7 ways to get rid of the burning smell in a regular microwave

A microwave oven is an indispensable appliance in any kitchen. With its help, you can quickly heat up a dish without adding oil or losing taste, defrost meat, fish and vegetables, and also use it as an oven for preparing simple dishes. This miracle of technology is used regularly, several times a day, so grease, dirt and odors quickly accumulate in it.

It is the latter that we will talk about in our article. The persistent burning smell formed in the microwave can cause a lot of trouble for the owner. It is difficult to evaporate and all subsequent dishes will absorb it, and the dinner is guaranteed to be ruined.

Causes

The reasons for this phenomenon can be different: burnt bread when trying to prepare golden toast, hot sandwiches or pizza, or simple non-compliance with the cooking and heating times.

Fortunately, it’s easy to get rid of the persistent “amber” of burnt food at home using improvised methods - those that are found in any apartment:

• Regular fresh milk.
• A little baking soda.
• Any toothpaste.
• Lemon: whole fruit or concentrated acid - in powder or liquid form.
• Vinegar.
• Store-bought chemical cleaning products.
• As well as various aromatic herbs that are used for cooking.

Below we will look at each of the methods that will help in this situation. At the end of the article you will find recommendations on how to avoid a similar situation in the future, and how to properly operate the equipment so that it does not become clogged and does not accumulate different aromas. These same techniques will work when cleaning your refrigerator.

How to clean with household chemicals?

When purchasing household chemicals to care for your microwave, carefully study the instructions for their use. The preparation must be compatible with the microwave oven coating and not contain coarse abrasives.

What we can recommend:

• Mr. Chister spray - removes old grease and odors, suitable for enamel and ceramics;
• Active Lemon Cif cleansing cream – gently cleanses and adds a lemon scent;
• Sanitol – cleaning agent with spray for microwave ovens and ovens;
• Cillit BANG – anti-grease spray that makes enamel surfaces clean and shiny;
• Zero – eco-gel with menthol and grape vinegar, fights odors and dirt;
• Cinderella – fast-acting spray for cleaning stoves and ovens;
• Mr. Muscle “Freshness of Lemon” – expert spray for the kitchen with a citrus aroma;

• BIO-CLEANER – cleansing cream for the kitchen with orange essential oil.

Milk

The first aid in eliminating the stench from a burnt product is milk. It can be found in almost any refrigerator.

First, the microwave should be thoroughly washed with a special product, paying special attention to the walls and tray. By the way, many devices have an independent ventilation function - when the minimum heating power is set and the fan starts working. If there is a slight burning smell, 5-10 minutes will be enough, after which the door should be left open for half an hour to ensure full air circulation.

However, with strong odors, namely after burnt food, such measures will most likely not be enough. In this case, the following manipulations are carried out:

1. Fresh milk is poured into a glass, preferably intended for heating in a microwave oven (the user manual specifies which dishes are suitable).
2. You need to add sugar to it with the calculation that 5 level spoons of sugar are required per liter of liquid.
3. After this, the milk should boil well. The time depends on the power of the device, but on average, 10 minutes of heating at maximum power will be enough.

Milk, even raw, perfectly absorbs odors from the microwave, and when heated, these properties only increase.

How to remove the smell of burning in an apartment after a burnt pan

If you have a problem and you forgot about the utensils on the stove, you will have to try to remove all the consequences. With smoke, a lot of harmful substances are released into the air, including formaldehyde and ammonia compounds. The pungent smell instantly penetrates everywhere: it is absorbed into furniture and walls, but if you inhale it, severe poisoning or even death is possible.

To prevent disastrous consequences, you need to act quickly:

• First, open windows, balconies, and vents throughout the apartment. Need a draft. Most of the smoke will instantly disappear along with harmful substances, and the apartment will become noticeably fresher. Ventilation will take about an hour, it will be especially effective in the cold season. In the heat of summer it is difficult to create a draft, so you can turn on a fan or air conditioner. If you have an air purifier at home, now is the time to use it;
• Throw away the pan if the food in it is badly burnt. There is no point in cleaning it, since during further cooking the smell and taste of burnt food will be clearly felt. In the case when you immediately noticed that the food was burning and removed the utensils from the fire in time, the soot layer will be small and can be cleaned off. Try cleaning the bottom and sides with baking soda, then rinse with vinegar water. For more effective cleaning, add 100 g of bicarbonate and add a glass of water, heat the mixture over the fire until it boils and wait 10 minutes. Then drain and remove any traces with a sponge;

Attention! Aluminum and stainless steel utensils cannot be cleaned with metal brushes, otherwise scratches will appear.

• do wet cleaning. When aired, the burning smell will go away to a greater extent, but some will settle on the furniture and walls. You can neutralize it by soaking a rag in vinegar diluted in water and wiping everything around. To enhance the effect, instead of vinegar, you can drop citrus essential oil into the water; it has a pleasant smell. If the furniture has covers, it is better to remove them and wash them with powder and conditioner several times. You need to do the same with curtains. The smell from the fabric will disappear immediately;
• add flavorings. You need to add a new smell to the air to make it pleasant. For this purpose you will need aroma lamps, air fresheners, diffusers, and aroma sticks. If you have a steam generator, then turn it on. As a last resort, pour coffee into small cups (preferably freshly ground, it is the most aromatic) and place it in different rooms. Lemon will help create a pleasant smell in the room; cut it into slices and place on a saucer.

How long it takes to remove the burning smell depends on the damage done. If it is not too big, then tomorrow or the day after tomorrow there will be no signs. But if you completely burnt a pan and almost started a fire, it will take several days for the smell of soot to leave your apartment.

Baking soda

Perfectly cleans and removes any odors, dirt, stains - regular baking soda. This is the best way to eliminate foreign odors from inside the oven quickly, cheaply and effectively.

Cleaning occurs as follows:

1. A couple of teaspoons of soda are dissolved in a small amount of water - 50-60 ml.
2. Dip a sponge, cotton sponge or clean cloth into the resulting solution so that they are well saturated with the liquid.
3. After this, all the walls of the microwave oven are carefully processed. Don't forget about the pallet either.
4. The solution itself is not washed off. You need to wait until it dries completely. This will be evidenced by dry white stains on the surface and enamel.
5. After drying, the procedure must be repeated.
6. After another hour, control cleaning occurs - any remaining cleaning products are removed using warm water.

In 95% of cases, these actions will be enough to completely remove the burning smell in the microwave.

However, if after this the stench still does not disappear, proceed to drastic measures - a vinegar-soda mixture. To prepare it, you need to add a tablespoon of soda and twice as much vinegar to a glass of boiling water.

The glass must be placed inside and the liquid must be boiled at maximum power for 40 minutes until the aroma is completely eliminated.

What should not be done in a microwave oven?

Some products have a negative impact on the operation of equipment. Rough substances can damage the coating and ruin the device.

Do not use toxic mixtures and powders: the smallest particles can eat into surfaces and settle on products. Neglecting safety rules can affect not only equipment, but also harm your health. The list of prohibited products for microwave ovens includes:

• Abrasive substances (pastes, powders), except fine gels.
• Emulsions containing bleach.
• Aromatic diffusers, deodorants.

Toothpaste

Unpleasant odor can be eliminated in the microwave and with toothpaste. This is not only an excellent product for maintaining oral hygiene, but also an excellent neutralizer of various types of odors. Regardless of the brand, it contains small abrasive particles and refreshing extracts - most often mint.

That is why toothpaste is an excellent way to remove dried-on stains and the nasty “smell” after burnt food. So, instructions:

1. A little toothpaste or powder is applied to a slightly damp sponge.
2. It processes the entire device from the inside: the walls, the rotating stand, the glass bowl. Please note that areas with holes should be avoided - small particles can get inside the device and cause damage.
3. After this, the device must be left open for several hours.
4. Then the remaining toothpaste is thoroughly washed out with a weak solution of water and dishwashing gel.
5. At the end of the entire procedure, you need to walk over the surfaces with a clean cloth and wipe all parts dry.

What can't you do?

Not all products are equally good at combating unpleasant odors. There are compounds and devices that cannot be used. These include:

• 
  abrasive powders - hard particles will scratch the walls of the oven, which will render it unusable;

• metal and hard sponges - they can damage the protective layer that covers the inside of the device;
• caustic solutions and acids of high concentration - they are not used due to the high probability of damaging the device.

Most microwave ovens are covered with a layer of enamel, which tends to break down when exposed to aggressive influences. Therefore, only gentle formulations should be used to care for it. It is recommended to make a choice in favor of liquid detergents: gels or solutions.

Water and lemon

Rinsing with a solution of citrus juice combines two features at once: neutralizing aromas and removing old fat, soot and dirt. You can use lemon, orange or tangerine. The fruit should be cut into small slices, placed in a plate and filled with water (not to the brim). Take a deep plate designed specifically for heating in a microwave oven.

The dishes are then placed into the device. The maximum temperature and cooking time are set for half an hour. The liquid should boil well. After this, the plate is taken out, and the dissolved fat and soot are washed off with a slightly damp cloth or washcloth.

Using lemon or citric acid, you can quickly clean the inner surface and get rid of the persistent burning odor.

Why do unpleasant odors appear?

If previously the stove was used mainly for heating food, now it can defrost and cook any food. With the expansion of functionality, troubles that appear at inopportune times have increased. The first place among them is occupied by rotten odors, which can arise due to untimely cleaning of surfaces.

Some products may emit an unpleasant “aroma” when heated, so after cooking it is recommended to treat the equipment with special solutions. It can be quite difficult to get rid of burnt food, but the right sprays, liquids or pastes can handle them.

Herbs and water

Herbs used in cooking or brewing tea are found in almost every kitchen. As a rule, to remove burning odor the following are used:

• Mint.
• Thyme.
• Lavender.
• Their combinations.

These herbs do an excellent job of eliminating unpleasant stench. As a bonus, during the procedure the apartment is filled with the wonderful aroma of a summer field and flowers.

Instructions:

1. Pour boiling water over the herbs.
2. Place them in the device.
3. Set the heating temperature to the highest setting and the timer for 30 minutes.
4. When finished, wipe the walls dry with a rag or dry wipes.
5. The procedure is repeated as necessary.

Care instructions

• Preventative cleaning of the microwave oven should be carried out at least once a week. If you use the device frequently, wipe the walls every three days.
• Once a month, clean the surfaces of the chamber with a solution of citric acid or vinegar, and carry out a comprehensive cleaning of removable and non-removable elements.
• Natural ground coffee will help quickly neutralize unpleasant odors in the oven - leave it overnight in the switched off appliance.
• The appearance of burning is caused by drops of fat settling on the walls of the oven - periodically use gels with an anti-grease effect for washing.

• Keep an aromatic pouch with charcoal, rice and salt in your kitchen - it can be placed in the oven overnight to absorb stench.
• Clean in the classic sequence - from top to bottom from the far corner to the door.

Vinegar

The last available method is to boil a 9% vinegar solution in the microwave. Fill a suitable container with water and dissolve a couple of tablespoons of acid in it. Then it is placed in a microwave device and heated at maximum power for 10 minutes.

After this, the nasty amber disappears, and the dirt and scale softens so that it can be easily removed with a towel or paper napkin. Now all that remains is to simply wipe the internal surfaces of the oven and kitchen appliances.

Chemicals

The standard method of dealing with this kind of problem is chemical agents developed for this purpose. You can buy them at your nearest supermarket or hardware store.

A popular form of release is a special spray. Thanks to the convenient spray bottle, the chemical is easily applied to the oven chamber. This is one of the most effective and fastest ways to remove the characteristic stench from the depths of your kitchen assistant.

Regular dishwashing detergent will also work for this method. Rich foam copes well with old fat and the stench of burnt food.

Features of removing burning smell from a microwave oven

With intensive use, almost any microwave oven will accumulate unpleasant odors over time. One of the most persistent is the smell of burning.

The reason for the aroma is always the same. Some dishes, when processed in a microwave oven, abundantly spray fat and “shoot” small food particles into the walls. During subsequent microwave starts, such dirt, if not removed, firmly dries to the inner surface of the chamber, burns under the influence of high temperature and emits a strong, characteristic aroma.

It is usually impossible to clean a microwave from a burning smell by airing alone. It is necessary to remove the cause, that is, to thoroughly rinse the microwave from the inside. This can be done using household products or chemicals designed for particularly difficult stains.

After cleaning the microwave oven, the burning smell usually goes away even without additional aromatization.

Preventive actions

If you follow special preventive measures, you will not need to remove the burning smell from the microwave:

1. After use, immediately wipe the equipment with a damp cloth.
2. After the dish is cooked, the gadget door should be left open for 10-15 minutes.
3. During heating, it is recommended to cover the container with special lids: this will prevent the aroma of food from spreading, and fat will not accumulate on the walls.
4. You can put a saucer with a few coffee beans inside the oven - this will kill any spirit.
5. To quickly remove soot and traces of burnt food, we recommend using activated carbon. A natural absorbent will prevent the development of stench and remove remaining dirt from internal surfaces.