How to Clean Cockroaches From the Microwave? (5 Steps)

If you have roaches in your house, they may try to make a home out of your microwave. 

So, how do you clean them out, so you don’t have to toss the whole appliance?

To get cockroaches out of your microwave, you will need to perform a deep cleaning by scrubbing all accessible areas of your appliance. However, remember that certain microwave parts can be pretty dangerous to touch since they can cause a potentially fatal electric shock, even if the device is unplugged. 

5 Steps to Deep Clean a Microwave to Get Rid of Roaches 

Cockroaches like to live inside microwaves because these appliances commonly contain food particles that they can eat. 

So, if you want to get the roaches to leave your microwave and prevent them from coming back, you should be sure to remove all the grime and crumbs from inside your machine.

And luckily, doing so is pretty straightforward and only takes some simple tools and products you likely already have around your house. 

Step 1: Use Baking Soda to Soften Grime 

If you want to get all the grime out of your microwave without the hassle of scrubbing dry food stains, you should soften it with baking soda. 

You must start by finding a microwave-safe bowl and filling it with one cup of water. Next, you should mix two tablespoons of baking soda into the water and stir for about 10 seconds. 

Put your bowl in the microwave, set the heat to high, and allow the solution to heat up for five minutes. Afterward, remove the bowl. 

Now, any grime on the walls of your microwave should be soft. With a clean, damp dishrag, wipe down all the inside surfaces of the microwave, including underneath the turntable. 

Step 2: Steam Microwave with Lemon and Vinegar Solution 

Now that you’ve removed most of the grime inside your microwave, it’s time to perform a deep cleaning to ensure there is nothing left for roaches to consume. 

To do this, you first must mix one cup of vinegar, one cup of water, and two tablespoons of lemon juice in a microwavable bowl. 

Then, put the bowl in the microwave and let the machine run on high heat for two minutes. 

Afterward, you should immediately wipe the entire microwave inside with a clean, damp cloth. 

Step Three: Wash the Turntable 

The turntable is the glass dish that sits at the bottom of your microwave and rotates when you use it. 

To clean this piece, you will need to remove it, which you can usually do by just lifting it off the track. Then, you can either put it in the dishwasher or wash it by hand. 

Whichever option you choose, just make sure you dry it off before you put it back in the microwave. 

If you don’t dry your turntable after washing, water could sit in the bottom of your microwave and attract roaches since they will come to drink the excess water. 

Step Four: Clean the Outside of the Microwave 

You may think there’s no point in cleaning the outside of your microwave since food does not make contact with it. 

However, you should remember that roaches eat a wide variety of matter, such as the dead skin cells in dust, which may have accumulated outside your appliance. 

Thus, you will want to scrub down the exterior of your microwave, including the back and the bottom, to ensure nothing is left to attract roaches. 

The best way to clean microwave surfaces is to use a multi-purpose cleaner. First, spritz a bit of the cleaner on a clean dishrag until the rag is slightly damp. Then, you can wipe down the entire outside of the microwave. 

And remember never to open up the microwave to clean the inside since touching these parts can result in a potentially fatal electric shock, even if the microwave is unplugged. 

Step Five: Clean Your Microwave Regularly 

Since roaches are small, they only need a tiny bit of food. Therefore, even the littlest bit of food grime in your microwave could attract them. 

So, you should clean your microwave regularly by following the steps above to dissuade roaches from crawling into it. 

How to Kill Roaches Before They Get in Your Microwave 

If you have cleaned out your microwave and continue to keep it clean, the roaches that are living inside should leave, and no more should try to get in. 

Yet, just because they shouldn’t return doesn’t mean they won’t. So, if you see roaches around your microwave again, you should take more drastic measures, such as using roach traps and insecticides, to kill them before they get inside. 

If you want to use roach traps, you must set them up around your microwave, particularly in the back, since roaches like to stay hidden and will probably use this entrance. 

You can similarly use powder insecticide by sprinkling it around your microwave. However, when using powder, you must be more careful. Ensure you never put powder on food prep areas or inside your microwave to prevent accidental poisonings. 

You should also ensure that your pets and children can not access the powder, or they could end up suffering from adverse health effects. 

Finally, if your microwave has a fan, don’t put the powder in a place where the fan can blow it away. 

How to Lure Roaches Out of a Microwave 

If you have roaches living in your microwave and they haven’t come out after you cleaned it, you can try luring them out. 

To make a roach lure, you should first find a glass jar with a slight bottleneck at the top, such as a mason jar. 

Then, you need to line the top inch or so of the jar’s inside with something slippery, like Vaseline, which will keep the roaches from climbing out once they’re inside. 

Afterward, you should wrap duct tape around the outside of the jar so that the roaches have enough traction to crawl inside.

Next, you need to put bait in the jar. Anything sweet or sugary can work, including: 

• Red wine 
• Fruit (Overripe is best)
• Sugary soda 
• Sugar water 
• Fruit juice
• Sugary snacks

Just make sure you don’t choose a bait that’s big enough that the roaches can use it to climb out. 

Finally, stick the jar in the microwave and wait for the roaches to find it. They should get trapped after they enter the jar and die. 

How to Get Dead Roaches Out of a Microwave 

Unfortunately, getting dead roaches out of a microwave isn’t easy and can be dangerous. 

You see, microwaves can give off an electric shock, even if unplugged, that can be intense enough to cause death. 

So, unless you have experience working on electrical appliances, you should not try to take apart your microwave and remove roaches yourself. 

Instead, if you want to get the roaches out of your microwave, you must take it to an appliance repair shop so that they can remove the cockroaches for you. 

But, just remember that it is common courtesy to call and tell them that there are roaches in your machine before you drop it off. 

Since they will need to take measures to ensure their place of business does not become infested, they may have specific rules for how you should bring in your appliance. 

Alternatively, if your microwave is old or not too expensive, it may be best to replace it instead of having it fixed. 

Yet, if you replace your microwave, you need to ensure you keep it clean so that it does not get infested again. 

3 Tips to Keep Roaches Out of the Kitchen 

The above information has specifically described how to keep roaches out of the microwave. 

However, roaches can wreak havoc in your entire kitchen by snacking on your food and getting inside of your other appliances. 

Thus, when dealing with a roach problem, you will quickly and effectively want to steer them away from the kitchen. 

Tip One: Keep Counters and Floors Clean 

Since the kitchen is where you prepare most of your food, it is too easy to drop crumbs or spill a drop or two of juice on the floor or counters now and then. 

And these food and drink specks may be so tiny that you don’t even see them. 

However, the roaches definitely will and venture into your kitchen to feed on them. 

Therefore, you should clean your kitchen counters and floors often to keep roaches away. 

Tip Two: Keep Food in Plastic Containers 

Roaches can chew through cardboard and thin plastic bags, so you will want to keep your food inside sturdy plastic containers. 

Then, after the roaches realize they aren’t going to get a meal in your cupboards, they will most likely leave. 

Tip Three: Fix Leaks 

Roaches need water just like any other creature, and they will try to find it anywhere they can, including your kitchen. 

So, check all your pipes to ensure they do not have leaks. 

You will want to repair the leaky pipes as quickly as possible if they do. 

Conclusion 

Getting the roaches out of your microwave requires a deep clean and possibly setting out traps or pesticides. 

If your microwave already has dead roaches, you must bring it to an appliance repair shop or replace it.