The Easy Baking Soda Hack That Breathes New Life Into Dirty Baking Sheets

Sheet pans are incredibly versatile. These workhorses can be used for everything from baking cookies to baking sheet pan dinners. These pans are typically made of aluminum or carbon steel and may be coated with silicone or Teflon to make them nonstick. Nonstick or not, sometimes goop happens. Grease spills, food burns, sugar caramelizes, and if not cleaned right away, these caked-on messes can seem here to stay. But don't worry — baking soda can help cut through the grime on your baking sheets.

The ease of cleaning is determined, in part, by the material. Aluminum is relatively soft, which means it can stain easily, and those stains can be difficult to remove. Stainless steel baking sheets are more durable and more stain-resistant. Non-stick baking pans may make spills easier to wipe off, but the coating is prone to weakening over time. They can also scratch easily if the wrong tools are used, and could release harmful fumes. The first line of defense is to try to avoid damage in the first place. Lining baking pans with parchment paper or silicone mats will catch spills before they reach the pan. These barriers are easily pulled up and thrown away or cleaned. But don't fret if the damage has already been done. A paste made from dish soap and baking soda is all you need to make any baking pan good as new. 

Start the cleaning process by washing off as much residue as possible with soap and water. Dry the pan well. Then, mix baking soda with a little dish soap to make a paste and apply all over the pan. Let the paste sit on the pan for at least 20 minutes. Then, use a scouring pad to scrub it clean. Rinse with warm water. 

Baking soda is a mixture of carbon, sodium, hydrogen and oxygen, and it is a miracle cleaner that can truly clean (almost) anything. Most people know baking soda can absorb odors in the fridge, and you may have heard you can brush your teeth with it. Baking soda has a crystalline property in dry or paste form that makes an excellent gentle scrub. It won't scratch surfaces, but because it's mildly alkaline, it can easily dissolve and wash away fatty acids found in grease. While baking soda is fantastic for many cleaning jobs that need scouring or deodorizing, you might want to think twice before using baking soda on its own to clean the house if you need to also disinfect the surface. But for baking pans, adding in a grease-fighting dish soap like Dawn to the baking soda only strengthens its power and helps clear away germs.