Cleaning enamel

[MikeL]

I found a Le Creuset #30 skillet at a flea market today that needs cleaning pretty bad. I was wondering if oven cleaner will hurt the enamel. I read about it somewhere but I don't remember what it said and I can't find it again. Thanks

[Bonnie Scott]

Yes, lye will make the enamel hazy. I just soak them in really hot water and Dawn dish soap for as long as it takes to loosen the crud. The hotter the better, boiling water works best.

[Mike F]

I have had success with the following: add about 1/2 inch of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution to the pot/skillet with 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda (depending on size of the piece). Heat until a simmer is reached, let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then agitate with a scrub brush. I have also read that a drop or two of Dawn will help, but I'm not convinced.

[Mike Green]

I seem to recall that there are oven cleaners out there that don't have lye in them. I also recall they don't work for !@#$, but a quick search leads to this:

https://www.google.com/search?q=oven...utf-8&oe=utf-8

In case it helps...

[DaveC]

You might want to try one of the 'Magic Cleaning Erasers'. I bought a pack of generic ones and used it on a white enameled skillet I have and it did a better job of cleaning the bottom of the skillet than anything else I tried.

[DonnaM]

You can get a pack of them from Amazon much cheaper than buying them at the grocery store. I use them on every pan as a sort of finishing-up step. Buying them through this site helps this site and doesn't add any cost to you.

[MikeL]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I ended up using very hot water, Dawn, and a lot of elbow grease. I still need to clean a little more on the bottom. Thank again for the help. Here are some before and after picks.

2017-02-21 19.43.04.jpg

2017-02-27 19.37.49.jpg

[Bonnie Scott]

Nice job, the enamel sure looks shiny.

[Mike F]

Wow, very nice.

[DonnaM]

Love that red!