People baffled after finding hidden microwave feature that needs cleaning

No matter how long you’ve been cleaning your home, there’s always something we’ve overlooked that needs a good scrub. From the hidden compartment in the toaster to the one in the washing machine, there are plenty of places demanding cleaning attention many don’t know about.

Now, there’s another to add to the list. Most of us have gone our entire lives without realising there’s a hidden feature on the microwave that requires cleaning – and it can become drenched in grease.

The microwave, an often neglected appliance, does require special care as it can become caked in greasy food splatter on the inside – but it seems there’s a hidden component that needs cleaning on the outside as well. A savvy cleaner, who posts “cleaning motivation” on social media, has educated the internet by revealing this crucial tip – and people are genuinely shocked to discover it.

A woman, known as KB, posted a clip on TikTok with the caption: “Did you know that you’re supposed to clean the vents under your microwave?”.

The cleaning enthusiast then filmed beneath her built-in microwave, which sat above her hob, revealing two vents that could be taken out.

After removing them with a knife, she then placed the grease-covered vents into the sink, sprayed them with cleaning solution and scrubbed them thoroughly with a brush. She wrote: “They were so gross.”

Following a few minutes of scrubbing, they appeared sparkling clean. She replaced them and wrote: “Looks so much better.”

While it’s possible to clean the inside with just a lemon and a bowl of water, the hidden vents are often overlooked due to their out-of-sight location. However, it’s worth noting that not every microwave will have these vents, so it’s worth checking if yours does.

The revelation about this hidden feature left people stunned, with one individual exclaiming: “… wait, those are removable?”.

Another quipped: “People need to stop finding things for us to clean d**n, I struggle with the basic cleaning.”

A third remarked: “So peeved. Just finding this out. Immediately cleaned mine after seeing this. Thank you.”

Some assumed it was merely part of the cooker extraction fan, but others confirmed that this is a standard feature on microwaves located above the hob.

One person clarified: “You can tell how many people in the comments have never lived in a place where the microwave is located right above the stove. I clean houses for a living and this is VERY common. And yes, these are called grease traps and they do need to be cleaned because they can get pretty gross.”