If you have any cuts or open sores on your hands, cover them with bandages before getting started. Wait at least 10 minutes for the white vinegar to set in. If you dont have vinegar, dont worryyou can use lemon to clean your microwave. Therefore, if you dont clean your microwave every time you use it, these particles will Keep Bread Fresh? Store What Happens if You Accidentally Eat Moldy Food? As a result, mold and mildew can still grow in your microwave and cause serious health problems. Molds reproduce through airborne spores, which can easily spread in your fridge as it circulates the air inside it. Repeat steps 4-6 from method one. Inside a microwave is a device called a magnetron that produces the electromagnetic radiation. As a result, the mold slowly feeds on it and destroys it in the process. Mold spores are microscopic and not usually a direct threat to your health. Dip a clean sponge, small towel, or any absorbent material of your choice into the solution and use it to wipe off the mold. It is best suited for heavy cleaning tasks such as mold and mildew removal. Whenever I see good, edible food at risk of being thrown away, I see all the effort behind it. Wash the glass plate you detached earlier and rinse it off. Lots of delicious things come out of the microwave, but bacteria is definitely not one of them. After all, you dont leave chunks of last nights pizza in there, but mold doesnt need great quantities of food in order to thrive. safely clean and disinfect your microwave, How Hot Does a Microwave Get? As with hard cheese, cut 1 inch around and under the mold spot. Moldy foods in your fridge, with a few exceptions like dry salami and blue cheese, are generally unsafe to eat and should be discarded of immediately. To kill mold, you need to heat the spores to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. Mold Out of Plastic Containers However, we dont live in those. And contrary to popular belief, they do not self-clean. Detach the glass plate from your microwave if its detachable. Only when youre talking about food items lower in moisture content, like puffed carrots, celery stalks, and all-purpose potatoes, which still have some firmness to them. If you have stubborn molds that wont come off, use white vinegar instead and repeat the process. Once I or another brave soul starts packing up food, others do the same, like theyve been given permission. This is a critical step because microwaves can retain high heat levels even after turning them off. In their absence, you can simply use warm water and soap. From there, theyll keep spreading and growing thin in areas where the food particles are relatively more minor. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. microwave is one of the greatest inventions. Its true that some spores may succumb to heat generated by microwaves, but many will survive. Sometimes our dining companions look askance and say, You know theyd give you a new container And sometimes servers avert their eyes. One key reason: Eating food that were culturally conditioned to throw away can be downright awkward. Sanitize the walls, shelves, and drawers every 2-3 months with a solution of 3 teaspoons of bleach in a quart of water (in this concentration, bleach is effective at killing mold on non-porous surfaces). FamilyGuideCentral.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.