From air fryers to ice makers and SodaStreams, the past few years have been filled with high tech kitchen appliances designed to make cooking easier and add a luxurious touch to your space. And don’t get me wrong–I can’t get enough of my air fryer. But, if I’m being honest, the most commonly used kitchen appliance in my home is one that’s been around long before the rest: the microwave.
Deemed the most underrated kitchen appliance, the microwave is a tried and true staple for quickly warming up almost everything. Whether you’re someone who loves Trader Joe’s frozen section or can’t resist yesterday’s leftovers, the microwave is a must-have for any kitchen space. Perhaps because it’s not one of the coolest kitchen appliances per se, or because it requires a fair amount of elbow grease, cleaning the microwave tends to fall by the wayside come spring cleaning time. Luckily, we found the Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner, designed to bring joy and efficiency into microwave cleaning.
The Details
For less than $10, the Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner is a playful and innovative way to loosen tough grime off of your microwave. When I opened up the box, I couldn’t help but smile. The Angry Mama is really angry, with a disappointed expression on her face and her arms placed on her hips that remind me of my mom telling me to clean my room when I was in middle school (sorry, Mom). She also has bright red hair with holes at the top, which produce e steam when you use the device.
The Set Up
All you need to use the Angry Mama is water and white vinegar, which you can get at most grocery stores for less than $5 and is a staple for most DIY cleaning projects. Per the instructions, all you have to do to get started is take off the Angry Mama’s head and pour vinegar up to the indicated baseline. Then, fill the rest with water and put her head back on. One Amazon user suggested adding a drop of lemon juice to the Angry Mama to add a pleasant smell, which I think would be helpful given the strong vinegar smell that came from using the product.
Next, I placed the product into my microwave and let it go for five minutes. As I mentioned, I could smell the vinegar pretty strongly from my microwave but it didn’t make a loud steaming noise as I expected. After letting it heat up, I left it in the microwave for another three minutes to cool and then removed it by gripping Angry Mama’s arms.
The Results
When I opened the microwave, it was filled with steam and I noticed that some of the grime had already slipped down to the bottom of the microwave door. The spot I paid most attention to was an area that had splatter from some reheated pasta I had the night before. After using the Angry Mama, I was able to easily wipe the gunk off with a dishrag. I wiped down the rest of the microwave with a paper towel and was happy to see how sparkly the inside of the appliance was.
After I cleaned out the microwave, I poured the liquid out of the Angry Mama and gave het a quick rinse before putting it back into my supply cabinet. It’s also dishwasher safe if you want to give it a deep clean.
My Thoughts
After using the Angry Mama, I couldn’t help but think about the episode of The Office where Pam leaves a passive aggressive note for her colleagues about cleaning the communal microwave. If The Office staff had enlisted this kitchen gadget, they most likely could have avoided the argument that ensued. All this to say, I think the Angry Mama would be a super helpful cleaning tool for shared-use microwaves in places such as an office, the kitchen, or a break room.
It takes most of the legwork out of scrubbing the microwave oven down because the steam breaks down any food and crud. Because of the strong vinegar smell, I’d recommend adding any natural fragrance you prefer. Overall, I’m glad I have the Angry Mama because it makes clean up a breeze and brings a little bit of levity to my day each time I use it.
