Remember when you first bought your bakeware? The cookie sheets were all shiny and new, the glass casserole dishes were literally spotless. Look at that bakeware now. After a few years (or even months) of caked-on food, burnt cookies, rust, and just the general wear and tear of cooking, your beautiful bakeware is no more.

But don’t throw them away! Things might look hopeless, but instead of spending money on new bakeware, why not try some home remedies on your old bakeware first?

Generally, you’ll find three types of basic bakeware: aluminum, stainless steel, and glass. We’re going to break down how each type of material should be cleaned to get your baking sheets and dishes looking good as new.

STAINLESS STEEL

Stainless steel cookware is considered (by many) the best of the best. But just because they’re high-quality and very sturdy doesn’t mean they don’t rust and get dirty like your other types of bakeware. Here’s a few tricks to getting that stainless steel free of regular food stains.

YOU’LL NEED
– Hydrogen Peroxide
– Baking Soda
– Abrasive Scrubbing Pad/Sponge

STEP 1: Sprinkle on a layer of baking soda, then a layer of hydrogen peroxide, then a final layer of baking soda.
STEP 2: Let sit for 1-2 hours.
STEP 3: Scrub the stains off your bakeware.

Miracle-Cleaner-5One Good Thing

It’s THAT simple. If the stains aren’t too bad, you may only need a rag or regular sponge instead of something abrasive to scrub the gunk away.

TIP: Warm water with baking soda will work if you don’t have hydrogen peroxide, but peroxide does work best.

If you’re finding rust on your stainless steel, this will be more difficult to get off than regular stains and therefore requires a slightly different technique.

YOU’LL NEED
– Pumice Cleaner
– Abrasive Pad
– Oven Cleaner
– Plastic Wrap

STEP 1: Sprinkle pumice cleaner onto the rust.
STEP 2: Scrub the rust away with an abrasive pad. If the rust is still there, proceed to the next steps.
STEP 3: Spray the rust stains with oven cleaner. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.
STEP 4: In the morning, unwrap the bakeware and place it in a hot oven at 150 degrees F. for 20 minutes.
STEP 5: Remove bakeware and let it cool.
STEP 6: Soak the bakeware in hot, soapy water for 30 minutes. Scrub rust off with an abrasive pad.

Rust StainseHow

ALUMINUM

Although aluminum is a bit cheaper than stainless steel products, it still works extremely well as a bakeware metal. It is, though, just as prone (if not more prone) to stains as stainless steel. With this simple solution, essentially all stains can be removed from aluminum cookware.

YOU’LL NEED
– Water
– Distilled White Vinegar
– A Pot
– Scrubbing Pad

STEP 1: Fill the pot with equal parts water and white vinegar.
STEP 2: Bring the mixture to a boil, then allow it to cool to room temperature.
STEP 3: Saturate the pad in the mixture and scrub the stains clean.
STEP 4: Rinse the bakeware with soapy water, then leave it to dry.

Aluminum BakewareeHow

GLASS

Few messes look as gross as the gunk on glass bakeware. Because it is clear by nature, glass cookware tends to look very gross very fast. Luckily, Good Housekeeping tried out four different Pinterest techniques for cleaning these Pyrex dishes, and found one clear winner.

YOU’LL NEED
– Baking Soda
– Dish Soap
– Regular Sponge

STEP 1: Fill the bottom of your pan with baking soda and then dish soap.
STEP 2: Fill the dish with hot water and let sit for 15 minutes.
STEP 3: Empty out the dish and scrub with a regular sponge. Sprinkle baking powder on tough spots as you scrub.

Glass Dish StainsGood Housekeeping

TIP: A Magic Eraser and hot water also proved an effective cleaning solution for your tough glass stains, but definitely requires more elbow grease.

Pinterest “tricks” to never try when cleaning glass bakeware? Aluminum foil or white vinegar. Both techniques you might see online, but neither clean glassware as thoroughly and as easily as our baking soda and dish soap combo.

Do you have any tricks or tips to cleaning stubborn food and rust stains off bakeware? Did you find these techniques helpful or disappointing? Share your wisdom in the comments section below!