Hi everyone. I’ve had a few guest who manage to create a lot of grease in the microwave. The most recent messaged me that the microwave wasn’t working and had a “Open and Close Door” message display. I offer to look at it, and its really greasy inside, and yes the “Open and Close Door” message wouldn’t go away. I replaced it with a new one for $500 and cleaned the one that was malfunting that fixed the error code. So must have been grease coating the door sensors that caused the problem. I have sense updated my listing to not cook greasy food like raw bacon or hamburgers in the microwave. But do any of you have any suggestions on how to review or leave private feedback? I think they must just cook bacon and let it spatter everywhere. I do provide paper towels. I’m thinking its just part of hosting and need to go up a bit in rates and cleaning fees. The thing is a few have cleaned the inside but it still smells like grease for a week. My approach to hosting is to keep rates and cleaning fee to a minimum as vast majority don’t cause mess or damage, and also want to leave accurate review.
I probably would have tried to clean it first before replacing it. I agree that it’s really cost of doing business. Perhaps not ban cooking these ingredient but provide a Microwave cover and require that is it used. It makes cleanup a breeze. This is the one I use. Maybe get two so while one is being washed you can use the other.
As for guests, some are really just clueless.
Appreciate the suggestion. for my listing I’m requesting guest not cook raw bacon. Very few do this and its in an urban area with tons of places to eat out. I suppose I’ll just click on won’t host again and leave positive review if everything else is in order. I agree I think some guest are just clueless. I’m surprised how many slam doors also. I guess this means I’ll be going up in rates. I really liked keeping is as budget friendly as possible but will need to just price in some extra wear and tear.
Also although I got the old one working again, it will short out again as the sensor is coated in grease that dried out. Its also not safe. It has a convection option and I think its shorted out that as well as the walls get hot. Although realize this is a tricky issue that I"ve been on the fence about but only a few cause that much grease, and there are inexpensive options to eat out close by.
Paper towels are not going to help, as you can see. @Lynick4442 is right on, you need to provide a cover. We’ve always had covers that we leave inside the microwave. We got ours at Ikea for $1 or something. I’ve never, after hundreds of guests and tenants (some who were really dirty), ever had a greasy microwave as you are describing. Put a cover in there, leave it in there and it’ll work. And is much easier and effective and less weird than micromanaging what guests cook and eat.
Good advice about the covers. There are also some with magnets on the top that just sit on the top of the microwave cooking area that you just pull down. That said we have cheaper ones since people sometimes manage to stain or melt an area so we replace quickly.
We also have splatter guards in our apartments. They live in the microwaves so guests can’t avoid seeing them. (It cuts down cleaning time too). I think they were very cheap at Ikea.
I don’t understand why, when seeing the microwave, the host didn’t immediately tell them that the error was due to the grease.
Because of the above two factors, I wouldn’t mention it in the review.
Did you change your listing to show new photographs with the new appliance? I haven’t heard of it recently but there was a scam at one time where in a similar situation, the guests simply walked off with the new microwave or whatever small; appliance in question.
A receipt isn’t proof that it was purchased for that rental.
That is great suggestions about leaving the splatter guard container inside the microwave. I’m not convinced my guest would use it but it being inside the microwave would help but also might encourage them to cook more greasy food.
I don’t consider it micromanaging guest. I put in my listing other things to note that if they want to cook bacon or hamburgers to simply book a place with an oven and outdoor grill. If someone doesn’t like it, fine, they can book some place else.
Its good communication to help guest find the right place for them. As a host I also want to keep it so that its manageable for me so I offer a better value.
Its a over the range kind on micowave that is mounted under the cabinets that tend to be more expensive. As I said not many guest do this so would prefer them simply booking some place else, but will give the spatter guard some consideration.
You really can’t assume too much about another listing. Mine is perfect for the vast majority and I don’t want the few who cook greasy food, as then the grease gets poured down the drain, and still gets everywhere.
…microwave is saddest way to cook bacon, fyi…
I agree. I’ve always done it in the oven. Though I thought it was odd that the article perseverated on the grease factor too. Bacon is greasy. It’s half fat. If it’s not greasy then it’s overcooked.
But people definitely cook bacon in the microwave a lot. I can tell because the cover/splatter guard thing is often greasy and smells like bacon.
I cook bacon in the microwave all the time and use a paper towel on top to reduce grease.
If your microwave was SO greasy that the door sensors were covered, then you or your cleaning crew are NOT cleaning all appliances in between guests.
A quart container of water and a lemon on for 10 minutes gets grease and dirt nice and loose and the microwave can be easily cleaned up.
And if you think the old one will short out, it was high time for a new one anyway, although $500 is a lot for a microwave.
As @jaquo stated, take new pics immediately and put them up so folks see the new appliance and it won’t go walkabout.
And make sure the oven is clean, toaster, etc. between guests. Someone’s slacking if there was such a huge grease buildup. My microwave was $99 at Home Depot and never gets that bad.
Try reading my comment before making assumptions… Its an over the range microwave thats mounted under the cabinet. I clean the unit myself so know it was spotless.
I’ll see if there is a way to lock this thread as I don’t want to respond to any more lazy ignorant assumptions.
Oh! If you just wanted everyone to agree with you, you should have mentioned it when you first posted.
It wouldn’t have changed anything but most of us wouldn’t have wasted our time giving you free advice.
Wow. Lazy and ignorant all in one sentence.
- I’m not lazy or ignorant.
- You didn’t specify over the range; that explains the price
- If you clean it yourself, then based on that much grease buildup, you’re not cleaning it properly. I’ve cleaned a lot of microwaves in my time and once a month I do a full clean with my head practically in the unit. It’s like dirty toilets - it takes a while (or really hard water) to cause huge stain buildup. It doesn’t happen overnight or with 1 month of bacon grease.
Play nice.
And this.
I’ve read about this too. toasters, kettles…
someone once swapped out a pillow at our place, they even took off the pillow protector and put it on their old pillow that they swapped in. We have 2 hard and 2 soft pillows, same brand, on each bed so of course we noticed.
$500 for a microwave? wow. I think I spent $75 and I was cranky at the price.
I would have told the guests it was their fault.
The splatter guard is a good tip, I personally don’t use a microwave so i’m a bit clueless. Leaving it in the nuker is smart too. ✓ noted.
You can’t lock this thread but I can.
Insulting members here really isn’t the way to go.