Microwave cooking is fast and easy, but it can also be messy. Just ask anyone who has heated pizza dipping sauce or a bowl of chili in the microwave, they can tell you about the exploding contents that adhere to all sides of the oven interior, including the top.

Getting the microwave messy is easy, cleaning it is too, when you follow these tips.

Grab a Coffee Cup

A microwave safe coffee cup works perfectly because it is designed to hold hot liquids and the handle makes moving it safe, but any microwave-safe bowl or other vessel will work just as well.

Place half a cup of water in the coffee cup or other microwave safe vessel along with two spoonfuls of white vinegar. Place in the center of the microwave and and cook on high for 5 minutes.

Do not open the door when the five minute cooking time is up. Let the vinegar and water sit inside the oven for another 5 minutes. The cooked on food debris is being softened by the steam for easy removal.

Wipe Down

Remove the coffee cup at the end of 5 minutes and pour the hot vinegar/water solution into a large bowl. Add just enough cold water to cool down the vinegar solution enough for you to safely handle, then dampen a cleaning cloth or sponge in the vinegar water.

Wipe down the inside of the microwave to remove all the loosened food debris. Re-wet cloth or sponge as needed.

The vinegar is a natural cleaner, disinfectant and deodorizer that will leave your microwave sparkling clean and safe to use immediately.

Other Steam Options

If you don’t like the scent of vinegar, use a lemon half instead to steam your microwave clean. Slice a fresh lemon in half, placing one half, cut side up, in the center of your microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes, then remove and wipe oven interior clean with a soapy sponge or cloth. Rinse sponge or cloth and wipe down with clean water to remove soap residue before using oven.

Squeeze lemon juice in or add a teaspoon of baking soda to a half cup of water and follow steam cleaning procedure for fresh and clean results.

Don’t use soap or any type of chemical cleaner to steam clean your microwave. Use a food grade product to prevent food contamination.