Can You Microwave Solo Cups?

All of us have been there at one point or another. There is a cup of coffee that is getting cold. This may not be a good idea if you reheat your coffee in the microwave with a solo cup.

Have you ever poured coffee into a cup that was plastic? If you have, you might have noticed how soft the cup feels when you pick it up.

You should not microwave a cup to answer your question. Solo cups are a great sturdy cup to use. They are made of plastic. 

A one-time-use product is how they were designed. Products like these are not intended for hot liquids.

If you would like to find out what happens if you microwave a drink in a cup, please keep reading below.

What To Do Instead of Microwaving A Solo Cup?

If you are going to get a hot cup of coffee, you should use a microwave-safe mug. It’s always a good idea to use a glass or ceramic cup or bowl in the microwave.

If you frequently use plastic cups, you may want to consider buying some microwave-safe disposable cups next time you go shopping.

Most of these products will be clearly labeled on the packaging if the manufacturer chooses to produce the cup as “microwave safe”.

You need to make sure you choose a microwave-safe alternative.

What Will Happen When You Microwave A Solo Cup?

You might have to clean your microwave. Did you ever clean melted plastic from a microwave? No fun! 

It’s worse than the liquid from the cup will be mixed with the plastic. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like spending my afternoon cleaning melted plastic out of my microwave.

You may cause damage to your microwave. If the plastic didn’t melt, the worst-case scenario would be that you reached in to grab the cup and it melted in your hand. OUCH! 

If someone tells you that they used a microwave to heat a liquid in a cup, don’t try that. If you have no other alternatives, use a microwave-safe cup or a bowl.

When trying to microwave a liquid in plastic, it is always best to play it safe.

There are still health risks associated with trying to microwave a liquid in plastic, even though the threat of BPA has decreased in recent years.

While handling the cup or cleaning, Burns is not a laughing matter. Most one-time-use cups and bowls do not microwave-safe.

Plastic bottles that include condiments such as mustard, or Nutella. If you want to prevent yourself from having a bad day, you should always use a microwave-safe option.

How to Tell If a Cup Is Microwave Safe?

If the cup is hotter than the water it means that the cup is not microwave safe and can cause a problem if you use it carelessly.

If you think the temperature of the cup is cooler than the water, then you may want to use the cup for a short time to reheat your drinks.

What Happens When You Microwave a Non-microwavable Mug?

If you microwave a mug that isn’t microwavable, then the mug will not be able to tolerate the heat and will likely break or melt in the microwave, and if somehow it didn’t happen, the chemicals in the mug may get released in the microwave.

At What Temperature do Solo Cups Start to Melt?

Most of the items made of plastic melt at either 170C or 338F, and solo cups are no exception.

Polystyrene is a kind of plastic that has a melting point of 100 C to 120 C or 212 F to 248 F.

As the cup is made of a very thin layer of plastic, the chances of it expanding when poured hot into it are very high, even if it is at a temperature lower than the melting point.

Microwaving your cold coffee in a solo cup won’t be a good idea as the microwave gets hotter than 100 C, which is well enough to melt the cup.

What Alternatives Is It Possible to Use to Heat Your Drinks?

If you want your coffee or tea to be reheated in a microwave, I would say anything that has a microwave-safe written on it.

If you want to rewarm your tea and coffee with ease, you could use a ceramic mug, glassware, or an insulated coffee mug, all of which are microwave-safe.

Conclusion

It is not recommended to use solo cups in a microwave oven as they are not microwave safe and can melt in the microwave due to their plastic and less heat resistant nature.

If you want to avoid using a solo cup in a microwave, you should use something that has “microwave-safe” written on it.