Clean or spattered Microwave?

[Tiny]

Not sure this is really appropriate - I'm sure there's a lot of judgement.  

1 -  Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else? 
2 -  Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes  (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum? 
3 -  Do you have children? 
4 -  Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave?   


I personally don't really care what state your microwave is in.  I dont' think anything can grow in nuked on gunk in a microwave.  Even if it could I imagine anything living in it would die the next time you microwave something.    I'm just wondering how "weird" I am. 
 
Also, I'm short so a microwave over the stove seems down right dangerous to me.   I can't imagine having to reach up with limited sight lines and take out a steaming bowl/cup/casserole while leaning over the stove on tiptoe..  it's like an accident waiting to happen.   I get why taller people would not have a problem with this kind of set up.   If you are tall - please stop telling shorter people to get a microwave installed over their stove or telling them to use their microwave over their stove more.  only, if you are the kind of person to tell other people what convenient awesome things you do that they too should do.      


My answers: 
1 - on a counter
2 - yes, i wash the cover every now and then.  It lives on top of the microwave. 
3 - no, no children. 
4 - yes, I clean up really bad messes right away - but ignore small messes.  I clean up the small messes in the microwave every week or two.   You can't figure out what kinds of foods I microwave by looking in my microwave.  <-- this is why I might be weird. 

 

[chiver78]

1 - over my stove
2 - no cover, but I drape a paper towel over things that I expect to splatter
3 -  no kids
4 - if something's obnoxious, I'll clean it up at the time. otherwise, it waits til I nuke a wet sponge and wipe down the whole thing. 

I don't necessarily judge the cleanliness of someone's kitchen on a given day that isn't a full-on holiday hosting where your whole place is on display. I judge more what I watch you do in your kitchen as far as cross-contamination and safe food handling. for example, I've got a friend who's an amazing cook and baker. and she uses wooden cutting boards for everything, including meats. it makes me absolutely nuts, but unless I want to pick that fight in her kitchen.....yeah, I just bite my tongue. she's a 3h drive from me, and I'm only there a few times a year. 

[mollyanna58]

1) Counter top (I am also short, and share your concerns about over-the-stove microwaves)
2) Yes, I have a plastic cover.  If it only gets steam on it, it gets rinsed off. If there is food splatter, it gets washed.
3) No kids.
4) Just major messes. It could currently use a good scrub.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

1) over the stove. I am also short, but i have long arms. However, we will be doing and addition in the near future. Part of the addition is a walk-in pantry. I will have the micro put under the cabs. I find it very awkward to clean it when it is on a counter. We will be replacing the over the stove micro with a vented hood.

2) we use a plastic cover, which is washed if it gets splattered, otherwise i just wipe dry.

3) no kids at home anymore.

4) i wipe out the micro regularly. I can’t even stand food fingerprints on the control panel. I am staying at my moms right now and hers is so disgusting that I won’t use it.

[Opti]

No microwave. Counter is small so would like a cheap one from back to college sales, but it would live on a table in the DR area.
Maybe if I get into a more current apartment in will come with an over the stove microwave? 

No children
Wipe out the microwave at work if my stuff spatters. Clean the microwave out first before using if it is nasty.

[NoNamePerson]

Counter top. Mine is microwave/convection oven combination. (I don’t use big oven in stove  )

Depending on what I’m microwaving but mostly just paper towel

No kids at home

I do wipe out mine after each use but mainly because I use oven feature the most and depending on what I’m cooking there is no covering. I bake and broil in it so can get messy! 

I remove the ceramic round table about once a week and give it a good cleaning. 

[skeeter]

May 22, 2023 16:09:10 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Counter top. Mine is microwave/convection oven combination. (I don’t use big oven in stove  )

Depending on what I’m microwaving but mostly just paper towel

No kids at home

I do wipe out mine after each use but mainly because I use oven feature the most and depending on what I’m cooking there is no covering. I bake and broil in it so can get messy! 

I remove the ceramic round table about once a week and give it a good cleaning. 

OMG!!  You know how to use a microwave?

I'm shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

[NoNamePerson]

May 22, 2023 16:46:14 GMT -5 skeeter said:

May 22, 2023 16:09:10 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Counter top. Mine is microwave/convection oven combination. (I don’t use big oven in stove  )

Depending on what I’m microwaving but mostly just paper towel

No kids at home

I do wipe out mine after each use but mainly because I use oven feature the most and depending on what I’m cooking there is no covering. I bake and broil in it so can get messy! 

I remove the ceramic round table about once a week and give it a good cleaning. 

OMG!!  You know how to use a microwave?

I'm shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

  I know how to use the oven too. 

[Artemis Windsong]

1 - Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else?   On the counter.
2 - Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum?  No walmart cover but we do cover foods to reduce splatter.
3 - Do you have children? Two grown.
4 - Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave? If something splats or spills, I clean it up right away.  To H's credit, he heats a pre-cooked pork sausage patty in the microwave and doesn't get grease anywhere.

[Opti]

May 22, 2023 18:06:48 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

May 22, 2023 16:46:14 GMT -5 skeeter said:

OMG!!  You know how to use a microwave?

I'm shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

  I know how to use the oven too. 

But notice, she mostly microwaves paper towels... 

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

May 22, 2023 18:12:34 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

1 - Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else?   On the counter.
2 - Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum?  No walmart cover but we do cover foods to reduce splatter.
3 - Do you have children? Two grown.
4 - Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave? If something splats or spills, I clean it up right away.  To H's credit, he heats a pre-cooked pork sausage patty in the microwave and doesn't get grease anywhere.

Oh! A unicorn husband! Wherever did you find him? 

[Opti]

May 22, 2023 18:06:48 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

May 22, 2023 16:46:14 GMT -5 skeeter said:

OMG!!  You know how to use a microwave?

I'm shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

  I know how to use the oven too. 

We know.    I should really tag Tenn.

[NoNamePerson]

May 22, 2023 19:23:41 GMT -5 Opti said:

May 22, 2023 18:06:48 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

  I know how to use the oven too. 

But notice, she mostly microwaves paper towels... 

 It did sound that way. 

[msventoux]

I haven’t had a microwave for 15 or so years. When mine died I didn’t replace it. I had an addiction to microwave popcorn and convenience foods and decided that was a simple way to cut out those items. Not that I haven’t since found other unhealthy things that take a bit more patience to make.     

Another reason not to have one is my kitchen is tiny and it took up valuable counter space. When I did have one I would cover the dish with a paper towel if I thought the food would be messy. I kept it pretty clean…a lot cleaner than my oven!  Easy to do as I live alone.  I refuse to use the microwave at work.  I’ll never understand how a group of professionals that bitch about their spouses and kids being pigs at home can be okay with making a huge mess in the microwave and not cleaning it up. 

[haapai]

<abbr>deleted by author. 
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[Pink Cashmere]

1 - Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else? Both.
2 - Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum? No, I use a paper towel for things that might splatter.
3 - Do you have children? Yes
4 - Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave? Yes, one of them.

At my first house had an over the stove microwave, and I already had a microwave. I preferred using the one on the counter. I eventually replaced the one over the stove with a hood. It had stopped working anyway after my children started a fire on the stove.

Same thing happened here. This house has one over the stove, and Mister and I both already had microwaves. Mine was bigger, so we kept it, idk what happened to Mister’s. He and the kids use the one over the stove, I use the one on the counter and that’s the only one I clean. If something spills or whatever, I clean it then. I got tired of constantly cleaning the other one, when I didn’t even use it.

Even though microwaves take up valuable counter space, I prefer a real vent over the stove vs a microwave. So I’ll probably eventually replace the one here too.

[Artemis Windsong]

May 22, 2023 19:24:42 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

May 22, 2023 18:12:34 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

1 - Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else?   On the counter.
2 - Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum?  No walmart cover but we do cover foods to reduce splatter.
3 - Do you have children? Two grown.
4 - Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave? If something splats or spills, I clean it up right away.  To H's credit, he heats a pre-cooked pork sausage patty in the microwave and doesn't get grease anywhere.

Oh! A unicorn husband! Wherever did you find him? 

Thanks.  You don't know the he-- he has put me through.

[toomuchreality]

answers:
1 - on a counter
2 - yes, i wash the cover every now and then. It lives inside the microwave.
3 - no, no children.
4 - yes, I clean up messes right away. I also wipe out/down my microwave a few times a week. Fingerprints make me crazy. And I don't want to think about what
might be dropping into my food. Yuck. I use the/a cover every time I use my microwave and I always use paper towels under my food, to catch any spills. I wash my cover every time I run my dishwasher. My previous microwave got cleaned so often, the 'glass' on the front came unglued and had to be reattached.
It's hard for me to use/clean a microwave over a stove. I can't reach/see in well.

[daisylu]

1 - counter
2 - no cover, but if I expect something to be messy I cover with a paper towel
3 - 2 grown, 1 out and the other on her way out
4 - I clean obvious messes right away, other cleaning about every 2 weeks

I have never lived in a house with a microwave over the stove, but I have never appreciated the concept. It would be at head height for me, so I wouldn't be comfortable taking food out. I also prefer it being well ventilated. Plus it would seem like a hassle to replace when needed. ILs have over the stove, and seeing it in use has shown me that I am not interested.

[swamp]

1 - Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else?

2 - Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum?

3 - Do you have children?

4 - Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave?

On the counter
yes, our cleaning lady got it for us, I think she's trying to tell us something.  Prior to that, I used a paper towel or tupperware plastic lid. 
Yes.  they are pigs. 
Yes, yes, yes, yes.  Splattered microwaves gross me out. 

[wvugurl26]

1. Microwave is on the counter
2. Yes, we have a cover. If it's just steam I'll rinse it. If it's truly dirty it gets washed. It could be dishwasher safe for all I know but it would take up too much room. Some things get a paper towel instead of the cover.
3. No kids. I do enough damage exploding butter all over the inside when melting for baking purposes.
4. Yes, I clean it. I microwave a big measuring cup full of hot water and vinegar and let the steam work. Most things wipe off easily after that. I take the tray out and scrub it down.

In my grandma's house it's over the stove and she did worry about burning herself. It also makes cleaning difficult. Plus in my experience there are fewer models to choose from and getting one to fit exactly can be difficult. When she first moved in, it wasn't a big deal. After the kitchen remodel, the cabinets were moved up and it was higher up. I don't remember exactly but there must have been a buffer at the top of the old ones or something.

[Tiny]

I just got back to this thread I started.

And I realized the "Do you have kids" question came out the wrong way... I totally would understand and appreciate why one's microwave is not pristine at all times when more than one person (tween, teen, adult) is using it. There's better things to be doing than policing the microwave when you live with other people - especially when the microwaves interior condition isn't life threatening.

I also get why a single user might also have a messy microwave - it's not life threatening.

I am so sorry if that came across wrong.

Thanks for all the responses - and it seems I'm not overly weird with my attempts to keep my own microwave tidy (I really do like the plastic dome thing... it makes me feel "good" when I nuke something. I'm sure this is based on some childhood trauma I haven't explored yet. ) - I try to remember to cover whatever I'm nuking, and I try to clean it out when I think it needs it.

I get that there are different levels of "think it needs it" and I am totally ok with it... it's not that important in the big picture. I find other people's microwaves a "curiosity" rather than all that important.

Thanks again for sharing.


Did you know odds are we've been nuking our food and beverages for close to 40 years! How cool is that!

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

I had to train DH to stop storing stuff in the microwave like snack bags. His mom did that and he thought it was a great idea. I hate pulling crap out when I need it.

[kadee79]

1 - Is your microwave over the stove or on a counter or somewhere else?

2 - Do you have one of those plastic covers/domes (like from walmart) that you can put over a plate or bowl to keep spatters/explosions to a minimum?

3 - Do you have children?

4 - Do you ever clean/wipe out your microwave?


My microwave is on the counter.  I "used" to be 5'8", but I've shrunk, but even when I was still tall, I've always thought those over the stove microwaves were VERY dangerous.  My DIL is Japanes...really short...she keeps a stool in the kitchen for things like that.
Yes, we have a plastic cover.  We use is most of the time or paper towels if it's going to be a greasy splatter (like sausage patties).
No kids here any more...thank goodness!
Yes, I clean the microwave if it's bad.  DH cleans it if he makes a mess.

I also have a tray sort of thing in there to lift out HOT dishes/plates....to carry them to the table.

[Pink Cashmere]

May 24, 2023 16:20:32 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

I had to train DH to stop storing stuff in the microwave like snack bags. His mom did that and he thought it was a great idea. I hate pulling crap out when I need it.

That would annoy me too. I hate having to move stuff out of the way to get to what I need or am trying to use.

[NoNamePerson]

May 24, 2023 14:55:24 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I just got back to this thread I started.

And I realized the "Do you have kids" question came out the wrong way... I totally would understand and appreciate why one's microwave is not pristine at all times when more than one person (tween, teen, adult) is using it. There's better things to be doing than policing the microwave when you live with other people - especially when the microwaves interior condition isn't life threatening.

I also get why a single user might also have a messy microwave - it's not life threatening.

I am so sorry if that came across wrong.

Thanks for all the responses - and it seems I'm not overly weird with my attempts to keep my own microwave tidy (I really do like the plastic dome thing... it makes me feel "good" when I nuke something. I'm sure this is based on some childhood trauma I haven't explored yet. ) - I try to remember to cover whatever I'm nuking, and I try to clean it out when I think it needs it.

I get that there are different levels of "think it needs it" and I am totally ok with it... it's not that important in the big picture. I find other people's microwaves a "curiosity" rather than all that important.

Thanks again for sharing.


Did you know odds are we've been nuking our food and beverages for close to 40 years! How cool is that!

Got my first microwave in 1973 GE. My ex worked for family owned store similar to Home Depot’s of today.  Boy what a learning curve it was. Didn’t use it a lot. 

[NastyWoman]

1) microwave is over the stove. This works well in my tiny kitchen: while I am not particularly tall at just a smidgen under 5'7" I'm the average height for Dutch women and that is tall enough for my microwave
2) no plastic cover, I use paper towels to contain potential splatters
3) two sons but they live on different continents so I can't really blame them for anything and expect to be believed
4) I clean up big-ish messes right away. The cleaning fairy gives it a thorough clean when she is here

[TheOtherMe]

Mine is over the stove.  If it gives out while I live here, I will not replace it with an over the stove microwave.  

I do clean mine if there are messes.  I don't like looking at them and if I don't do it, it's not going to happen.

[Opti]

May 24, 2023 16:37:11 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

May 24, 2023 16:20:32 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

I had to train DH to stop storing stuff in the microwave like snack bags. His mom did that and he thought it was a great idea. I hate pulling crap out when I need it.

That would annoy me too. I hate having to move stuff out of the way to get to what I need or am trying to use.

There are great stories too of people using stoves as storage. Like for money as if the punchlines don't write themselves. 

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

May 24, 2023 22:20:11 GMT -5 Opti said:

May 24, 2023 16:37:11 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

That would annoy me too. I hate having to move stuff out of the way to get to what I need or am trying to use.

There are great stories too of people using stoves as storage. Like for money as if the punchlines don't write themselves. 

DH’s mom stored pots and pans in there. Thankfully DH didn’t pick up that habit.

Seems like I remember Mythbusters had a segment on whether an oven could set off ammo. 
How or why in the hell people think of this stuff is beyond me.