Best Way To Remove Bakeware Stains

When it comes to bakeware, we all know it can get pretty dirty over time – you need the best way to remove bakeware stains.

Whether it’s a gunky glass baking dish or an aluminum cookie sheet that has baked-on grease and cooking spray! I am going to share the best way to remove bakeware stains and get them looking like new. Today I am going to show you my tricks for cleaning stains from my glass, aluminum, ceramic, and cast-iron bake-ware

With a little patience and elbow grease, you can use these two methods to get your baking dishes and cookie sheets shining again, and looking like the day you bought them! It is okay if your bakeware is extra dirty, you can still get it clean, it will just take a little time, but in the end, you will be happy to stick through it and have a fresh and clean dish!

Get Rid of Stains on Your Dishes

Bakeware stains can be quite stubborn since the food particles sometimes get baked into the pan. They form little cakes of food that will not just come off.

Today, I’m sharing different methods to remove bakeware stains. All of these are the best way to remove bakeware stains in my experience for glass, aluminum, ceramic and cast-iron bakeware. I will say once you get them nice and clean, try to keep up on it, and the process of keeping it looking like new, won’t take near as long!

1. Glass Bakeware – Baking Soda and Dish Soap

The casserole came out nicely and everyone is full and watching tv. You are alone in the kitchen with the dishes, this is the part you hate most about cooking, the cleaning up after. The casserole dish has brown baking stains near the rim and over the sides where some casserole spilled over, everything else is clean and you have put aside this dish because you do not know what to do with it, how to get it clean. You figure you can clean out what can be cleaned and leave the rest on. After all, the dish is still usable.

However, at the back of your mind, there is an itch to scrub the dish raw till it shines like new, but you know this will not work. It’s after all not the first time you’ve found yourself here. You have come to just the right place, I will show you how to get that dish clean with little effort.

This is my tried and true go-to method for my glass baking dishes! I am a huge fan of Dawn (the blue kind), it works great at eating away any stuck-on grease and grime! You can try a different brand of dish soap if you prefer, this is just what I recommend and use.

In a small bowl, pour in a 1/4 cup Dawn dish soap and a 1/2 cup baking soda.
Mix thoroughly to create a consistent paste without lumps.
If the paste is too thick, add more dish soap, and if it’s too thin add more baking soda. Once you have a thick paste-like consistency, apply it to the areas on the baking dish that are stained.
Leave the paste on the dish for at least 30 minutes.
Then add more baking soda, and grab a sponge with a little grit to it, and scrub away at those troubled areas.

Soak in hot water, and keep on scrubbing. If you missed some spots just repeat as needed.

I know it looks like a lot, but it is worth it. Your casserole dish will be as shiny as new and if you keep it up, the stains will not build up and so next time you will not do as much scrubbing. It must be noted that the scrubber you use is important too, use a pad with some grit to it for best results with the least effort.

Other methods used to clean glass bakeware

I swear by the baking soda method I have described above, however, you can also try one of these methods commonly used to clean bakeware made of glass;

bar-keepers friend and a scouring pad.
Toothpaste and brush; make sure to rinse the dish thoroughly.
Magic eraser – Scrub in warm water and soap
Corn-starch and vinegar solution

2. Aluminum Bakeware – Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide

We use aluminum a lot in our baking, from cookie sheets, jelly pans, loaf pans, and so on. Problem is, the baking tends to leave behind some unwanted stains that can be quite stubborn.

I have tested many ways to clean out these aluminum stains and I have found just the trick. With this trick, we are also going to utilize the scouring properties of baking soda. If it is aluminum my trick will work great at breaking down the grime and freshening up your baking pan!

Just follow these simple steps;

Sprinkle baking soda over the stained area of the pan.
Pour some hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle and spray over the baking soda. I like to spray quite a bit so it is all wet. This will help it work better

Sprinkle a little more baking soda over the mix you just sprayed and let it stand for an hour.
Come back with a scrubber and start scrubbing away any grease or stuck on grime.
Wash in hot water, and repeat the process if you didn’t get it all removed the first time!

Sometimes I do come back within the hour and spray a little hydrogen peroxide on top of the baking soda if it begins to look a little dry during the wait time. I don’t know that this is necessary, I just do this if I am at home and think about it.

You can also try this trick to remove stains from aluminum bakeware

For this trick, you will need;

A pot in which your pan can fit.
1/2 cup of lemon juice or vinegar.
2 tablespoonfuls of cream of tartar.
Tap water

Once you have these items, the rest is easy. You will need to fill the large pot with water and add in the lemon juice and cream of tartar. Bring the solution to a boil and dip in your aluminum pan making sure to submerge all spots that are stained. Let the pan boil in the solution for at least 10 minutes before removing it and scrubbing off the stains. If it does not work the first time, continue boiling and scrubbing until you have satisfactory results.

3. Remove stains from ceramic bake-ware

The most important thing to remember about ceramics is that they hate drastic changes in temperature. Before you can think of washing your ceramic baking pan, you must first allow it to cool naturally. Do not throw a hot ceramic pan in cold water.

Your pan has cooled down and it is time to clean it, remember another thing you should never use on ceramics is an abrasive scouring pad since they scratch easily losing the non-stick properties you paid top dollar for. Try using a soft sponge and regular dish-washing soap in warm water for non-stubborn stains.

If you have bits of food caked onto your ceramic pan that the sponge cannot remove, sprinkle on some baking soda, allow to sit for 30 minutes and wipe off with your sponge.

4. Remove bakeware stains from cast iron pans

For cast iron pans, I recommend a simple rage scrub to get all the stains out. The good thing about cast iron is that it is not shy nor is it delicate. take a knife and scrape off the food bits, use steel wool, abrasive nylon to scrub off the stains. The more abrasive your scouring pad the better. Remember to use soap and warm water when scrubbing.

If the stains are really stubborn, soak them in an abrasive solution like baking soda or vinegar or even plain old boiling water for 30 minutes and try scrubbing again.

Bonus tip to clean out the oven should it get stained on the inside

Your bakeware is now clean, but wait a minute, you are still not able to rest easy, the oven racks and floor are stained and you need to clean out that oven. You have tried wiping the stains out with a damp cloth but that did not work. Do not run to Wallmart just yet for those commercial over-the-counter cleaning solutions. I have the home-based solution just for you

Follow these easy steps to remove any stains from the oven;

Make a paste of baking soda and warm water.
Spread the paste on the inside surfaces of the oven including the trays. Avoid the heating elements and door.
Let the paste sit overnight or for at least 12 hours.
Use a damp dishcloth to wipe out the baking soda paste.
If some stains are still clinging for dear life to the oven, add some paste and spray on some vinegar.
Use the dishcloth to wipe again. Your oven should be clean.

Please do not wash out your oven too often as it is a fire hazard to wash it and besides it erodes the life of the heating elements.

These are tested ways to really remove those stains from your bakeware! I hope that if you try one or both of these methods you find success with them as well!