It’s rare to find a “new” product that beats your tried-and-true methods, especially when it comes to scrubbing your pots and pans free of grease and buildup or removing burnt remnants. You might swear by secret ingredients like salt, club soda, or baking soda to successfully clean burnt pans, and these options are great for most cooking messes because they clear and clean, leaving behind a fresh surface for your next meal. However, while baking soda has certainly become a go-to for anyone who loves the idea of using a more natural cleaner, you might be surprised to find that soda crystals offer a lot of the same benefits in a stronger form. Much like baking soda, these alkali crystals can help scrub away grease buildup and, better yet, burnt food that sticks to your pan. This, in turn, means you might not have to work as hard to clear those pots and pans, especially after a heavy cooking session!

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Soda crystals are essentially a tougher version of baking soda and bicarbonate of soda. They’re also known as washing soda and can help remove stains from clothing, or they can be dissolved in water to soften it. These crystals are also great for breaking down grease and grime when cleaning cookware. Alkali products are ideal for the kitchen because of their ability to fight and dissolve organic matter like fats and oils. If you’ve ever used baking soda in the kitchen, you may find that soda crystals get the job done even better.

For cleaning your pots and pans, one of the easiest and most effective ways to breakdown grease is to add soda crystals to warm water inside the pans and let them soak. This will do most of the job between the water and crystals, eating through the burnt-on grease, which can be really tricky to remove otherwise. Because of the abrasive nature of the crystals on oil and fat but not on the metal, you can easily scrub off any stuck layers after an overnight soak without compromising the integrity of your pan or pot.

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It’s important to keep in mind that while this natural cleaner is great for a variety of cooking vessels, soda crystals should not be used on aluminum. The alkali nature of these will corrode this material. Cast iron, stainless steel, copper, and a variety of other cookware will benefit from this clever hack, though, which is great for anyone who wants to find a truly powerful ingredient without leaning into harsh chemicals. And if you’re looking for some soda crystals to get the job done, perhaps try out Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda.