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Nothing smells worse, or lingers longer, than burnt popcorn smell in your microwave.

Once your kitchen is filled with the stench, is there any way to eliminate the offending odor?  Short of sending your microwave to the recycling center, how can it be cleaned?

Removing burnt popcorn smell from a microwave is possible, but it’s a multi-step process.

Not only must you clean the interior surfaces of your microwave, you must also absorb the odor that has gotten into the fan and inner workings of the appliance.

You may need the following supplies to get the task done right:

• 100% Acetone (nail polish remover)
• Coffee
• Vinegar
• Dish detergent
• Paper towels and rubber gloves

The next time you try one of many recipes for flavored popcorn, take care and listen closely.  Your popcorn package may say to microwave for 4 minutes on high power, when in reality it will be done popping in just 3 minutes!

That extra minute may be all it takes to turn your tasty popcorn into a blackened mess — filling your kitchen with an unpleasant, hard to remove smell. There’s even the possibility of starting a fire if you microwave it long enough.

So instead, you should start “listening” closely about 1 minute earlier than the directions say it will be done. When the popping stops, the popcorn is done — no matter how long the instructions indicate it should be cooked.

This video shows how easy it is to microwave popcorn a few seconds too long, filling your home with that nasty burnt popcorn smell: