The Baking Soda Fix That Makes Old Sheet Pans Look New Again

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Cleaning with baking soda takes you into fun elementary school science territory. There seems to be nothing this unassuming ingredient can't do — from cleaning smelly sinks to giving cakes some super fluffy height. But, you may look at your, shall we say, "seasoned" sheet pans — textured with burnt-on spills and charred mystery marks — and think they are completely unsalvageable. Time to throw in the towel and buy a whole new set from the GoodCook Store, right?

Well, don't give up on your old sheet pans yet. If you have some baking soda in your pantry, there are a whole host of ways you can buff these babies up and get their shine back. One of the most straightforward ways to clean a sheet pan with baking soda is to make a paste of baking soda and dish soap. You don't need to measure the ingredients out exactly to do this — simply combine the two roughly evenly until you have enough paste to cover your surface.

Once you've coated your pan sheet, leave it to sit for at least 10 minutes or up to one hour, depending on how grimy the surface is. The baking soda's mildly abrasive quality will help the soap lift off stubborn stains.

Baking soda and dish soap can go a lot further than just cleaning your sheet pans. You can use this easy and affordable paste to clean a grimy microwave or scrub down your oven, degrease your kitchen cabinets, and even spruce up your bathroom tiles. However, baking soda is far from a one-trick pony, and there are plenty of other pantry staples you can combine it with for gleaming results.

One of the best ways to clean baking sheets is to mix baking soda with white vinegar instead of dish soap. You can also use a blend of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to get your pan sheets shining again.

Baking soda can even be safely used to clean pots and pans that require a slightly lighter touch like cast iron pans or enameled Dutch ovens, such as the popular Lodge and Le Creuset brands. If you want to get stuck on food or burnt patches off the bottom of an enameled pot, you can combine boiling water with two tablespoons of baking soda and leave it on a low heat for several minutes before emptying the pan and cleaning off the residue. To clean cast iron, make a paste of baking soda and water and coat the pan with it before gently scrubbing with a stiff brush or sponge and rinsing when you're done.