Microwaves have become the centre points of most kitchens with all the family members being able to use it to do everything from heating pizzas to making tea and coffee to making popcorn.
The last of these activities is the most dangerous and even a little bit of carelessness can result in the popcorn burning in the oven. And the smell of burnt popcorn is one of the most unpleasant. Some smells may be difficult to remove, but few are as hard as that of burnt popcorn. People have been known to discard their microwaves simply because they could not stand the smell which they could not get rid of.
If this has happened to you, don’t think of disposing of your microwave just yet. There is a way of removing the odour that often works.
How to remove odours from microwaves
The firs method you can try is the coffee one. Surprisingly, coffee has very good odour absorbing properties. Fill a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of ground coffee powder and half a cup of water. Place this bowl on a tray to catches any overflow was the mixture boils in the microwave. Run the microwave on “high” for about 2 minutes (more if the mixture is not boiling). Allow the mixture to sit steaming in the microwave for a few minutes, remove the bowl (be careful – it will still be hot) and let the oven air out for a while. Then wipe the interior with a damp cloth. If the smell has not gone, but reduced significantly, repeat the process until the smell disappears. If the coffee does not work, try using the same process, but replace the coffee and water mixture with the small bowl half full of vinegar.
Both methods may result in the smell of coffee or vinegar remaining in the microwave. But unlike the burnt popcorn smell, these will dissipate in a few days. Leaving the microwave out in the sun can speed of the airing out process. Just be careful that it does not get wet in a sudden shower.
If this procedure does not remove the smell of burnt popcorn from your microwave, there is little else you can do. As a last resort, you could ask your domestic cleaning service if they can do something using the strong chemicals they are trained to use. Just remember that the stronger the chemical, the greater the chance of damage to your oven.
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