How do I get this sticky residue off my microwave plate?
February 13, 2013 12:30 AM Subscribe
There is a sticky residue on the glass plate for my microwave. It's orange and kinda greasy, but the common sense ways of cleaning it (soap, rough sponge, all-purpose cleaner) are not working. Anyone have any ideas on what to use to get it off?
It's probably polymerised grease. It's a chemical process that combines several monomers to form a polymer or polymeric compound that has really long molecule chains. That makes it so hard to remove.
Soak overnight, using a special cleaner for kitchen grease, and then use a glass scraper. That should do it.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:47 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Soak overnight, using a special cleaner for kitchen grease, and then use a glass scraper. That should do it.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:47 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Bar Keepers Friend was designed for just this kind of thing.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:49 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by MuffinMan at 12:49 AM on February 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
have you tried the old bicarb paste then white vinegar?
posted by insomniax at 1:10 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by insomniax at 1:10 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
White vinegar & bicarbonate will remove most tough stains. I find it useful for cooking/greasy stains.
posted by MT at 1:10 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by MT at 1:10 AM on February 13, 2013
I mix baking soda and coconut oil into a paste and use that as a food safe Goo Gone alternative. Leave it on for a bit, then scrub with a sponge.
posted by third word on a random page at 1:12 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by third word on a random page at 1:12 AM on February 13, 2013
Make a base bath with Lye and isopropanol and soak overnight. Cleans everything off of glass and plastic. Rinse well before use. Wear good rubber gloves and safety specs.
posted by koolkat at 1:55 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by koolkat at 1:55 AM on February 13, 2013
Dissolve a good slug of dishwasher detergent in hot water, soak the plate overnight, and give it a good scrub the next morning. Use rubber gloves: dishwasher detergent is pretty nasty stuff.
posted by pont at 2:37 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by pont at 2:37 AM on February 13, 2013
I would use Comet. Comet rocks gigantic amounts of ass, it gets everything off of everything, and is dirt cheap.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 4:16 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 4:16 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Pont is right, dishwasher detergent will be stronger to remove stuff like that. I use a razor blade with some dishwasher detergent to lubricate my scraping it off. I have no patience to wait for it to soak but soaking does help.
posted by Yellow at 5:42 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by Yellow at 5:42 AM on February 13, 2013
Citrus paint stripper.
posted by flabdablet at 6:37 AM on February 13, 2013
posted by flabdablet at 6:37 AM on February 13, 2013
Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl or large coffee mug. Put in microwave (on plate). Set microwave for ~5 minutes (a few minute past how long it takes the vinegar water to boil). Every nasty thing in the microwave (including on the plate) will wipe right off. Your kitchen will smell like vinegar for a while though.
posted by mskyle at 7:10 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mskyle at 7:10 AM on February 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
2nding Comet...once I realized you could also use it in the kitchen, my life became sunshine, lollypops, and rainbows.
posted by sexyrobot at 12:33 PM on February 13, 2013
posted by sexyrobot at 12:33 PM on February 13, 2013
I agree that it's probably polymerized grease, and the way to clean that is something like oven cleaner. You need something chemical to clean up sticky things, abrasives don't work on sticky. And abrasives may start to mar the finish of the glass.
I would try the following, in this order (not at the same time! rinse thoroughly between each!):
1- Ammonia.
2- Simple Green.
3- Oven cleaner.
4- Lysol toilet bowl cleaner (the kind with hydrochloric acid in it).
Use gloves and a Blue Scotch Brite pad. (Not green, they scratch glass.) Let each soak for a while before scrubbing. You might want to use some of them outside, as they can be stinky.
Watch out for anything metal when you are using these, they will stain some metals. Aluminum for sure, and the last two may stain stainless if left for very long. But none of them should harm glass in any way.
posted by gjc at 4:41 PM on February 13, 2013
I would try the following, in this order (not at the same time! rinse thoroughly between each!):
1- Ammonia.
2- Simple Green.
3- Oven cleaner.
4- Lysol toilet bowl cleaner (the kind with hydrochloric acid in it).
Use gloves and a Blue Scotch Brite pad. (Not green, they scratch glass.) Let each soak for a while before scrubbing. You might want to use some of them outside, as they can be stinky.
Watch out for anything metal when you are using these, they will stain some metals. Aluminum for sure, and the last two may stain stainless if left for very long. But none of them should harm glass in any way.
posted by gjc at 4:41 PM on February 13, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions! I was excited that this gave me an excuse to spend money on coconut oil, so I went out and bought some, but with this weather (I live in the north of England), even in my heated house I couldn't use it, so I used something I already had in my house, oven cleaner. (I'm not sure if I can get Comet here or what the Comet equivalent would be.)
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 3:06 PM on February 14, 2013
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 3:06 PM on February 14, 2013
Cif is the comet equivalent.
posted by koolkat at 3:42 AM on February 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by koolkat at 3:42 AM on February 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Kerasia at 12:36 AM on February 13, 2013