You're looking forward to enjoying some hot popcorn at home on a Saturday movie night. You place a bowl in the microwave and forget about it! Engrossed in the thrilling storyline, you suddenly smell something funny. That's when you're pulled out of the virtual world, and reality hits hard.

Your yummy-to-be popcorn has turned into black burnt corn ashes, meant only for disposal in the bin. The popcorn that can always be made again, but what you can't forget is the pungent burnt popcorn smell that comes from your microwave each time you open it lingering for days. So much so that you may even dread cooking/reheating anything at all in the microwave for a while.

If you're faced with such a situation, this guide will help you figure how to get burnt popcorn smell out of the microwave with simple DIY measures.

How To Get Burnt Popcorn Smell Out of Microwave

Method 1: Vinegar Steam Treatment

Vinegar Steam Method to Remove Burnt Smell from Microwave

Vinegar Steam Treatment – One of the best methods to get rid of burnt popcorn smell from microwave is toclean microwave with a vinegarsolution.

  • Take a small glass measuring cup and fill it half with water. Add a few tablespoons of white vinegar to it. You may add more vinegar if the odour is too strong.
  • Place the solution in the microwave and heat it for 90 seconds or until the liquid starts boiling. You'll see steam forming on the inner facing side of the microwave door.
  • Turn off the oven, even if there's still time remaining up to 90 seconds, and leave the door closed for a few minutes.
  • Open the door, remove the cup, and wipe off the oven interior with a clean damp cloth. This should help you get rid of the smell of burnt pop corn, and even the vinegar smell should disappear within a few minutes.

Method 2: Lemon Water Method

Lemon Water Method to Remove Burnt Smell from Microwave

Lemon Water Method – In the absence of vinegar or in case you don't like its smell too much, water and lemon steam method works great as well. Besides, lemon is almost always available at home.

  • Take a microwave-safe glass bowl and fill half of it with water.
  • Take a sliced lemon and squeeze it into the bowl. Now put both the lemon half slices into the bowl too.
  • Heat the water just until steam starts forming, generally 90-120 seconds.
  • Let the door remain closed for a while, then open it and remove the bowl.
  • Wipe off the interior with a damp paper towel.
  • Allow the lemon water to cool down to room temperature, and you can then use that too for cleaning the inside of the microwave. Lemon would leave a freshening smell inside for days removing burnt popcorn from microwave.

How to Prevent Burnt Popcorn Smell In Microwave?

The methods described above work great for countertop, over-the-range, built-in oven and microwave combo and microwave drawers or any other microwave type. when you want to knowhow to get burnt smell out of microwave ventsonce it has set in and been lingering for days. However, you can even avoid that pungent smell from getting into the oven in the first place by dealing with it without any delay, yes – right away!

Remove Burnt Smell from Microwave
  • Once in a while, check the microwave thoroughly from the inside to see traces of any burnt food spills. Make sure you look up there at the oven ceiling too; the food often splatters in the upward direction, especially if uncovered. Clean the spills and splatters right away.
  • Besides that, it's a good idea to clean the microwave each time after cooking. First allow the interior to cool down after use, and then wipe off the inside with a clean damp cloth, paper towel, or sponge.

Following this routine regularly can help prevent pungent odours from lingering in the microwave oven for longer. Also, you can help keep your appliance ever fresh and pleasant-smelling until next use by spraying vinegar-water or lemon-water solution on the inside after each use.

Our article on how to clean your microwave should help you maintain your microwave and make it lasts longer as well.

Also remember, to leave the microwave door open for just a few minutes after using it for heating or cooking food. This helps any food smell dissipate from the oven and even the kitchen rather quickly. It also works with getting rid of burnt food odours; try it. Dealing with the damage immediately always helps rather than allowing it to linger on inside the appliance and the surrounding atmosphere and set in permanently, wherein nothing much can be done about it.

Sometimes, the smell can also be caused by irregular heating of the microwave. So, a rapid rise in air temperature may cause the food to get burnt. There can also be cases where your microwave is unable to heat food. We've put together guides to help you with other microwave problems too. One specific write-up that you could use while trying to remove burnt popcorn smell from your microwave is trying this DIY fix for a poor heating microwave or a microwave that won't heat at all.

To Sum Up

Microwave, like any other household electrical appliance, requires some amount of regular maintenance. You don't have to wait for an incident to happen to take action. Taking timely preventive measures can avert significant problems to occur in the first place.

Besides, the microwave is one place where you place your food – what you eat and what goes inside your body. You wouldn't want to consume anything that's enveloped in bad odour. Try these simple measures today and keep your appliance hygienic, disinfected, and pleasant-smelling.

Avatar of Prachi Shah

This recipe developer and self-proclaimed dessert enthusiast does not mess around. Prachi creates healthy recipes that cater to a variety of needs, including gluten-free, paleo, and vegan.