I hesitated to post this tip, because I am probably the last person on earth to know about it. But I finally tried this method of cleaning my microwave, and IT WORKS! (Thanks Mom; it wasn’t that I didn’t believe you. It just sounded too easy).
If your microwave looks like, say, this:
[Oh, I give up. Dirty stuff just doesn't look as dirty in pictures as it does in real life. I wonder if this is sort of like a dirty-anorexic-distortion, where instead of looking fatter that your really are, things look cleaner/dirtier than they really are.]
Anyway, to clean even gunky dried-on spaghetti sauce, exploded black bean soup, and splattered sweet potatoes, simply place a glass container full of water in the microwave and turn it on High for about 5 minutes. Then wipe off the soggy ickies, and, voila:
In other news, Danielle sent me a video about a bioluminescent Mountain Dew experiment. Boy! Was it exciting, and Mountain Dew by itself is practically glow-in-the-dark, so I assembled the necessary ingredients:
I had to try it for myself even after Dick looked it up on Snopes.com and found that it was a false urban legend. Unfortunately (and not surprisingly, I guess, though seriously disappointingly), Snopes was right; it doesn’t work. (I’m glad I’m not as cynical as Dick; I’m sure he misses a lot of fun anticipation that way.)
But never fear, I know a fun soda pop trick that does work! The Diet Coke and Mentos Bomb is fabulous, and would make a great Last-Hurrah-of-Summer family activity.
Diet Coke and Mentos on the 4th of July from jane on Vimeo
Look at that! Actual tips for Works-for-me Wednesday:
1) Clean your microwave with boiling water.
2) Snopes.com debunks too-good-to-be-true tricks.
3) Diet Coke and Mentos make for FUN TIMES.
You can thank me later.
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Tags: bombs, diet coke, homemaking, housekeeping, mentos, microwave, tips, works for me
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I always think you have the best tips, Jane. And I love the microwave one; it always works for me! Except I usually forget I’m doing it and I end up boiling water for 5 minutes… like 4 different times. I would love to see the coke/mento bomb but wouldn’t show my boys exploding stuff for all the world. Don’t want them getting any ideas.
Taras last blog post..Cookies For Nie Nie
Ahhh. Good point. My girls just squealed. Probably won’t try it themselves for a few years, anyway.
I found the mentos and Diet coke thing on Youtube last summer and my boys had wayyyyyy too much fun with it!
Love your clean microwave. Mine does NOT look like that. Now you’re making me feel guilty.
Blue Castles last blog post..Family Tree Art part 2
thanks for the microwave tip! maybe i’ll get around to cleaning it this week…haha.
Just one step up from the boiling water trick–
Stick used lemons (or other citrus) in the water when you microwave it!
Whenever I squeeze lemons or limes for juice and have the leftover carcasses, I know it’s time to clean the microwave. I stick the used lemons into a bowl of water and microwave it to boiling. Not only does the steam make wiping up the micro easy, but the lemon removes the bad smells, leaving only citrus-y goodness.
And then I dump the water with the lemons down the garbage disposal to deodorize that as well.
Azúcars last blog post..Fully Invested
Great microwave cleaning tip! I will definitely be using this one. My microwave is in desperate need of it!
Heidi @ Blue Eyed Blessingss last blog post..homemade apple fries
I love the Diet Coke and Mentos thing! It doesn’t work very well with the small bottles of coke though, just to warn you
Kims last blog post..Menu Plan Monday- September 22, 2008
My microwave is the perfect candidate for that cleaning method, and since I doubt you want to come over and show me it works, I’ll have to try it myself!
Thanks for the tip!
Hello! Thanks for the tips! I’m off to get mentos and Diet Coke.
Thanks for the tips. I keep putting off that microwave tip, because like you, I thought it sounded too easy. Guess I better check it out. I know that my kids and hubby would get a kick out of the diet coke/mentos thing, but I hate to waste the mentos!
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Great tips! WE love snopes. I had heard of the coke and mentos, but I had never seen it done. COOL!
Sherrys last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – Rapture or Organized Child?
Awww. Sadness. A friend sent me the Mt Dew thing, just the other day, I was going to use it as an experiment on Friday for my homeschooled daughter. LOL! Guess it’s best to know that it didn’t work NOW beforeI got her all geared up for it!! LOL!
A cup of white vinegar in the microwave will clean off anything that doesn’t come off with water – and you can pour baking soda down your sink while the vinegar works in the microwave, and then our the hot vinegar down he sink and it will freshen your drains as well!
Great tip! I personally like my method (have hubby clean), but I’ll try this one!
Heathers last blog post..ARRGGHH!
I’ve used this tip to clean my microwave too & it really is that easy.
Veggiemomof2s last blog post..Works for Me Wednesday: Dog Food Storage
Awesome tips Jane! I may actually look forward to cleaning the microwave tonight.
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what, I can’t believe it didn’t work! I should have checked snopes before I emailed it. It looked so real!! Sorry!!
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Hi Jane, Thanks for the easy breezy microwave tip. I have no excuse now!
Audra Krells last blog post..ATM Voting?
We just did the Mentos trick this weekend. Because we are mature.
Ya, I always forget I’m steaming the microwave too and have to do it over and over.
I’ve also noticed that messes in photos don’t look as bad in person, like the gum mess of Lulu’s I posted.
And I think the same thing about Jude and his lack of excitement. It’s more fun being excitable, even if that means feeling foolish on occasion.
(Somehow, it usually doesn’t parse my post. That’s weird.)
Down here in the south, we just stick our teabags in there to make our ice tea. After it boils, it has to steep for 10 minutes. By then, nothing is stuck to the microwave! Of course, remember to cover the tea – don’t want any of that yucky stuff in the tea! Then just swipe the microwave out. Of course, my granny would be turning flips in her grave if she knew I wasn’t boiling those tea bags!
You’re forgiven, Jane – thought I’d make a comment to let you know
love ya!
toni
tonis last blog post..Somebody Loves My Blog
Timely post. I’ve got some yucky lemons in the crisper. I’ll be using them tonight to see if they can de-yuck the microwave. Or will it become a yuckier mess.
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[...] used a cup of boiling water with some yucky lemons to clean out my yucky microwave. Here’s where I got the idea from the blog What About Mom. I put my sponge in a 2 cup measuring cup with water and [...]
Stay on topic? I can be nice, I can be clean, I can do the no spam thing, but stay on topic? Whew, that’s a hard one.
This is Kimberly from high school, I don’t know if you want me to say my maiden name, as I see you keep your site pretty clear of personal names, but I was in AP biology with you, and other sundry classes.
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Ok, now, all that said, back to the topic of the post–any soda works great with the mentos. Just ask my webelos scouts when we’re working on the scientist badge!
And I never would have thought of the boiling water on my own; a dear friend (also from same high school) gave me that tip, and it’s fabulous. And so easy. And makes people so envious, heh heh. Even funnier when they don’t realize how easy it was.
If you buy the little tablets that clean dentures (not the cheapy brand, the real thing) and set one in a yucky baby’s bottle overnight, they are just amazing at cleaning it back to sparkling new. Another fabulous tip; that one I got from blog-hopping.
[...] you a tip that I am probably the last person on earth to hear about it. (Last time it was the nifty microwave-cleaning tip). As with all of my crafty/homemaking tips, I hope that you will share your own advice that will [...]
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