This kitchen hack with essential oils is perfect for getting rid of the grimy or crusty residue on your kitchen gear without the use of nasty chemicals. Let me show you how to make a burnt kitchen cookware cleaner using essential oils.
It took a few tries for me to find the right combination, so read along as I give you all the tips and tricks to do the job right!
My house is pretty much a dream for finding all the yucky stuff that needs a cleaning hack to cure it. These pans are no exception. With all our delicious baking [1] going on in our nice and shiny oven [2], the kids can barely keep up with the dirty dishes.
(Yes, we pretty much have the kids start helping wash dishes [3] as soon as they can reach the sink.)
And there is nothing grosser than the sticky or crusty baked-on goop that gets caked on bakeware. How can clean cookie sheets be so sticky?!
I started by trying to get some shine and remove gunk on these two cookie sheets. What a pain…since I was doing it all wrong! First, these were coated, non-stick pans [4] and they were never shiny to begin with. That’s why the before shot and the after shot looks almost identical in pictures.
The sticky gunk did come off, and they were definitely cleaner, but I could not see it.
Second, the process I used was way too hard. I used a small brush [5] to apply the cleaner and that made it so difficult to get all the residue off cleanly. The pans definitely got clean, but it took way longer than it should have with the brush I was using.
(Note: Nothing wrong with the brushes. They were actually AMAZING when we used them with our shower and bath tile cleaner! [6])
I really wanted to share the recipe with you all because IT DID WORK, but it wasn’t amazing enough yet. So I kept working on it.
Then I found my next test subject: a grimy cupcake pan. So, yes, it’s kind of hilarious that I cleaned the bottom of a cupcake pan because WHO DOES THAT? (I guess I do because the visual proof is worth it!)
I decided to use a simple cotton washcloth so I could apply more direct pressure to the grime. Bingo!
When I used the washcloth to apply the cleaner in a circular motion it was way easier to feel the lumps, bumps, and yucky spots that needed extra attention. It left a smooth, polished surface that clearly showed the cleaning impact.
It also works great on the inside of the muffin cups; I just forgot to take pictures of the other side.
I also tested Orange, Tangerine, and Grapefruit essential oils with perfect results. They each did a fantastic job of cutting through greasy residue on my pans. Feel free to use whichever one you have on hand.
I also tested this Burnt Kitchen Cookware Cleaner recipe on several pots and pans that were not cleaned as well as I would have liked before being cooked with again. While not everything got shiny (since most of my bakeware wasn’t shiny to begin with), it definitely removed the sticky residue and did a great job at cleaning!
Safety Tip
I would strongly recommend using gloves [7] to protect your hands during this process. The peroxide can “bleach” your skin and the citrus essential oils can cause photosensitivity. Wear your gloves to avoid any skin issues.
That being said, if you increase the concentration of the essential oils in this recipe the material in these gloves could break down much faster. I don’t have any problems with these gloves after using this recipe multiple times with the same pair of gloves. (If the gloves I used are out of stock, you can check for others HERE [7].)
New to essential oils? Learn more about how we use them and why you should use them as well. [8]
Burnt Kitchen Cookware Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup baking soda [9]
- 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide (3% solution) [10]
- 10 drops of Orange, Tangerine, or Grapefruit essential oil
- washcloth
- cleaning gloves (I bought mine locally, you can see the brand here [7])
Directions
- Put on your gloves [7].
- Mix the baking soda, peroxide, and essential oil in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Mix to form a paste. You can add a little more baking soda if you need to thicken it a bit.
- Apply the paste to your baking sheet. Use the washcloth to press the paste into the grimy or crusty places of the pan. I use circular motions to scrub away the residue.
- Reapply paste as needed.
- Wipe away the excess paste and rinse in cold running water.
- Your clean pans are now ready to use!
Interested in sharing more essential oil household cleaning recipes with friends and family?
Host a simple and easy Make & Take Party with our everything-you-need printable packs! We’ve got 2 specifically created for cleaning recipes using essential oils. Check them out HERE [11] and HERE [12].