Microwaves have become essential appliances at home. Today, almost every home has a microwave to make kitchen work easy and convenient.
While microwaves are highly useful, they become unsafe to use when they rust, as they can cause serious problems. Rust can form either inside a microwave after years of use or can be caused by leaving liquid product in your microwave for a long time.
Rust inside a microwave can pose dangers both to your physical safety and health if not removed immediately. However, rust outside a microwave is not dangerous unless it eats its way into the interior cavity, which may result in stray radiations.
How to Remove Rust from a Microwave
Before you start removing any rust from your microwave, examine the interior cavity of the oven. If you notice small pinholes in the rust, consider replacing it with a reliable quiet microwave. But if there are no holes, follow the following steps to remove rust and repaint your microwave effectively.
- Switch and unplug the microwave from power source
- Wear rubber gloves and clean the rusted area on the interior of the oven using a mixture of one part of trisodium phosphate and ten parts of water. Rinse it with a clean and wet piece of cloth.
- Use a metal brush or knife to scrape the flaking paint in the affected area. Applying new paint on old paint will damage the new paint too.
- With sandpaper, sand the rusted area. You don’t need to paint the whole microwave but only the affected area.
- Use rubbing alcohol to clean the sanded until there is no debris left.
- With the painter’s tape, tape all the areas you dont want to paint.
- Wear a protective mask and use a microwave-safe paint to spray coats of the paint to the scrubbed area.
- Allow each coat of paint to dry before applying another coat. Depending on the humidity, a coat of paint can take up to twelve hours to dry. Leave the painted microwave in a well-ventilated place for at least three days before using it.
Nonetheless, it would help if you refer to the manufacturer’s manual before you start doing any repainting.
Dangers of a Rusty Microwave
Microwaves use radiations to heat food. These radiations may leak if rust has eaten your microwave. Radiations are hazardous and can lead to drastic effects.
Therefore, it is advisable to periodically switch off your microwave and check the inside for any rust. You can use a cloth to wipe the thin coating material to reveal any rust under it. Rust inside a micro can lead to the following conditions:
Arcing and Rust Arcing
Arcing occurs when the waves of a microwave bounce after hitting a metal causing sparks inside the oven. If you see sparks inside your microwave and there is no metal spoon or cooking utensil, then there are chances the inner coating has eroded exposing the rust to the microwave rays. Switch off your microwave immediately and detach it from the mains at if arcing occurs.
Leakage of Microwave Radiation
Rust in or outside your microwave that has eaten through the inner coating can cause leakage of microwave radiations. Radiations from a microwave can affect human cell process, leading to conditions that are not good for wellbeing.
However. It is effortless to confirm if there is any radiation leakage from your microwave. Place your cell phone in the microwave and close the lid. Use another cell phone to dial your number. If you hear your phone ringing from inside the microwave, then chances are radiations can leak too.
If you are not sure about that, you can also light a fluorescent lamb in front of a rusty microwave. If radiations are leaking, the fluorescent lamp will light up or flicker.