From reheating leftovers to warming up bowls of canned soup, your microwave sees a whole lot of messes from its various daily tasks. You may think that you need to use a store-bought cleanser to get out those tough, caked-on stains, but if you want to avoid those harsh chemicals, you can actually make your own cleanser at home. Follow these steps for cleaning your microwave in an all-natural way.

1. Pour one cup of vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl, and then add one cup of hot water and stir the two together.
2. Place the bowl with its vinegar solution in the center of the microwave and turn it on. Let it run on average power for 10 minutes.
3. Keep an eye on the bowl and remove it from the microwave when you notice it starting to boil (likely somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes). Note: Be sure to use an oven mitt, as the bowl will be very hot.
4. Wet a rag with lukewarm water and give the inside a good wipe-down to remove the now-loosened debris inside.
5. Once all of the debris is steam cleaned away, create a simple solution of lemon juice and water. Dip another rag into the homemade cleanser and give the microwave another wipe-down to freshen things up.

How to Clean Your Microwave Naturally With Just a Lemon [The Kitchn]
How to Clean and Shine Your Microwave Without Cleaner [One Good Thing]
Use a Lemon to Make Cleaning the Microwave Easy [Lifehacker]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Camera Eye Photography