Make your pans SHINE!!! – 1 simple ingredient

Just look at that shine!! Not long after I started using these sheet pans, they began turning brown. I scrubbed and scrubbed but could never get them looking like new again. Until now…







 

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This post is an updated post originally published on DIYHSH April, 2012.

I read somewhere that tea tree oil is good for cleaning baked on grease. I didn’t have any tea tree oil on hand but I did have this!! Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap with tea tree! (find it here)

As you can tell from the photo I only had a small amount left. (Actually I meant to throw this nearly empty bottle in the trash but forgot about it) But even with that tiny amount I was still able to shine one corner. 

I just dumped it on the pan and start scrubbing.  It did take quite a bit of scrubbing but I think it was worth it.

Also, if you have not purchased Dr. Bronner’s soap before, it is fairly expensive. 

(my daughter has allergies to soap and this is the only brand that seems to help)

This bottle cost $10. However, if you are only using it to shine your pans, a little goes a long way.

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86 thoughts on “Make your pans SHINE!!! – 1 simple ingredient

  1. Thanks for the tip. I am pinning this so I can try it when I have the extra $ to buy the soap. My pans look like your before. I am skeptical that this actually works that well….seems like infomercial magical results, but I love the idea of a natural soap being able to do this great of a job!
    Thanks!

    1. At some Walgreens. Look in the skin care products on the bottom shelf near the epsom salts. Great for psoriasis and eczema. May be a brand other than Bonner, but the same principle.

  2. I went back and tried again. This time I found it. I looked under classic liquid and bar soaps. Now I'm going to order some. Thanks

  3. I buy my Dr. Bonner's at Trader Joe's. It's the least expensive of anyplace else around here that I'm aware of.

    1. Lots of supermarkets carry it, especially if they have a health foods section. Love the peppermint one for a body wash. Trader Joe's does have the best price.

    2. Lots of supermarkets do carry it but they put in "organic section"…..I use it for shampoo, body soap, hand wash when needed………..great for dandruff, acne……good stuff

  4. I love this soap, but in almond. I remember it from my childhood and have always loved the smell of it. Great to know it cleans pans like that too.

  5. A little goes a long way with Dr Bronners. We dilute ours by more than half and it still kicks booty!

  6. I read in a "Green Housekeeping" book that you can use this soap for ANYTHING … cleaning a shower, your hair, your body, your face, and your dishes. It's fairly expensive, but with just a dime sized amount I can wash my hair so it can last quite a while. Thanks for the tip!

    1. This is our goto camping soap. When we're out for days I use it to wash my hair, body, for dishes, washing hands. I personally don't brush my teeth with it, but it's great for everything else and it's completely biodegradable which is very important to us.

    2. This is our goto camping soap. When we're out for days I use it to wash my hair, body, for dishes, washing hands. I personally don't brush my teeth with it, but it's great for everything else and it's completely biodegradable which is very important to us.

    3. try adding a little peppermint extract, it taste better the minty smell makes every thing fresh sented

    4. I always dilute it….dilution depends on what I'm using it for……just experiment with it…………

  7. most all of my pans look quite very good. I think the trick is to compleatly and carefully clean them after each use. Mine are a bit scratchy but all clean all over. I think you can over do this. one of my square cake pans have a few small holes up near the rim I have a few thin spots that you can see light though. but when tarnished with baked on stuff.. the best thing to do is to dow what it takes to get them clean and shiny..

  8. Oh my pans could sure use this! I hope I can find that Dr. Bronners around here! Great tip!

  9. I have found that Dawn Power Dissolver works quite well on old burnt on oils. It can be bought in most grocers and Walmart.

  10. I keep my pans sparkly clean by using an SOS pad after every use. My pans are 21 years old and look brand new.

  11. I bought some today at Vitamin Shoppe. Got an 8 oz bottle for $5.99. Put the soap directly on the pan and started scrubbing away with a Scotch Bride stainless steel scrubber, and after round one it looks SO much better. However, I think it will take several rounds of scrubbing. The soap is amazing PLUS it smells good!

  12. I bought a gallon of Dr. Bronner's Non-Scented (more versatile though I bet you can find tea tree there) Castile Soap from vitaglo.com for $36! Free shipping if you spent $50 or more. I also buy all my vitamins (Dr. Christopher's) from there. Great post!

  13. Does anyone know if this can be used in a dishwasher? Since they revamped dishwasher soaps to exclude (the icky stuff for the environment – can't remember the name of it), my dishes come out pretty gross. Wondering if this stuff could help any…..

    1. you can make your own dishwashing soap:
      1 cup of Washing soap(like arm and hammer)
      1 cup of Borax
      1/2 cup of salt (Kosher works best but Iodized with work too)
      4 packets of Lemon Aid Kool Aid

      Mix together in a large bowl, eliminating the clumps and store in an air tight container, like a mason jar.
      1 tablespoon for each load
      2 tablespoons if really dirty…
      HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

  14. If the tea tree oil is what does the trick, then it may be that tea tree oil mixed with any inexpensive soap would work. Regardless, I'm sure I saw Dr. Bronner's at Target.

    1. I also wonder if that would work.. I have some tea tree oil I bought for something else just sitting around and some free & clear dish soap… I'll try it 🙂

  15. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby and don't mind peppermint, the big bottle is about $9. I use that stuff for EVERYTHING and it still takes me about a year to get through the bottle.

  16. I buy ours at Whole Foods, Meijer and Woodman's (3 different states lol). Whole foods has by far the best price for an in store, but I have seen it cheaper online. My husband can't use anything with fragrance, and the oils are extra great for his skin! We only use the baby version, but if the tea tree will clean my pans i'll buy the tiny bottle just for that!

  17. I've been using Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap for nearly 30 years. When I was working, it was the only thing that would wake me up in the morning! lol I have also used Dawn Power Dissolver (I really love all Dawn products), but I will give this a try. Always looking for something to make pot-scrubbing easier!

    1. I agree – I needed that mint soap in the morning or I didn't wake up or feel clean. Dr. Bronner's is pH balanced – very important for not drying out skin, hair, etc. Since I am not stateside – I order it on Amazon.

    1. If you have porcelain sinks or tubs, BKF makes then look brand new. Works great at removing scratch marks from everyday dinnerware too. LOVE BKF!!

    2. Yep, bar keepers friend works wonders on a lot of things. I use them to polish up my stainless steel pots and pans, stainless steel sink and even used it to clean up my stainless steel appliances.

  18. The best cook in the town I grew up in swears that the dark coating on her pans is what made her the best cook in town. She got really upset when I tried to 'help' her once by scrubbing her pan.

    1. I like the seasoning on my pans. It means they're used and used a lot by a great cook. It prevents sticking just like cast iron. I used to work for a major pizza chain and they would pre-season all the pizza pans just like cast iron pots trying to obtain that golden natural nonstick surface.

    2. Ditto on the seasoning. All that golden baked on stuff is lecithin, one of the things that adds non-stick properties to non-stick spray. I worked hard to get a baked on layer of lecithin (using straight lecithin) onto my loaf pans. They're non-stick that won't ever fail.

  19. It didn't anything to my pans. I'm not sure how you did it but mine are still as bad as they were before. I spent 15 minutes scrubbing the same area and nothing came off…strange…because it was just like yours on your picture

    1. I believe that this will only work on stainless steel cookie sheets. I have had both and only the stainless ones came clean.

  20. I'm getting ready to move into my new home this month, and just today I went through my cookie pans and baking sheets and put a few in the "throw away pile" because of those stains that just wont go away! Maybe I will just purchase some of this miracle soap instead.

    Thank you for sharing!!! 🙂

    1. to get rid of soap scum mix equal amounts of BLUE dawn dishwashing detergent and vinegar in a spray bottle.
      Microwave the VINEGAR until it is hot (i get it boiling) add it to the spray bottle with dawn. Shake it to mix. Spray while hot and let sit for a while.. (I have hard water due to living in the country. I let it sit for 45 minutes) I used a green scrubby sponge and voila! like new.

  21. It's my favorite soap too, and if you're feeling like you have to pay a hefty amount for it, it is $16.99 here in Canada 🙂

  22. I have been wondering what I could use to clean these pans up, thank you for the tip. I just purchased 8oz of Dr. Bonner's tea tree soap from Amazon and will test it out when I get it. Again, thanks.

  23. I will denfinatley try this since i have a couple cookie sheets I am trying to save from the trash > < thanks thanks

  24. I use a little bit of water and baking soda for baked on grease and it works great. If you are using tea tree oil remember it is toxic if ingested, so be sure to clean your pan thoroughly before use.

  25. I'll try it! Tea tree face soap took permanent marker ink off my toddler granddaughter's legs.

    1. Orange or lemon extract will take off permanent marker quickly and easily from all surfaces including skin!

  26. LOL Vicki I read your post too fast I thought it said GRANDMOTHER! The visual in my head was …hysterical!

  27. Buy it from vitacost.com for the best price! That's where I get all my natural products for a better price than any of the health food stores in town.

  28. Dr. Bronner's is also great as a face wash. A pea sized amount will do your whole face and neck! I put a pinch of baking soda in mine to exfoliate in the mornings. That's all I use it for so it lasts for months!

  29. I love this idea… but if anyone of you know. Tea tree oil is deadly to cats so please be careful.

  30. For your daughter try activated charcoal soap from beeyoutiful.com i have really sensitive skin and this soap is wonderful!

  31. I have also found that a "magic eraser" sponge will work wonders for these types of stains just using dish soap with it!!! I bet with the Dr. Bronner's TTO soap it would save some elbow grease!!!

  32. I have also found that a "magic eraser" sponge will work wonders for these types of stains just using dish soap with it!!! I bet with the Dr. Bronner's TTO soap it would save some elbow grease!!!

  33. The ammonia trick works, but you have to seal the bag and it may be finding a bag big enough that is the hard part.

  34. Boil water in a large vessel. Prior to boilibg, put a larg sheet of aluminum foil in vessel. add a T salt. SLOWLY pour in 2 c. baking soda – Arm & hammer is great. Put in hyour greasy pan, gtrasy vents from above stove. Any ick, pretty much. Cheap and amazinggg.

  35. Baking soda lightly applied, then let stand for 15 min. or more.
    Afterwards just wash with like you normally would

  36. I agree with Mike. I use baking soda. In a pinch I only had baking powder and that worked too. I just wet the area with warm water and then sprinkle baking soda/powder and let it foam up keep wetting it every 10-15 minutes with a spray bottle filled with hot faucet water. In an hour or so you'll be able to scrape off the whole mess easily.
    Baking soda/powder is the only thing that works for my glass cooktop. Nothing else gets it as clean with as little effort.
    And for soap allergies, please also look at charlie's soap. Especially the powder version. Its very good for laundry, general cleaning and also throwing into the dishwasher. And it is very hypoallergenic. And relatively inexpensive.

  37. You lost me at "Takes quite a bit of scrubbing". I agree Barkeepers Friend is the way to to! Super cheap. Sprinkle on pan, add a small amount of water to make a paste and use a paper towel to remove baked on gunk. Very little scrubbing required.

  38. No matter what you use if you have dark baked on stains you will have to scrub rinse repeat it all over again. I use several different methods to remove these stains. A paste of Cream of tarter made with a bit of water , let set for awhile scrub and rinse . Another method is to make a paste of baking soda and peroxide and let set for awhile scrub and rinse . I used the bonner soap and i still have to scrub and rinse . It all doesn't come off , it just looks alot better than it did when I started. I have even used warm vinegar with a bit of dawn dish soap . Of course the big thing here is SOS Pad, ELBOW GREASE AND LOTS OF IT!. So if your not willing to go to the distance You have a choice, toss the pan out or continue using the dirty looking pan. hmm Maybe I will try colgate tooth paste next . I forgot I have also tried Bar Keepers Friend and the Magic Erasers. So plan on using Elbow Grease because there is no magic wand to make the black stains go away. Other than make sure you wash the pan VERY well after each use and DO Not For Get the Corners need extra attention.

  39. Thanks so much for this post! I came across it on Pinterest. And just in time I might add as I was about to chuck out my baking pans. Instead I shall give Dr. Bronner's magic soap a go. Silly question but I can use the tea tree soap for both my face *and* my baking pans?! That would be so cool…

  40. my grandmother used DR. CASTILLE'S COCONUT OIL SHAMPOO for years. when she died at age 88, she had very little gray hair and her hair was always so nice and shiny.

    hugs 😛

  41. I remember my mom used to buy Castile soup in bar version, very cheep it had a colored dot in the middle and was loose.. not even packaged. I bet a solution of turpentine/water and dawn + some backing soda would work too.

  42. Use a garbage bag when using the ammonia and do it outside or in the garage but close it so an animal cannot lick its contents….or a child. Do not scrub nonstick surfaces as they will come off as you scrub. Soak your Clean your sheets as soon as you use them. If something does harden on them put Dawn dish soap or dishwasher powder soap and hot water and let it soak. Then clean it gently with a soft green not scratchy cleaner cloth.

  43. Try a baking soda and peroxide paste. It does a great job and not much scrubbing. Put baking soda in a small container. Add enough peroxide to make a paste, much like toothpaste. Smooth onto the pan. Let it dry. Scrub it off and presto, your pan is just like new.

  44. Or you can soak the pan with hot water mixed with Dawn dish soap and hydrogen peroxide. No scrubbing needed.

  45. I would suggest after scrubbing them clean I've noticed that if you grease your pans with Coconut oil instead of Pam or all the other stuff, the coconut oil doesn't leave that sticky residue. I use it for my cakes and breads for the most part.

  46. 1/4 c. baking soda, 1/8 c. hydrogen peroxide, mix and put on pan, let sit 30 minutes then scrub with a crumbled piece of aluminum foil, works perfectly and with products you probably already have!! 🙂

  47. With what can I replace my Castille soap? I live in South Africa and I have never seen any brand of castile soap here.

    1. Hi Anon, I have not had any success with other soaps so I'm not sure what else will work. If it's possible for you to order it online there is a link provided in the post to the soap that I used.

  48. We use Dr bronners for everything! 80/20 water/soap in foaming soap dispenser, Baby bath, base for dog shampoo plus doterra essential oils. I'll try it on my pans. Best place to buy is vitacost.

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