Microwave oven
The appliance where a dirty door seal is a containment question rather than a cosmetic one, and where the two cleaners most people reach for are both excluded.
What not to do
Sodium hydroxide is unsafe on Microwave oven
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
'Never use a commercial oven cleaner on any part of your microwave.' No exception is offered.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That a commercial oven cleaner must never be used on any part of the microwave oven. (states this directly)
Ammonia may damage Microwave oven
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
The damage named is to appearance rather than to the material itself.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That cleaners containing ammonia or alcohol must not be used on the microwave oven, because ammonia or alcohol can damage the appearance of the microwave. (states this directly)
Isopropyl alcohol may damage Microwave oven
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
The other half of the same exclusion, and the half people meet in a screen wipe.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Ventilate the area
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That cleaners containing ammonia or alcohol must not be used on the microwave oven, because ammonia or alcohol can damage the appearance of the microwave. (states this directly)
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
Which part are you cleaning?
These parts take different answers. Cleaning one the way you clean another is a common way to damage this.
- Microwave turntable
Dishwasher-safe, and breakable by the one thing people do instinctively — putting it in water straight after cooking.
- Microwave door sealing surface
A rare surface where the manufacturer's reason for keeping it clean is containment of the appliance's own energy.
Appliance seal rubber
Things not to use here
What tends to go wrong
Fats and oils, which water alone cannot lift. Removed by surfactants, by heat, by solvents, or by alkalis that convert the fat into soap.
Why it is difficult: Why oil resists water, Emulsification
- Fingerprintsvia its material
Skin oils transferred by touch. A greasy soil rather than a dirty one, which is why water alone does not shift them and why they return immediately.
Why it is difficult: Surfactancy
- Water marksvia its material
What hard water leaves behind when it evaporates instead of being wiped away. A mineral film, not dirt, and the fix is at the drying stage.
Why it is difficult: Water hardness, Evaporative deposition
- Rustvia its material
Hydrated iron oxide from corroding iron or steel. Distinguish a surface deposit, which cleans off, from active corrosion of the item itself, which does not.
Why it is difficult: Corrosion and passivation, Why old stains are harder, Adhesion and cohesion
- Burnt-on food and carbon depositsvia its material
Food heated until it carbonised and bonded to the surface. Time and softening do the work; scouring powder does the damage.
Why it is difficult: Contact time, Carbonisation, Adhesion and cohesion, Why old stains are harder
- Heat tintvia its material
The rainbow or brown bloom on stainless steel that has been heated. Not a deposit and not dirt: the metal's own surface oxide, thickened by heat.
- Limescalevia its material
A hard, chalky calcium carbonate deposit left by hard water. Dissolved by acids, essentially untouched by detergents.
Why it is difficult: Water hardness, Crystallisation, Adhesion and cohesion
The science behind this: Corrosion and passivation, Water hardness, Chloride attack, Cleanability is designed in
In detail
A microwave is an enclosure of painted or stainless steel, a plastic-and-metal-shielded door, a glass turntable and a touch panel, and the manufacturer gives each of them different instructions. TWO PROHIBITIONS ARE BROADER THAN PEOPLE EXPECT. Never use a commercial oven cleaner on any part of a microwave — the instruction admits no exceptions. And on the outside, cleaners containing AMMONIA OR ALCOHOL are excluded because they can damage the appearance, which rules out a great many glass and multi-surface sprays that are otherwise the obvious choice for a metal box with a window. WHAT TO USE IS ORDINARY. Greasy spatters inside come off with a sudsy cloth and a damp rinse; abrasive cleaners and sharp utensils are excluded from the oven walls. The case takes a sudsy cloth, rinsed and dried. A stainless finish is worked lightly along the grain and never with a steel-wool pad. The panel takes a damp cloth and thorough drying — no sprays, no flood of soapy water, and even some paper towels will scratch it. The cord comes out before any of this. And the one part that is not about appearance at all is the surface where the door meets the body — the door seal itself.
What works
Detergent is safe on, in specific conditions, Microwave oven
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, no claim is made.
Only within these limits:
- Unplug before cleaning any part of the oven
- A sudsy cloth, then a damp rinse — not sprays and not large amounts of water
- Mild, non-abrasive detergent on the door sealing surfaces, rinsed well
- No abrasive cleaners or sharp utensils on the oven walls; some paper towels scratch the control panel
The sealing surfaces are singled out for a federally-worded reason: soil or cleaner residue accumulating there is a safety matter, not a cosmetic one.
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Evidence
Supported
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the cord is unplugged before cleaning, that a sudsy cloth is used inside and out, that the sealing surfaces take mild non-abrasive detergents rinsed well, and that soil or cleaner residue must not accumulate on sealing surfaces. (states this directly)
Related
- Microwave oven has the component Microwave turntable
- Microwave oven has the component Microwave door sealing surface
- Microwave oven is made from Stainless steel
- Microwave oven is commonly affected by Grease
Hacks and claims involving this
Sources for this page
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That commercial oven cleaner must never be used on any part of a microwave, that cleaners containing ammonia or alcohol are excluded from the outside because they can damage its appearance, that greasy spatters inside take a sudsy cloth and a damp rinse with abrasives and sharp utensils excluded from the oven walls, and that the cord is unplugged before cleaning any part. (states this directly)