So the other night I was cooking a very late dinner of eggs and toast and I got distracted with the doorbell, the kids, the phone, the dog… really it was like a comedy sketch for about 20 minutes at Casa de My Frugal Adventures.
Needless to say the eggs paid the price for my distraction and I really did a number on my pan. Whenever I burn things or I have a super dirty situation to deal with, my solution is to dump baking soda on it.
So I did that and after much scrubbing it was clear I needed to step up my game if I wanted to save the pot. So it dawned on me to add a little vinegar and see what happens. After all that is basically how I clean the rest of the house- vinegar + baking soda is magic.
Did that and after a tiny bit of fizzing I started back with my scrubby sponge and I couldn’t believe how quickly and easily the pot cleaned up!!
Like magic.
So today just because I love you all so much, I decided to burn another egg to show you how awesome this is.
Now that you made a mess of that, just dump on some baking soda. I don’t think exact measurements are needed- just coat the surface of the pot with your baking soda.
Next add your vinegar- just a bit maybe 3 tablespoons per cup of baking soda. I drizzled it right from the container and note it will fizz up so be ready for that.
And then I took my Scotch Brite sponge and gave it a good scrub (you might let it sit a bit- I did not let it sit at all). I didn’t need to put too much elbow grease in and you can see at the very top the immediate difference with just a few swipes.
And shut the front door! Here it is after a tiny bit of scrubbing! Almost perfect really. There are a few tiny stubborn spots on the side but overall this looks about 100% better now.
Now- who wants an Omelette?
If you give this a shot let me know how it works for you!
And just to prove vinegar is magic, check out these other DIY recipes:
- Carpet spot cleaner (perfect for cars!)
- Keep your berries fresh and mold free for much longer- plus ready for snacking!
- Clean the bathroom top to bottom with 3 ingredients (vinegar, dish soap and baking soda)
I think it’s hilarious that you burned the pot again just to show us……that’s dedication! Lol
Lol Jessica my kids knew Mommy is a little batty but now they are convinced I have lost it ;).
Charlene,
Do you let the pot to cool down before adding soda?
Um.. Tatyana I would let it cool a bit. You don’t want to make a bad situation worse by burning your hand to match your pot ;).
Wow Charlene! What great timing, after dinner last night my husband did the dishes & scrubbed at my burnt-on grease pan. I was impressed by how much he got off but it’s definitely not all gone. I’m going to try that today! Thanks:)
Thanks! Will try this. Same situation happens to me sometimes too. 🙂
“So today just because I love you all so much”…LOL!!! You’re so sweet. We feel the love! I really like the bling by the “All Clean”. I am SO trying this. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this post!!! My husband bought me a brand new set of really nice pots and pans two years ago for Christmas and within a month I scorched white sauce in one of the larger parts so badly that nothing I tried would clean it. I got so frustrated that I am ashamed to say I stuck the thing in the back of a cabinet until I could figure something else to try. After reading your post I drug the pot out, and after two batches of the mixture and 30 minutes of scrubbing I am amazed to say it is impossible to tell that it was ever scorched!
Jessica I am so glad! I am sorry you had to scrub for 30 minutes but hey- you worked the calories off from that white sauce right 😀
Worked Great! I dug out my scorched pot from the trash pile … now it looks better-than-brand new! Charlene saves me more money in so many ways! 🙂
Note: I noticed my pot required longer scrubbing & I believe that was caused by my repeatedly running the pot thru’ hot dishwasher cycle in a (hopeless) effort to remove the scorch …
Lesson Learned: The heat of the dishwasher actually seals-in the scorch mark, so do NOT put in dishwasher — use the vinegar + baking soda only.
SO TIMELY!!! I was trying to make popcorn last night “the old fashioned way” with oil in the bottom of the pot and got distracted by email. Unfortunately, I used most of my baking soda putting out the smoking grease blaze, but I have been steadily working on the pot today. Will keep at it!
Thanks for your site. I read it every day!
PS – Have any tips about making popcorn WITHOUT an air popper? 🙂
Alyssa, yes open the microwave and put the bag inside :D. Just kidding. I have actually read that you can do real popcorn in coconut oil in a pan and I have been meaning to try it. I’ll post what I find.
First, Let me tell you how much I am intrigued by your site! Good Work!
I found this ‘recipe’ and decided to try it, on a mess I created… I let the water boil out of a Stock Pot…
Using the method described above did little to nothing to help ‘restore’ my pot to its former condition. Can you think of anything else I might try?
PS.. I also just tried your car cleaner and LOVE it!! 🙂
I too have a popcorn scorched pot and as soon as I buy some baking soda (tomorrow, of course) I am going to try this!! Thanks for the tip!!
melissa be sure to come back and let me know how it works for you 🙂
Thank you for for this! Burnt potatoes – But Good!
I let the pot cool completely, removed the potatoes and rinsed the pot first. Then coated it with the Baking Soda and added the vinegar.
Then I went to work. Most came off, but something like a scar remained in a few spots. Washed, dried and cooked spaghetti sauce in it! This helped too!
Thanks again!!
Yes, but what if you have non-stick pans & cannot scrub them?
I discovered that borax sprinkled on scorched, burned, or baked on food works well. Wet the stain/residue, sprinkle a goodly layer of dry borax on it, and let it sit for a while (the thicker the residue the longer it may take). Using a wet plastic scrubber, scrub! It should come off easily, although sometimes it takes another go-round. If you let it sit for several hours or overnight, cover to keep the borax moist. Many years I had good luck with baking soda on a thick burned-on residue of what I think was tomato sauce (this on a Lifetime stainless steel pan that someone had thrown out). I used an SOS pad on the stain (yes, a stain on stainless steel) left behind and it was like new.
Thanks for the tip Shirley!