The Microwave Placement That Used To Be Standard Is Now Considered Outdated

Installing your microwave oven over the stove used to be considered efficient and stylish. Designers hailed it as the ideal space-saving solution for small kitchens. Now, an over-the-range microwave is not only considered outdated, but it can also be unsafe. Poor ventilation and the risk of fires and spills make them more trouble than they're worth.

Just think about the potential for kitchen mishaps. Installing a microwave above eye-level so that you practically have to stand on your tip-toes to put something in or take it out? Now imagine leaning over a lit burner to try to reach something in the microwave, or pulling a hot dish of soup out over your head. It's not hard to understand why a lot of people think over-the-range microwaves are inconvenient, and why we consider it an outdated kitchen design trend you should avoid.

Cleaning your microwave is already a tedious chore; when you have to use a step stool to do it properly, you might end up putting the task off for months. It's also hard to see inside a microwave up that high, so you might not ever notice how dirty it is — which could be a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it. All things considered, the space above your stove is not the best place to put your microwave. Thankfully, there are other places you can install it if you're trying to create more countertop space.

All is not lost if you don't have room on your countertop for your microwave. We obviously don't recommend installing it over your range or on top of your refrigerator, but you can find other stylish and space-saving solutions. A moveable kitchen cart is a versatile kitchen organization tool; put your microwave on the cart and easily move it wherever you want it. Then just roll it straight into your pantry or a closet to keep it out of sight when it's not in use.

One of the best ways to hide your microwave is to install it in your pantry. If you have enough space in your pantry and access to an outlet, just clear off a pantry shelf and put the microwave there. Don't forget to make sure the microwave has adequate clearance on all sides according to the safety instructions in your appliance manual.

Another excellent small appliance storage idea is to install an appliance garage. Appliance garages are actually an awesome retro kitchen design that allowed people to keep small appliances out of sight when they weren't in use. It's just a small area under a kitchen cabinet that is covered by a hinged or sliding door. You can even transform a built-in cabinet, cupboard, or shelf into an appliance garage.