Your microwave gets super dirty, but it’s easy to ignore because you simply close the door when you’re not using it, hiding all the grease, splatter, and crumbs that get left behind. Out of sight may be out of mind, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of trouble. Dirt can attract bugs or make your microwave (and your food) smelly and gross. It’s time to clean your microwave one step at a time.

First, you need to steam your microwave. That bad boy has all sorts of splatter caked and caked on the inside and steam is going to loosen that up. Steam is a powerful cleaning tool, as is citric acid, so this is a no-brainer. The internet and CleanTok have suggestions ranging from doing it with a half cup of water to a full cup, half a lemon to a whole one, and for three minutes to five minutes, with five minutes or 15 minutes left over for steaming. Let’s keep it simple. Here’s what I do:

Cut a lemon into quarters and place two in a microwave-safe bowl with a cup of water

Microwave on high for three minutes, checking towards the end to see if steam is forming.