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.
Sprint 27. '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
Why we say this
Supported
A manufacturer prohibition stated without qualification and without a named part, unlike the range manual's, which is tied to the pyrolytic cycle. Recorded against the caustic agent because that is what a commercial oven cleaner is in this catalogue.
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)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Care and cleaning of the microwave oven, pages 30 and 31 — Helpful Hints, How to Clean the Inside, Removable Turntable and Turntable Support, and How to Clean the Outside. Plus the Microwave terms table on page 29 for arcing. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia may damage Microwave oven
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Sprint 27. Stated as damage to appearance, and recorded at that strength rather than upgraded.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
Why we say this
Supported
One manufacturer, stated plainly, with the consequence it names and no more. Many household glass and multi-surface sprays contain one or the other, which is what makes this worth a record rather than a footnote.
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)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Care and cleaning of the microwave oven, pages 30 and 31 — Helpful Hints, How to Clean the Inside, Removable Turntable and Turntable Support, and How to Clean the Outside. Plus the Microwave terms table on page 29 for arcing. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Isopropyl alcohol may damage Microwave oven
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Sprint 27. 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
Why we say this
Supported
The same sentence names both substances and the register records both rather than the more famous one. Appearance damage, not a safety hazard, and the state says so.
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)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Care and cleaning of the microwave oven, pages 30 and 31 — Helpful Hints, How to Clean the Inside, Removable Turntable and Turntable Support, and How to Clean the Outside. Plus the Microwave terms table on page 29 for arcing. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
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: see the seal record.
Related
- Microwave oven has the component Microwave turntable
- Microwave oven has the component Microwave door sealing surface
- Microwave oven is commonly affected by Grease
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)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Care and cleaning of the microwave oven, pages 30 and 31 — Helpful Hints, How to Clean the Inside, Removable Turntable and Turntable Support, and How to Clean the Outside. Plus the Microwave terms table on page 29 for arcing. Supports the claim as stated.
What CleaningHQ cannot answer yet
These are recorded questions about this subject that we have not yet researched to a standard we would publish.
- Address combustion odour in a microwave cavity
- Whether steaming vinegar and water loosens microwave soil
- Compatibility of acetic acid with a microwave cavity
Last reviewed by a person on .