Laura McKenna’s In The Kitchen Tip: Cleaning Microwaves Without Chemicals


September 17, 2024 1:06 PM CT
By: Laura McKenna
Supported by
There’s nothing nastier than a microwave with caked on gunk from one too many sauce explosions. Eww!
First, keep it from happening by getting yourself one of those domed microwave covers. It’s easy to throw those in the dishwasher or rinse them off in the sink (compared to scrubbing out the microwave after every plate you heat). They’re cheap and so worth it!
But in the meantime, let’s get your gross microwave sparkling clean with NO CHEMICALS (or hard work) REQUIRED.
Take a microwave safe bowl or glass and fill it with water. Heat it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. What that will do is create steam in the microwave that softens all the caked on crud that has splattered all over.
Remove the glass/bowl and with a wet rag, easily wipe away all the (now softened) splatters! Easy!
Want a fresh clean smell that’s not made from toxic cleaners, too? Add a couple squirts of lemon juice to the water before you heat it. Now you’ll have a lemony clean scent without lemony scented cleansers.
If you have a really grimy mess, just heat the water again and those splashes and splatters should wipe off with the second go. Rinse your rag between wipings and that will help too so you aren’t smearing around the same goop.
And that’s it! It’s so simple. Because otherwise you’ll be spraying cleaner and wiping and spraying more cleanser and complaining and your microwave still might not be spotless. Plus, the less chemicals near your food, the better!
Want to contact Laura McKenna about In The Kitchen cleaning tip or anything else that’s on your mind? Email anytime, she’d love to hear from you: [email protected]
And tune in weekdays starting at 10am to St. Croix Country & WCFW!
More Articles By Laura McKenna

05.13.26
NFL International Games for the 2026 Season
Week 1: Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers Week 3: Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Ravens Week 4: Washington Commanders vs. Indianapolis Colts Week 5: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Week 6: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Week 7: New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 9: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons Week 10: Detroit […]
Read More >

05.13.26
Know Before You Go: Luke Combs at Lambeau
IT’S A CASHLESS CONCERT Attendees are reminded that all concession and merchandise locations are cashless. Fans should plan ahead to bring credit/debit cards or use contactless payment solutions. A cash-to-card conversion station is available in the Atrium for those who do not use credit/debit cards. PARKINGThe Lambeau Field parking lots on both days (May 15th & 16th) […]
Read More >

05.11.26
Movie Monday: Another great movie and here comes another lawsuit.
Now that the It Ends With Us Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni dueling lawsuits have settled, I thought we’d catch a break from movie set drama. But….. Here comes another. This time Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are involved. They’re not suing each other, though. Instead, because their movie The Rip (2026) was advertised as […]
Read More >

05.06.26
In The Kitchen with Laura Mckenna: Iced Coffee Trick
There’s nothing better on a warm day than a big iced coffee! The problem is once the ice starts melting, your coffee gets watered down. I have a solution I’ve been doing for years: Make Coffee Cubes I usually brew a full pot of coffee, drink a few hot cups, and then save the rest […]
Read More >




