Guide to homemade cleaners for greasy pots and pans

Commercial cleaning products could be expensive and contain chemicals that can be harsh on people and harmful to the environment. Here are some homemade DIY cleaning recipes to help get rid of stubborn grease from your pots, pans and utensils.

1. Baking soda and vinegar

   1. Sprinkle baking soda onto burnt on foods or stains
   2. For more resistant strains, sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda on the pan. Add a cup of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar. Boil the mix for 10 minutes. Stains should be easy to wipe away once cooled.

2. Baking soda, salt and vinegar

   1. Sprinkle on a layer of baking soda
   2. Next add a layer of salt, sea salt works better than table salt
   3. Finally add a layer of vinegar.
   4. Once soaked, scrub for 5 minutes to get the grease off
   5. Rinse well `

3. Bleach cleansing powder

   1. Fill pan with hot water
   2. Add generous amounts of bleach cleansing powder such as Comet or Ajax.
   3. Leave for 30 mins. Scrub away the gunk.
   4. Rinse well.

4. Aluminium foil

   1. Don’t use it on pans that are painted or have a special coating. The foil will likely scratch the coating off.
   2. Ball up a piece of aluminium foil
   3. Sprinkle a strong cleaning product onto the wet pan. Alternatively, use baking soda, you may have to repeatedly add baking soda while cleaning the pan.
   4. Scrub the pan with the ball of aluminium foil.

5. Tea tree oil

   1. Add few drops of Tea Tree oil on to a wet pan
   2. Add two drops of dish soap
   3. Scrub the pan for 5 mins to remove the gunk.

6. Borax and warm water

   1. Borax is a salt also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate. It’s widely used as a household cleaner and booster for laundry detergent.
   2. Add half a cup of Borax into a sink with warm water.
   3. Let the pan soak in the water for a few minutes.
   4. Scrub, wipe and rinse.
   5. Ensure borax is fully dissolved before scrubbing, borax crystals might scratch any coating off the pan.

7. Steel wool

   1. Soak the pots and pans. Works well on cast iron as well.
   2. Scrub using steel wool scrubbing pad to clean
   3. Rinse well

8. Ketchup

   1. Ketchup can be used to remove burnt and brown layers on your brass and stainless steel pots and pans. It can also be used to clean metal surfaces, trophies and utensils.
   2. Acetic acid in ketchup eats through stains.
   3. Apply a layer of ketchup to your pots, pan or utensil and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
   4. Use elbow grease to remove the stain.

9. Olive oil

   1. Put some olive oil (you can use a cheaper brand) into a spray bottle.
   2. Spray it on the surface and let it sit for 10 minutes.
   3. Wipe off. The oil will loosen up the grease and make it easier to wipe it off.