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    Home

    How To Clean Burnt Pots and Pans ~ Natural Cleaning Trick

    by Jessica 37 Comments

    How To Clean Burnt Pots and Pans In Minutes! No chemicals needed!

    Today I am sharing a cleaning trick with you that I had to learn out of pure desperation.  I'm going to share how to clean burnt pots and pans the natural way so maybe you won't have to throw your pans away.  I have thrown a few old pots out in the past, but this has been my favorite one for years, so I had to try and save it!

    Here is how it happened...the burning of the pot that is.  Sunday there was a chili cookoff.  Matt and I were both putting our own chili entries in the contest.  He was making his yummy chili, and I was making my Crock Pot White Chicken Chili.  Mine was doing its thing in the crock pot, but his needed to be heated up.  He was going over early to get us a seat, so I said I would warm it up and bring it with me.  Well, I turned the burner on low and went to start getting my hair ready.  I was gone less than two minutes, but walked back into the kitchen and could immediately tell something burning...it was Matt's chili.  My heart sunk.  Burning my own chili would have been disappointing, but burning his was just awful.  I tried to pour it out of the pot into a bowl without getting any of the burnt bits, but his chili still had a faint burnt smell...I started to cry.  I called him to give him the news, and he said it wasn't a big deal, just come on over and enjoy the game.  So, I walked away from it.  I literally left it sitting there and walked away.  I had ruined Matt's chili and my favorite pot...nothing could be done.  I took my chili and went to watch the game with our friends and endured the little bit of teasing about sabotaging Matt's chili and had a great time.  I even ended up winning the Chili Cookoff!  I pinkie promise I did not intentionally sabotage Matt's chili.  Next year, he gets to go it alone and I'll keep mine out ;)

    How to clean cooked on burnt food off of a pot or pan

     The next morning, I was going to just throw the entire thing in the trash, but decided to try a tip that I had read about years ago.  I love cleaning with baking soda and vinegar, so I decided to give it a try.

    Use Vinegar and Baking Soday to Clean Burnt Pans

     I started by adding one cup of hot water and one cup of white distilled vinegar to the pot. For smaller pots, add enough of each to cover the bottom of the pot.

    Clean Your Burnt Pans and Pots with Baking Soda and Vinegar

    Next, I added 3 tablespoons of baking soda.  It started fizzing a ton, which from past experience has meant it was doing it's job and loosening up all of the burnt on bits of chili. Let the mixture rest until it cools.

    How to get your pots and pans clean

    Once the fizzing stopped, and the water has cooled, I poured the icky leftovers out and added a little bit of water and dish liquid to my pot and gave it a gentle scrub.  Then I rinsed it and dried it with a clean towel.

    The natural way to clean burnt on food off of your pots and pans

     And now my favorite pot is all clean!  I can't believe how clean it is..I actually don't think it has been this clean since it was brand new!

    Clean the burnt on food off of your pots and pans the easy way

    And all thanks to my two favorite cleaners, vinegar and baking soda!

    Like this tip? Feel free to share it on Facebook or Pin to your Pinterest Boards for future reference using the sharing buttons at the bottom or top of this post!

    Looking for more Tips and Tricks, like How to Clean In Between the Glass on Your Oven Door?  Click HERE or the photo below for tons of cleaning tips and tricks!

    Have a tip or trick you would like to share? Email me at [email protected] !

    jessicasignature

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    Comments

    1. Audra @ Renewed Projects says

      February 05, 2014 at 10:58 pm

      'll have to try this next time I really burn dinner (yep, different from the times I only kinda burn dinner). I tried the tip where you place the burned food pan in the freezer...but that didn't work at all. Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
      • Edita Samson says

        April 01, 2017 at 10:59 pm

        It didn't work on my burned non-stick pan.

        Reply
        • DF says

          December 29, 2018 at 2:23 pm

          Try Barkeeper's friend and a brush. It's perfect for stainless steel.

          Reply
    2. fran says

      February 25, 2014 at 10:30 am

      I love your ideas

      Reply
    3. Lori says

      January 04, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      Thank you ... It worked! I can now use my favorite 6 qt pot again.

      Reply
    4. [email protected] says

      February 07, 2016 at 12:06 am

      Thanks! I tried this and it worked. It sucks coz I forgot the food I'm reheating.

      Reply
    5. .susan says

      March 03, 2016 at 11:24 pm

      Unbelievable ! Thought I had ruined my late Grandmothers stainless steel pot with burnt on broccoli and okra ! Started with water and vinegar and the burnt on veggies started lifting and with a light scrub.....it was gone before the baking soda !! I'm beyond impressed. Thank you ,thank you, thank you

      Reply
    6. Sarah Breitbarth says

      April 05, 2016 at 10:38 pm

      This really works!! I was steaming carrots for baby food and I let the pan go dry. I had about a fourth inch of carbon soot in the pan and the steamer basket. The carrots went in the trash and I used your hint on the pan and basket. Both came out perfectly clean! I was so amazed! Thanks for saving my cookware! Now if I could get the smell out of the house!

      Reply
      • Klaws says

        September 10, 2016 at 4:25 pm

        In the future, to rid your house of the stitch, pour white vinegar in several bowls and place throughout. Also works on any Odets including paint fumes.

        Reply
    7. Patsy Hug says

      September 02, 2016 at 2:01 pm

      My problem is the outside of my pans.....will this work on them? Is there a better trick for outside burnt pans?

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        September 05, 2016 at 10:46 am

        This works great on the insides and outsides of pots and pans! Good luck, Patsy!

        Reply
      • Jackie T says

        September 15, 2016 at 4:28 pm

        I am looking for the answer to the way to restore the original color of the outside of the pot

        Reply
        • Jessica says

          September 15, 2016 at 5:00 pm

          Hi, Jackie! Take a look at this post and let me know what you think...it may help restore the outside of your pots

          Reply
          • Marge Schmidt says

            January 03, 2020 at 2:43 pm

            buy the stainless steel cleaner. It works amazing & also bar keepers friend Best cleaner on the market. Works great on all pits & doesn't hurt the stainless steel & also great for barbecue.

            Reply
      • Ginny burpos says

        May 21, 2017 at 2:06 pm

        How do I clean the bottom of my pots and pans

        Reply
    8. Peter says

      October 23, 2016 at 9:40 pm

      I just used baking soda and water. Made paste and scrubbed with a paper towel for 3 or 4 minutes.
      Worked perfect

      Reply
    9. Beverly Marker says

      November 16, 2016 at 2:54 pm

      This did not work for me. I tried it twice but there is still burned on food remnants. It helped but not enough to use the pot. It's an expensive pot so I'm disappointed.

      Reply
    10. Nicholas says

      March 11, 2017 at 10:39 am

      Hi, Jessica. Thanks for this post. I'm interested in trying it out. However, I'm a little unclear about something. You article says, "Let the mixture rest until it cools." This implies that somehow it had to be heated up first; yet, doesn't seem to be any prior instruction in your text about turning the heat on. How high and for how long? I would appreciate clarification, thanks!

      Reply
      • Joseph says

        June 05, 2019 at 6:36 pm

        One cup hot water. It is right in aticle.

        Reply
    11. Evelyn Todd says

      April 08, 2017 at 3:16 pm

      Yes I have question. How can I clean the bottom of burnt pans. The part that goes on the burner. Pls help.

      Reply
    12. Steve F. says

      January 01, 2018 at 7:14 pm

      Well . . . I'll be a blue-nosed-gopher! The vinegar, baking soda with Dawn really worked. The missus burnt baked beans for Christmas. This is how she gets new pots. Burn it . . . toss it. Now she's annoyed at me for cleaning it. Can't win.

      Reply
    13. Pete says

      January 15, 2018 at 10:57 am

      I started by adding one cup of HOT water.

      Reply
    14. Matt Capitano says

      April 09, 2018 at 12:06 am

      I will try this. I burned my boyfriend's pot with BBQ sauce (was making bbq meatballs). I was sitting at the kitchen table and over-cooked I guess. Oops. I'm in Tennessee, my boyfriend is in Vegas right now. I've seen the baking soda/vinegar thing on other sites. I will give it a try.

      Reply
    15. Beverly Whitacre says

      September 03, 2018 at 1:08 pm

      Worked easily for me before it cooled. I scraped with a wooden spoon while still bubbling and not cooled. Bottom is already clean. Thanks.

      Reply
    16. Joanne says

      August 02, 2021 at 10:27 pm

      Will your All Purpose Cleaner work on my aluminum canner. Every time I can in it I have to scrub & scrub with a brillo to get the black off from the water.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        August 03, 2021 at 8:29 am

        I would use this cleaning paste for that if it's hard to remove...it won't damage it, but will lift the stain easily! https://www.mom4real.com/homemade-pot-and-pan-cleaner-paste/

        Reply
    17. John says

      April 24, 2019 at 5:56 pm

      I just tried this on a stainless sauce pan I thought I was going to have to toss out-AMAZING! My vinegar and baking soda were several years old and probably lost some of their punch but the results were so good that I can keep the sauce pan and return it to duty. Thanks!

      Reply
    18. Jessica says

      April 25, 2019 at 6:46 am

      I'm so glad it could help you!

      Reply
    19. Celeste Sharp says

      October 01, 2018 at 9:26 am

      Will This work on a 9X13 metal pan or cookie sheets?

      Reply
    20. Jessica says

      October 01, 2018 at 9:57 am

      Absolutely...it's a miracle paste!

      Reply

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    I’m Jessica, a mom on a mission to show other women that you can live well without breaking the bank. I like to share the thrifty, creative ways that I make changes in my home in the hopes that it will spark the creativity in someone else! I love to share DIY projects, crafts, simple recipes and cleaning tips too! Read More…

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