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The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans Without Harsh Chemicals

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Have you ever learned a tip that made your life so much easier, but then over time you forgot about it? Such is the case with today’s tip—The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals.

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won't believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

The Back Story on the 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals

A while back I made my Fabulous Pork Butt (Pulled Pork) in my slow cooker and ended up with a very messy slow cooker. Even after I washed it, there were lots of baked on food stains left. No amount of soaking or scrubbing would remove them. I did a Google search and tried various methods, including a baking soda paste method which folks raved over “as long as you use some elbow grease.” Well, that approach only removed a little more of the “damage” after using LOTS of elbow grease.

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won't believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

A Very Dirty Slow Cooker Crock–See the Baked On Food Stains

Trying the Baking Soda Cleaning Method

Trying the Baking Soda Cleaning Method

After the Baking Soda Method--Not Very Clean

After the Baking Soda Method–Not Very Clean

Then suddenly I remembered an ingredient that I had used long ago to remove baked on food. Cream of tartar. Some of you are familiar with this ingredient as a key ingredient in Snickerdoodles. Others of you might know that you can make your own grain-free baking powder using baking soda and cream of tartar. You can even use cream of tartar to add tartness in milk to create “sour milk” or “buttermilk” for recipes.

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Cream of Tartar–Secret Ingredient for Non-Toxic, Easy Cleaning Of Pots and Pans

Fooducate says that “Cream of tartar is natural, and is formed from the sediment left over in barrels after the winemaking process. They’ve found cream of tartar in ancient pottery dating back 7000 years!”

So as soon as I pulled the cream of tartar trick from the recesses of my brain, I used it on the still dirty crock from my slow cooker. It worked! And in less than 5 minutes! After days of soaking, scrubbing, applying more baking soda paste, etc., I finally had a perfectly clean crock. Yes, my reclaimed cream of tartar tip worked like a charm!

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The Secret Ingredient to Cleaning Your Pots and Pans Without Chemicals

how to clean pots and pans in 5 minutes or less with no chemicals, secret ingredient to cleaning pots and pans, non-toxic way to clean pots and pans

Add Water to Level Just Above Food Stains

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won't believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Nice, Shiny, and Clean Slow Cooker

A few days later I had a very messy stainless steel skillet to clean. Again, I used some cream of tartar again and voila! In less than 5 minutes, the skillet was perfectly clean and shiny with no real effort.

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won't believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

A Messy Skillet After Making Corned Beef Hash

how to clean pots and pans in 5 minutes or less with no chemicals, secret ingredient to cleaning pots and pans, non-toxic way to clean pots and pans

You Only Need to Sprinkle in a Small Amount of Cream of Tartar

how to clean pots and pans in 5 minutes or less with no chemicals, secret ingredient to cleaning pots and pans, non-toxic way to clean pots and pans

And Then After Letting It Sit for About 3 Minutes, Use Your Brush or Dishcloth to Help It Finish the Cleaning

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won't believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

Super Clean and Shiny with No Effort!

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won't believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (photo)

This Almost 60-Year Old Revere Ware Skillet Never Looked So Good! (Ignore the Cracked Handle)

Now some of you might already know this tip, but since I had searched on “how to remove baked on food” and made other similar queries and this solution did not pop up, I’m betting there are plenty of you reading who do not know about the cleaning power of cream of tartar (or perhaps, like I, have forgotten about this particular use). Even the Fooducate site, which listed several uses of cream of tartar, did not mention its cleaning use.

However, if you specifically Google “how to use cream of tartar to clean,” you’ll find many, many ways to use this eco-friendly cleaner … from the kitchen to the bathroom to the laundry room.

Here’s how you use cream of tartar to remove baked-on food or simply scorch marks on slow cookers/crockpots, pots, pans, and even CorningWare such as the tea kettle shown below. It’s so easy that it’s ridiculous really!

My Grandmother’s CorningWare Tea Kettle That Was Used on a Campfire

My Grandmother’s Tea Kettle Is As Good As New After Using the Secret!

Some of you have gluten in your homes because you have gluten-full family members and your house is not completely gluten free. If you share pots and pans with those gluten-full family members, this tip might help keep those pots and pans cleaner and, therefore, safer.

I don’t recommend sharing pots, pans, utensils, etc., but if you are going to do it, please exercise the best cleaning practices possible. And please remember that pots, pans, and utensils with porous surfaces (e.g., wooden, stoneware, cast iron) can’t really be fully cleaned to remove gluten and other food allergens 100%.

Finally, I also use this secret to clean my pets’ dishes. Do you know the film that develops on their dishes after even short-term use? That’s called biofilm and may cause your pets to get ill. It’s important to clean your pets’ dishes well enough to remove the biofilm. This method cleans the dishes easily and perfectly.

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals

The 5-Minute Secret to Easily Cleaning Pots and Pans without Harsh Chemicals. So easy you won’t believe it! With an ingredient you already have in your pantry! [from GlutenFreeEasily.com] (phot

Yield:

The 5-Minute Secret Recipe to Clean Your Pots and Pans Without Chemicals

The 5-Minute Secret Recipe to Clean Your Pots and Pans Without Chemicals

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle a little cream of tartar on the surface of the pot or pan you wish to clean.
  2. Add enough hot water to the pot or pan that you’re cleaning until it covers the baked on stains. Let sit about 3 minutes (or longer if you get distracted---no worries).
  3. Then wash and rinse as usual. You should not have to apply more than your average amount of “elbow grease” if any at all. Really, the whole process should be 5 minutes or less. I think you will be pleased with the amount of effort (or lack thereof) and the results!

Notes

I recommend using about a teaspoon of cream of tartar for an average size pot or pan and about a tablespoon for a large pot or large slow cooker crock. The cream of tartar powder doesn’t have to cover much of the surface initially when you sprinkle it on because once you add water; it will dissolve and reach the entire surface that way. For really messy pots and pans like the slow cooker crock shown above, I’d probably do a quick clean up with my regular dishwashing liquid before I added cream of tartar to work its magic. You can buy cream of tartar in your grocery store or online. You can even buy it in bulk for the best value. (I've done that before and had not to buy any for years!)

© Shirley Braden
Incidentally, my last tip here on gfe was How to Clean Your Blender (Vitamix, Blendtec, OmniBlend, etc.) in 2 Minutes or Less. And I shared how to cool Bundt cakes quickly in this post:  Gluten-Free Bundt Cake Bonanza! Over 50 Recipes!

Happy cooking and baking during the holidays! By using this handy kitchen tip, you’ll have more time to add decorative sprinkles to your cookies or simply sit and enjoy a glass of cheer with your loved ones. Enjoy!

Originally published December 4, 2013; updated September 15, 2021.

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Comments

    • Shirley says

      Sarah–Thanks! Yes, I love this trick for my slow cooker. Gosh, I have no idea how much longer I would have had to “work on it” if I hadn’t remembered this tip! Hope cream of tartar works equal magic for your slow cooker and pot. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  4. Jen says

    Wow—brilliant! I’ve tried the baking soda method in the past myself to find it unsatisfactory, but this is definitely worth a whirl. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Jen–Good to see you here at gfe! 🙂 I think I would have still been trying the baking soda method on my crockpot. Love baking soda for some uses, but cream of tartar works best for this use. Hope you agree for sure!

      Shirley

      Reply

  5. Heather says

    I learned about this from one of my canning groups – it’s the only thing that gets those nasty black stains out of the canner and is super easy and scratchless. I never thought about using it on my crock pot that my lazy teen refuses to clean properly, insisting “it’s wrecked, time to get a new one”

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Heather–It looks like this is your first comment on gfe; welcome! 🙂 I remember that about using cream of tartar for canners as well. I have to kind of empathize with your lazy teen. I was looking at my crockpot thinking I’d NEVER get that baked on food off! Having the cream of tartar work on it so easily was such a relief. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Linda says

    I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this one. I’m definitely trying it, especially on my crock pot. I wonder how it would work on a “boys bathroom” shower.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Linda–I think you will love this tip for cleaning your slow cooker. 🙂 I’ve read that cream of tartar works great in bathroom, but in that case, the recommendation is to mix with a little hydrogen peroxide to create a paste and then apply. I did try cream of tartar by itself on Son’s bathtub before you all came this summer. It didn’t work. Now I have to try it combined with hydrogen peroxide. We’ll have to compare notes. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  7. Linda Townsend says

    I wonder if it would work with calcium deposits! I’m trying to clean my water distiller’s boiler… It’s always a terrible job… I soak it in vinegar and then use a wire brush… and then repeat the process until it’s clean. I’ve been doing this one for almost a week now… and there’s still deposits there… It is my water distiller… so I don’t want to use any harmful chemicals. Any ideas?

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Linda–Welcome! 🙂 It seems that is one of the known cleaning uses of cream of tartar. Google it and you’ll see that some folks have success making a paste of cream of tartar and water (some of your distilled water). Fingers crossed that it will work! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  8. Linda Townsend says

    I’m definitely going to try this tip… if not on my boiler, on my stainless skillet and my slow cooker. TU!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Cassidy–The not clean enough crockpot always makes me feel like somewhat of a failure, so I’m happy that I remembered this secret! 🙂 Enjoy!

      Shirley

      Reply

  12. Sharon G says

    I think I know what my Saturday project will be now…I’m going to try this on my baking sheets!
    Thanks so much for the hint!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Sharon–Welcome! I’m not sure that this method will work on baking sheets that have baked on ugginess from months past, but I’d recommend making a paste of it with water and leaving it on for a while. I’ve also read that combining cream of tartar with vinegar in a paste can do the trick for those heavily soiled baking sheets. Good luck!

      Shirley

      Reply

  13. Kim-Cook It Allergy Free says

    Shirley, this is a brilliant idea!! I bet this would totally totally work on the oven too! I am so using this on all of my All Clad pots and pans! The outside could even use a good shine and cleaning on them! Love it!! Off to share! 😀

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Kim–Thanks for sharing this tip with others! I hope it works well for you. Some of the comments have scared me because I think that a few folks are expecting this method to remove years of baked on food/stains. That would require a little bit more than cream of tartar (perhaps boiling water and cream of tartar or a cream of tartar/vinegar paste), but for the cases I shared with recently baked on food, it works great. Just used it last night on my skillet again. 🙂

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  14. Davina Spafford Stuart says

    one tip for how i clean gunky fried on pans.. after the pan has cooled, add water to cover the caked on area and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat, add a teaspoon or two of baking soda to the water and clamp on a cover. let that set for 20-30 minutes, until it’s cooled off again. rinse out and just about everything will wipe off.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Thanks for sharing what works for you, Davina. I didn’t want to put that much effort into my pan cleaning so I was happy to remember this method. 😉 For baked on gunky of years, I think I’d use the boiling water with cream of tartar. I do love using baking soda normally though.

      Shirley

      Reply

  16. Maggie says

    Cannot wait to try this Shirley! I love it, we use cream of tartar in a playdough recipe so I usually have some on hand. Though our playdough days are fleeting…sniff sniff….

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Maggie–Awww, fleeting playdough days … sniff, sniff indeed. I do hope you get to use and see the magic of cream of tartar when needed though. On your pots and pans anyway. 😉

      xoxo,
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Emily–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I hope it works for you, especially if you’re trying it on really old stains. The examples I gave were recent stains. You might try cream of tartar and vinegar if cream of tartar and water is not effective.

      Shirley

      Reply

  18. Eioljg says

    Great tip. But one quibble with your posting: Cream of tartar isn’t chemical free. ALL things, everything, is made of chemicals. Even your teddy bear.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Eioljg–Ah, I see your point. Guess I should change the wording to “harsh chemicals.” We don’t think of everything being made of chemicals, but I guess my high school chemistry should have taught me differently. I do think that teddy bears are actually pretty loaded with “harsh chemicals” these days. Sadly. Anyway, thanks for the comment and clarification, and welcome to gfe! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  19. Lois says

    If one turns a skillet, pot or pan upside down over a dish pan or sink of hot soapy water, the goo will slip right off after about 10-15 minutes. Simple, no extra scribbling and with a swipe or two from your dish brush, it is spotless!

    Reply

  20. Vicky says

    Thank you for this advice Shirley! I use baking soda but did not know about the cream of tartar! I have some in the cupboard because I make my own baking powder. I will definitely try this next time! 🙂

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Vicky–Hope that you find this method to be a big timesaver in your house. And making one’s own baking powder is so easy, isn’t it? I love controlling my ingredients. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      You’re welcome, Alisa! 🙂 A Facebook reader reminded me that this same tactic works on irons when they get built-up gunk on them. My iron doesn’t get much use these days so I haven’t had that need lately. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  22. Stephanie says

    Hey Shirley, I tried this last night on my solid surface stovetop stains and it worked great. Like several others have said, I’d never heard of using cream of tartar for cleaning. Thanks for the tip!

    Reply

  23. Kate @ Eat, Recycle, Repeat says

    Amazing! You’ve saved me from a lot of scrubbing (or just leaving pans dirty, ha!). Thanks Shirley!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Linda–That makes me just about jump with joy! Yep, I’m nerdy like that. LOL So glad this tip worked its usual magic for you! And special thanks for linking back to this post in your fun post the other day. I love it when you do those types of posts! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  26. Laurel says

    I am DEFINITELY doing this the next time I make nut milk yogurt. No matter what I do there is always some stuck all around the pot. Plus (lucky me) I just ordered a bag of cream of tartar to make baking soda. What a win. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Laurel–I am not sure how I missed your and some of the other folks’ comments on this post, but I’m so happy that this tip is timely for you. Hope you love the results with cream of tartar! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  27. IrisSpring says

    Shirley,
    I am so glad that I recently found your web site! Is just what I needed! I have never posted before, but I am glad to do so. This idea for cleaning pots and pans is so helpful. And so easy, too. I will continue to get your awesome recipes, and hints. Thanks from the bottom of my heart!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      IrisSpring–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I appreciate you commenting for the very first time. You’ll find that I love everything to be easy. 😉 I’ll look forward to seeing you more on gfe!

      Shirley

      Reply

  29. Lois Stee;e says

    It is also very easy to turn the pot, or cooking vessel (dish, crock pot, etc.) upside down over very hot sudsy water and leave it there for about 20 minutes while one does another task. Come back to it, swish it with a paper towel, sponge, brush or dishcloth and wa-la, it comes right off! no scrubbing at all. (Well, maybe a little if it is really baked on or burned.) A little baking soda or cream of tarter will do the rest of the job. Learned this from a older country lady in the Tennessee hills!

    Reply

  30. Linda says

    Shirley, I used cream of tartar to get blueberry stains out of a white shirt today. Soaking it in detergent did nothing. So glad I remembered this great tip!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      That is such great news, Linda! I’ve never used cream of tartar on stains on clothes before, but I will now. Did you pretreat right before throwing the shirt in the laundry or do anything else special?

      Thanks!
      Shirley

      Reply

      • Linda says

        First, I soaked the shirt in cold water. Nothing. Then I rubbed laundry detergent in, left for an hour, scrubbed it, and rinsed. Stains not even fazed. At this point I thought “Why NOT try cream of tartar?” I sprinkled it on the damp shirt and it made a paste that I rubbed in a bit. I left it for maybe an hour, then laundered (with other items, fingers crossed) in cold water. Still amazed that it came out absolutely stain free!

        Reply

        • Shirley says

          Sorry, I never replied to you, Linda. That was such an easy solution—love it! It sounds like we need to be buying cream of tartar in bulk for so many things! 🙂

          Shirley

          Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Jenny–I was looking at this post again and see that I never replied to you. Welcome to gfe! I hope you get a lot of use out of this trick! 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Thanks, Adrienne! Yes, I rely on it as the second ingredient for homemade baking powder, too. I rarely have really bad pots, but I often have really bad crocks from slow cooking. I clean off the initial junk with soap and water and then use cream of tartar and water. It has always worked for me. Occasionally, but not often, a bad crock might require more than one application and/or more than 5 minutes, but usually even the bad crocks clean up right away. I hope it works for you!

      Shirley

      Reply

  36. Evelyn McDonald says

    WOW! amazing. I was watching an info commercial showing how easy it would be to use their product at just $9.95 plus shipping and handling to clean my messy pots and pans. They said go to our website or call in. So I went to my computer and typed in their web site and up pops your site along side their site, which by the way caught my eye, and your site explained what simple household items I needed to accomplish this task of cleaning those dirty pots and pans that sat on my kitchen counter in disgrace of dirty ugliness. So, I did exactly as you said and now my pans and pots are soooo clean and beautiful. I am now addicted to your site and will be eternally grateful to you. I have shown all my family and friends your site and my clean pans and pots. You’re wonderful. Thank you for being there and giving us an alternative method instead of a $9.95 website that would not list their chemicals, etc. You’re the best.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Evelyn–It looks like this is your first time commenting on gfe–welcome! 🙂 And, wow, what a first comment! So very happy that my secret helped you and your family and friends and that you’re a new gfe addict. Hehe! 😉 I love showing folks the simple and inexpensive way to do things. By the way, I added a link to the recipe and on the sidebar for the bulk version of the secret ingredient. If you shop at Amazon, it’s worth checking out. I love that it’s certified gluten free, too.

      Have a good week and thanks so much for taking the time to leave this lovely comment!
      Shirley

      Reply

      • Shirley Braden says

        Gloria–Welcome to gfe. 🙂 I doubt that Evelyn is still following this post as she left her comment 5 years ago. As I shared the method in this article, I will respond. The amount of cream of tartar that you use really depends on how large and how dirty your pot or pan is. You want to use enough cream of tartar mixed with water (NOT vinegar) to make a paste to spread over the dirty areas and then let the paste sit for several minutes. Hope that info helps!

        Shirley

        Reply

    • Shirley says

      Momandnana–First, it’s good to see you here again at gfe! 🙂 And LOL on my pork butt recipe causing you some crockpot issues! I am so glad you still think it’s yummy though. 😉 Now you can remove ALL the “evidence” so to speak!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Kylie–I’m so glad I remembered this trick! It’s funny what’s hidden in the recesses of one’s brain that one can eventually pull out. 😉 I know this tip has made my life much easier. Hope it helps you as much! 🙂

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  39. Donna Bruton says

    I tried this last night on my slow cooker. It’s black, and sometimes looks filmy or spotty. Worked like a charm! Used it on the lid as well.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Yay, Donna! I love hearing that. 🙂 None of us need to be worrying about yucky pots, pans, and slow cookers, right? Thanks so much for the taking the time to leave a comment to share your success. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley Braden says

      April–This tip puts the baking soda trick to shame–for real. I was just using it again yesterday and I used it for a new issue. When changing the water and pulling out dead fowers in a bouquet of fresh flowers, the stamens from the lilies actually touched my milk glass pitcher (which I was using as my vase) and stained it yellow in several places (soap and water would not remove the stains). I immediately used this trick and the stains disappeared! I was so relieved!

      Shirley

      Reply

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