The Trick To Silence Microwave Beeps And Reheat Leftovers In Peace

Many of your mornings might involve ambling into the kitchen to plop a leftover cheese omelet or what have you onto a plate and set it in the microwave for a quick warm-up. The bane of this routine is likely when the microwave loudly beeps (or worse, plays a little ditty), setting your barely awake nerves on edge. But instead of grumbling daily in its direction, take measures to make sure the appliance doesn't disturb you or your still-sleeping housemates again. 

While we can't guarantee that your microwave has the ability to be silenced, most (particularly digital) models have a setting that allows for it, though the procedure for turning off the beeps will differ from one appliance to the next. If you kept the manual, get that out and consult it, though odds are, that went out with the box the microwave came in. But that's no reason to give up hope for a beep-free morning. 

The first thing to do is see if there is a mute function on the microwave's control panel; it may even be listed as a secondary option for a button or labeled "sound" on the keypad. If you see no such button, try holding down the 1, 2, 0, or stop/cancel button to activate the silent mode. Once you've found the right one, you should hear a final beep to indicate it has switched over, and you can operate it as normal but ... quietly. 

It should be noted that this guesswork could, in some models, activate a child safety lock, which means no control panel buttons can be pressed while activated. To return the control panel to its normal setting, hold whichever button triggered it for a few seconds or until the keypad becomes active again. And, of course, do the same if you find yourself missing those beeps. 

If none of these tricks work, don't resign yourself to a life of pesky beeps. Go to the manufacturer's website to locate a digital copy of your microwave's manual. Even manuals for older makes might be found online by searching for the model number; a sticker displaying this is usually found on the back of the unit.