One of the most important things in keeping your microwave in good working condition is keeping it clean.
Putting paper towels over your food when cooking or a lid that sits on top (don’t tighten it down) will save a lot of cleaning.
I use mild soap and water only for washing down the inside of the microwave. A couple of times recently I decided to treat myself and pay some one to clean and when I seen her put window cleaner inside the microwave I almost flipped out.
I don’t want any chemicals in there that can linger and get into my food.
Some microwaves or most that I have ever had have a filter up inside the top or along the side where you have to unscrew the part to get the filter out of there but these need cleaning also and replaced if need be.
The very first microwave I had was a cheap one at about a hundred dollars and I didn’t know anything about a filter, just washed the oven itself.
One day while cooking the oven caught on fire. I thought since I had had it for a couple of years it just burned up and I went and bought a new one.
A friend of mine asked to look at the old one and showed me the filter. After cleaning the filter which had built up grease on it the old oven worked just fine and I gave it to some one that didn’t have one.
The only place I use cleaners is on the outside of the microwave to make it shine.Spray it on a cloth to apply not directly to the oven or some could get inside.
If you clean it each time you use it and cover your foods when cooking the clean up is a breeze and if you keep the filter cleaned the oven should last you for a long time.
Every couple of years you should take it in to be checked to make sure nothing is leaking that could be harmful to you.