda/water solution will begin to absorb odors and steam away stains.
2. How do I clean my microwave with vinegar?
Fill a glass or bowl that is microwave-safe halfway with water. Add 1 tbsp. white vinegar. Five minutes on high in the microwave. This technique will cause steam to rise up the microwave's walls, loosening the dried-on muck. Remove the glass container carefully and wipe the interior of the microwave clean with a clean rag or paper towel. Remove the turntable and wash it in the same manner as you would a dish. Even better, you can run it through the dishwasher.
3. How do you remove yellow stains?
Make a solution of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and water in equal quantities. Utilize a sponge or an old toothbrush to apply the mixture to the soiled area. Alternatively, you can use an undiluted white vinegar sponge to remove the discoloration. Allow up to 30 minutes for the item to soak in the solution.
4. Can I bleach my microwave?
Avoid putting bleach in your appliance; also, bleach might cause your machine's plastic to become brittle. Rather than that, maintain your equipment clean and hygienic by using an antibacterial wipe (or moist cloth) in conjunction with a microwave-safe cleaning agent.
5. What is the easiest way to clean a microwave?
The hands-off procedure is as follows:
- Fill a microwave-safe bowl halfway with dishwashing liquid and halfway with warm water.
- Microwave the bowl on high for five minutes.
- Allow it to stand for a further five minutes.
- Remove the turntable and clean it with a moist sponge and a paper towel.