A microwave fire is usually over fast: popcorn, a paper bag, a forgotten metal twist-tie or a dish that got too hot. In a Seattle studio, a South Lake Union high-rise or a 1960s condo on Capitol Hill, the kitchen is small and open to the rest of the unit, so the smoke does not stay in the kitchen. This guide is about what you can do yourself, safely, and where that ends.
The first hour: stop it, report it, leave it alone
If there are flames you cannot see stopping within a few seconds, or smoke is coming from the back or sides of the unit, leave the apartment, close the door behind you and call 911. A 911 call for a fire that turns out to be out is never a wasted call; a fire that spread up a cabinet is a much bigger problem.
If the fire is small and inside the cavity:
- Keep the microwave door closed. Opening it feeds the fire air. A fire inside a closed cavity often goes out on its own once the power is off.
- Turn it off and unplug it if you can reach the plug without reaching over flames or through smoke. For an over-the-range unit wired into a cabinet, switch off its breaker at the panel instead.
- Do not use water on the appliance or the outlet.
- Open windows and turn on the bathroom fan, not the range hood. On an over-the-range microwave the hood fan is part of the burned unit, and many apartment hoods only recirculate the air back into the kitchen.
- Tell the building. If the alarm went off, the manager or concierge will already be asking. Say it is out, where it was and whether smoke reached the hallway.
- Photograph everything before you wipe anything: the inside and outside of the microwave, the cabinet above it, the wall and ceiling, and every room that smells. Take a slow video walking through the unit.
- Wait. Let the microwave and the cabinet cool fully, and give the air a few hours to clear before you start cleaning.
Retire the microwave
A microwave that has had a fire in it should not be used again. The door seal, the interlock switches and the wiring are not things you can inspect at home, and a damaged seal is not visible. Leave it unplugged and set it aside. If there is any chance of a claim through your own policy, the landlord's or the HOA's, keep it until the adjuster or owner has seen it; it is the evidence of what happened.
Over-the-range microwaves need one more step. They hang from a bracket on the wall and bolts through the cabinet above, and they are usually on their own circuit. Check the underside of the upper cabinet with a flashlight. Scorching, bubbled finish, a melted plastic smell from inside the cabinet or a warm wall means the damage went beyond the appliance. Do not take an over-the-range unit down by yourself; they are heavy and awkward, and the wiring and the cabinet need to be looked at before a new one goes up.
If you rent, the microwave probably belongs to the landlord. Tell them in writing, by email or through the building portal, and let them replace it.
What you can safely clean yourself
Microwave smoke is mostly burned food and paper. It leaves a sticky, yellow-brown film rather than heavy black soot, and it smells far stronger than it looks. Light film on hard surfaces in and near the kitchen is a reasonable DIY job. Wear nitrile gloves and an N95 respirator, and keep the windows open while you work.
Supplies: dry chemical soot sponges (sold at Seattle-area hardware stores for a few dollars each), a mild degreasing dish soap, a bucket, microfiber cloths and heavy trash bags.
The order that works:
- Dry first, wet second. Wipe walls, the cabinet faces and the ceiling near the microwave with a dry soot sponge in straight, overlapping strokes. Turn the sponge as it darkens and throw it out when it is black. Wetting soot first smears it into paint.
- Then wash hard surfaces with warm water and a little dish soap, working from the top down, and rinse with a clean damp cloth. Change the water when it turns grey.
- Empty the cabinets nearest the microwave. Wash dishes and glassware in the dishwasher. Throw out open food, anything in paper or thin plastic, and spices that were above the unit.
- Wash fabrics once, on cold. Dish towels, curtains near the kitchen and throw blankets go through one cold wash first; hot water and the dryer can set smoke odor. If they still smell after one wash, stop and set them aside.
- Change the HVAC or fan-coil filter if your unit has one, and run the bathroom fan for a few days.
Leave these alone: the inside of the cabinet above a scorched over-the-range unit, upholstered furniture and mattresses, electronics that sat in the smoke (do not power them on to test them), and any outlet, switch or wire that is discolored. Those need a professional, and the smoke and soot cleanup page explains how residue is matched to the right method.
Older buildings: two extra cautions
Seattle has a lot of older apartment buildings and condos. In a building constructed before 1978, the paint on walls and cabinets may contain lead. Wiping with a damp cloth is fine; scraping, sanding or scrubbing hard enough to remove paint is not. Textured "popcorn" ceilings from that era may contain asbestos: do not scrub, scrape or vacuum them, even if they are stained. Leave stained textured ceilings for a professional, who will test before touching them.
What it costs
These are typical Puget Sound ranges, not quotes; prices vary by building, finish and how far the smoke went.
- Replacing a countertop microwave: usually from about $100 to $300.
- Replacing an over-the-range microwave: usually from about $250 to $700 for the unit, plus roughly $150 to $400 for installation, more if the cabinet or circuit needs work.
- Your own DIY cleaning supplies: usually $40 to $100 for sponges, respirators, gloves and cleaners.
- Professional smoke cleaning and odor treatment for an apartment or condo: commonly from several hundred dollars for a light, kitchen-only job to the low thousands when residue reached every room or the cabinets.
- Cabinet repair or refinishing above a scorched unit: varies widely with the cabinet line and whether doors can be matched.
Compare the total to your deductible before deciding whether to file a claim; your agent can tell you how your policy treats it. If smoke reached a neighbor's unit or the common hallway, the smoke damage from a neighbor's fire guide explains how those claims are usually handled.
When to call a professional
Stop cleaning and call a restoration company if any of these are true:
- The cabinet above an over-the-range microwave is scorched, blistered or smells of melted plastic.
- The odor is still strong after two or three days of airing out and surface cleaning.
- Smoke reached bedrooms, closets, the hallway or a neighbor's unit.
- Black soot, not just a yellow film, is on walls or the ceiling.
- An outlet, switch or the wall around the microwave circuit is discolored or warm. Call an electrician first.
- Someone in the household has asthma, a heart or lung condition, or is pregnant, and the smell is not going away.
- The ceiling is textured, or the building is old enough that lead paint or asbestos is a possibility.
A crew can tell you whether this is a weekend job or a professional one. Kitchen and small fire cleanup covers how the work runs, smoke odor removal covers lingering smell, and for anything bigger than one microwave, read kitchen fire cleanup: the first 72 hours. Dispatch covers every Seattle neighborhood any hour at (844) 543-5757.
