You can clean a baking tray with simple household remedies. Here you can read what works best against sticky residues and burnt-on food.
“Wow, your baking tray is so clean and shiny” is a phrase that probably no one has ever heard before. After all, the baking tray is one of those kitchen utensils that you rarely show your guests.
Nevertheless, it is important that the baking tray is clean. At least if you don’t want your frozen fries to taste like chocolate chip cookies and vice versa. It also makes sense to clean the baking tray regularly for hygiene reasons.
Because even if we always line the tray with fresh baking paper or silicone mats to save us cleaning after each use, grease, sauce and other food residues still often make it through.
And although we actually know better, we don’t remove dried cheese stains and other incrustations directly, but at most quickly wipe away coarse traces of oil before we use the baking tray again.
The stains then burn in stubbornly in the heat of the oven and make cleaning the tray even more difficult.
Cleaning the baking tray with household remedies
But you can also get a heavily soiled baking tray clean again. As with all kitchen accessories that come into contact with food, it’s better to use natural home remedies to clean your baking tray.
The reason is that commercial cleaners often contain toxic chemicals. And nobody really wants to accidentally flavour their food with them. You should therefore also steer clear of often-praised alternatives such as washing powder when cleaning the baking tray.
The good news is that homemade cleaning agents are cheaper than ready-made oven cleaners or other supermarket products and usually work just as well. Some home remedies work quite quickly, with others you have to be patient and leave the product to work overnight if necessary.
Tip: Although most baking trays are very robust, they can easily be scratched by hard steel sponges, depending on the material and coating. Use a soft cloth and do not try to forcefully remove the encrusted areas with a spatula or, even worse, a knife. At best, you’ll injure yourself.
We’ll tell you which household remedies you can use to remove burnt-on stains and clean your baking tray in an (environmentally) friendly way.
Cleaning the baking tray with baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate, or bicarbonate of soda for short, is great against nasty encrustations on the baking tray. The white powder is a real all-rounder in the household. You can buy it at the supermarket or drugstore.
This is how it works: To clean the dirty baking tray, spread 50 grams of baking soda powder on the tray and fill the bottom with water. Place the tray in the oven and heat it to 100 degrees top/bottom heat. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the water has evaporated.
Leave the baking tray to cool briefly before wiping off the bicarbonate of soda mixture with normal washing-up liquid, water and a sponge. This should also remove the dirt.
Tip: You can also use the same method to remove stubborn stains from metal casserole dishes, pots and pans.
Cleaning baking tray with baking soda and vinegar
Baking powder contains small amounts of baking soda and is therefore also suitable as a stain remover. To enhance the effect, it is best to add a dash of commercially available vinegar.
This is how it works: Depending on the size of the baking tray, mix three or four sachets of baking powder with two tablespoons of vinegar and a little hot water to make a paste.
Apply the mixture to the dried stains and leave to work overnight. The next day, the stains should come off if you rinse the tray under hot water. If necessary, go over it a little more vigorously with a washing-up brush.
Cleaning baking trays with soda
Washing soda also contains sodium carbonate, which is why it is also suitable for cleaning a baking tray. The advantage of this method over baking powder is that soda combines very well with water and therefore has an even stronger cleaning effect. And all without heating or baking.
Here’s how it works: Mix two to three tablespoons of soda with hot water and apply to the dirty areas. For stubborn stains, leave the mixture to work overnight. Then clean with fresh water.
Cleaning baking tray with salt
We all have salt at home and therefore an effective remedy for baked-on food in the cupboard. However, be prepared for the fact that you will need more muscle power to clean the baking tray with the salt method. This is because salt is more suitable for light to medium stains.
Here’s how it works: Spread half a packet of salt on the baking tray so that the base is completely covered. Now simply place the tray in the oven and heat it to 50 degrees top/bottom heat. After an hour at the latest, or when the salt has turned brown, remove the baking tray.
Wait until it has cooled down a little and then rub the salt and dirt off the tray. A dishwashing brush and hot water will help with the finishing touches.
Cleaning baking trays with vinegar and lemon
The all-rounder vinegar is a hot candidate when it comes to cleaning baking trays. Because the pungent vinegar odour bothers many people, you can add a little lemon juice for a fresh scent. Citric acid is also an effective cleaning booster in itself.
Here’s how it works: Cover the bottom of the tray completely with household vinegar. Mix in a little hot water and the juice of one or two lemons. Place the tray in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees top/bottom heat.
Once most of the lemon and vinegar mixture has evaporated, even stubborn stains can be easily removed from the cooled baking tray.
Dissolve encrustations on baking trays with cola
Cola is also often used as a trick to dissolve dirt on baking trays – thanks to the phosphoric acid.
Here’s how it works: Pour fresh or stale cola into the baking tray until the base is covered. Then bring to the boil over a low heat or briefly bake or heat in the oven. Then rinse thoroughly with fresh water.
Cleaning the baking tray with a special cleaning agent
You should be able to remove most stains without any problems using one of the home remedies listed. However, if nothing else helps, you can also use a special cleaner.
This is how it works: To clean, simply apply gel paste to the affected areas with a brush. Then cover the baking tray with some cling film. Leave on for a few minutes to 3 hours, depending on the degree of soiling. Remove the cling film and rinse the surface with plenty of water.
Important: You should be very careful during cleaning and always wear gloves, as the cleaner can cause severe skin irritation. The product must not get into the eyes either.
