The better to clean the aluminum pan. How to clean aluminum cookware at home

Aluminum is a soft and pliable material, it quickly gets dirty and easily deteriorates if not cleaned properly. This problem becomes relevant when it is necessary to rid aluminum cookware from grease, scale and carbon deposits. Experienced housewives clutch their heads, not knowing what to do in such a situation. Today we will look at the basic rules for caring for kitchen utensils and the nuances of cleaning them.

Cleaning rules for aluminum cookware

  1. Before washing aluminum dishes, wait until they have completely cooled down. Otherwise, all the fat will be absorbed into the heated material, making it much more difficult to get rid of the pollution.
  2. Do not rinse hot kitchen utensils with cold water. This can lead to deformation of the dishes, their darkening, cracking and other problems.
  3. If you intend to wash the dishes, let them cool down first, then soak them in a mixture of water and shavings of soap. Food and other dirt will come off and you can easily remove them with a sponge and dishwashing gel.
  4. To prevent streaks from appearing on the metal, dry the dishes with a soft cloth after washing. Never leave aluminum utensils to drain or put in the dishwasher.
  5. The boiling method is used to clean the surface of kitchen utensils. A large dish is selected, a pan made of aluminum is placed in it and boiled with the addition of water and soda.
  6. Do not use hard sponges or brushes during cleaning. A soft cloth or foam sponge is suitable for manipulation. After cleaning, rinse the dishes under the tap and dry.
  7. Never use abrasive or alkaline products for cleaning aluminum cookware. So you will only damage the surface, dirt will clog into the cracks later.

Cleaning aluminum cookware to a shine

Cookware of this type often loses its original appearance due to violation of the rules of operation. But do not despair, even an inexperienced hostess can return the shine. There are several methods, which we will look at in turn.

  1. If you need to get rid of darkening on the surface of the container, use cucumber pickle, yogurt, kefir. Soak a sponge in the composition and rub, then leave for 2 hours, wash the dishes thoroughly. If there are dark spots inside the container, pour kefir into the cavity and leave for 4 hours. By analogy, the pan must be well washed and dried after handling.
  2. A 6 or 9% acetic solution will help to restore the shine. Arm yourself with a soft cloth, soak it in vinegar, rub well the darkened surface of the dishes. Then rinse the container, walk with a dry cloth to collect excess moisture.
  3. To give the original appearance of the inner part of the aluminum cookware, it is necessary to pour cold filtered water to the top into its cavity. Place the pot on the stove and let it boil. Then lower a few cut onions inside and wait 10 minutes. Turn off the hotplate, wash the dishes with a sponge and dry.
  4. The use of apples is useful in this case. Their cavities contain acids that corrode the plaque on the surface of aluminum dishes. It is enough to cut the fruit in half, remove the middle, and rub the aluminum with the pulp. This simple move will help you restore the original shine to the dishes.
  5. If you have tooth powder, use it. Make a gruel by mixing the free-flowing mixture with drinking water. Rub the darkened or shine-free areas on the aluminum cookware with this mass. Let it sit for literally 5-10 minutes, then wipe off the excess with a soft cloth. Finally, wash the utensils thoroughly.
  6. Some housewives have adapted to get rid of darkening and loss of shine with a regular pencil eraser. Manipulation is not difficult. Rub the stain until it shines.

Cleaning aluminum dishes from greasy stains

Grease marks on the surface of cookware is a natural phenomenon with regular use of aluminum cookware. Such complex pollution can be deduced by looking closely at the methods described below.

  1. Prepare a basin that can hold the dirty dishes. Pour lukewarm filtered water into this bowl, add dishwashing detergent, and beat until lather. Dip the aluminum saucepan or skillet and let sit for 1 hour. After this time, wash the kitchen utensils well with a soft sponge and wipe with a cloth.
  2. If fat appears inside, pour clean drinking water into the container cavity, add equal amounts of vinegar and lemon juice. Send the dishes to the stove and boil the contents for a third of an hour. Pour out the liquid, cool the container and wipe it with a sponge.
  3. If you need to carry out a general cleaning of the cutlery, prepare a container for boiling. Pour water into it and add citric acid, mix. Send the devices inside, simmer over high heat for 10 minutes. Wipe with a sponge, rinse, dry.

  1. Before proceeding with the procedure, the container must cool down. Otherwise, the crockery may deform when it comes into contact with cold water.
  2. If the carbon deposit did not have time to be absorbed into the cavity of the material, resort to using a soap solution. Grate half of the hozmila block with a medium-hole grater. Send the chips to 1.5-1.8 liters. water with a temperature regime of about 40 degrees. Place the cooking utensils inside. Wait at least 25-35 minutes.
  3. Stubborn stains can be easily removed. To do this, prepare a liquid mass and grind the products in it. 9 liters. take more than half a bar of water, 300 gr. soda and 120 gr. glue (silicate). The boiling procedure should not last more than 4 minutes.
  4. After cleaning actions, be sure to thoroughly rinse the dishes with running water. Leave the products to dry naturally. If the dirt is light, it can be removed with a foam sponge or soft cloth.

Descaling aluminum cookware

  1. If the tap water is hard, limescale will build up on any utensil when cooking. For aluminum products, plaque builds up extremely quickly. Do not rub the surface hard, otherwise you risk damaging the walls.
  2. To properly remove scale, you need to take into account some of the nuances. If the plaque is persistent, it is necessary to boil the product in a soapy solution with the addition of silicate glue and soda ash. The recipe has already been mentioned.
  3. If the scale is a small layer, then you can get rid of it with ammonia. To do this, pour in 5 ml. composition in 3-4 liters of water. Stir in 40 gr. baking soda and 20 gr. laundry soap. The resulting solution must be scrubbed off. Rinse the aluminum container with running water.
  4. Also, table vinegar can cope with the task. Fill a saucepan with water and stir in 120 ml. vinegar. Boil for a quarter of an hour. After the performed manipulation, drain the liquid and rinse the container with non-hot water. Dry with a towel.

How to properly care for aluminum cookware

In order not to face the problem of cleaning aluminum containers from carbon deposits and grease stains, you need to know the rules for caring for aluminum.

  1. If you purchased a new container made of this material, boil the product in salt water before use. During the procedure, the metal acquires an increased stiffness coefficient. As a result, fumes and limescale will stick to the walls less.
  2. To keep the dishes shiny, wash the containers with soapy water and ammonia.
  3. To keep the shine of the dishes as long as possible, the products must be cleaned with tooth powder. To do this, apply the composition to a damp cloth and soft fibers. Wipe the surface thoroughly.
  4. To prevent stains in pots, it is not recommended to cook potatoes and dishes without salt in containers made of such material.

Cleaning aluminum cookware requires adherence to certain rules. Do not wash the utensils if they have not cooled down to room temperature yet. The use of abrasive products and hard sponges is prohibited. Pay attention to the above effective cleaning methods.

Video: how to clean an aluminum pan from burning and grease

Question, how to clean aluminum cookware at home requires careful study. Many of the cleansing methods offered on the Internet are harmful and only exacerbate the situation. How to clean properly? Read about this in our article.

Aluminum is a commonly used material for making kitchen utensils. This is one of the most affordable and unpretentious metals. The dishes made from it are lightweight and comfortable.

However, despite its durability, metal can lose its natural silvery sheen over time. With use, such dishes become cloudy, covered with dark and rusty spots.

But it's not a problem. Cleaning aluminum cookware is easy. However, it is important to do it right. With the right approach, the dishes will remain in good condition for several years. See below for a guide to proper cleaning.

You will need:

  • warm water;
  • mild detergent;
  • soft sponge;
  • paper towels.

To remove stains from aluminum, follow the steps below.

  1. Warm water preparation. It is best to wash aluminum dishes by hand. Avoid dishwashers or the metal will lose its luster. The minerals in the dishwasher also contribute to wear and tear. Fill a sink or other container with warm water and add a few drops of a mild detergent solution.
  2. Removing dirt. Dry the dishes with a dry paper towel. Then place it in warm water and keep it there for 1 hour. This will make cleaning easier.
  3. Additional cleaning and drying. Most of the dirt and stains will be removed in the previous step. For additional cleaning, use a soft sponge with non-aggressive cleaning agents.

After rinsing, place the dishes in the dryer until the water has completely evaporated.

If the stains do not want to be removed in any way, even if you have followed all the steps described above, turn to additional means.

1. We use vinegar. After the dishes are washed and dry, take a large saucepan and fill it with water. For every quarter of water, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Place the dishes in there and simmer for 10 minutes. Then drain the water and let the dishes cool down. Then you can wash it in the usual way and dry it. This method will also help remove rust.

2. We use kefir. First of all, dark spots are cleaned with kefir.

Instead of kefir, you can use sour milk. It is necessary to take a suitable container, place the dishes there and completely fill it with kefir. Better to leave for 3-4 hours. As a rule, the spots disappear. All that remains is to rinse the dishes with detergent and dry them.

3. We use cucumber or tomato pickle. As in the previous example, fill the dishes with brine and leave for 2-3 hours.

Simple sour tomatoes are also fine. Just wipe the surface with them and leave it on for a while.

Instead of pickle or tomatoes, you can use simple store-bought ketchup. The effect will be similar.

If the rust hasn't been removed with vinegar, other foods can be used as well.

1. We use lemon juice. Take half of the fruit and squeeze the juice into a glass or cup.

Add vinegar there, in about the same amount, to get a 1: 1 ratio. Mix thoroughly.

Spread the resulting liquid over a rusty surface and leave for 2 hours. After this time, remove the rust with any rag and rinse the dishes.

2. We use tablets. We are talking about Alka-Seltzer tablets, which can be easily purchased at the pharmacy. They are intended for the treatment of the liver, but they also cope with rust well. Especially on aluminum.

Throw 1-2 tablets into half a glass of water and wait for complete dissolution. After that, fill the dishes with this water and wait 10-20 minutes. Over time, everything should be well washed off with water.

In extreme cases, you can use baking soda. But it is better not to do this, since aluminum is sensitive to alkali.

Restoration of gloss

It is not enough to know how to clean dishes. She also needs to return to its former radiant appearance.

You will need:

  • toothpaste;
  • large container with water.

Put water in a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of toothpaste for every quarter. We put the dishes in the container and boil for 10 minutes. Then rinse the utensils with warm water and dry.

The toothpaste contains aluminum dioxide, which is a very mild abrasive. It is thanks to him that the metal acquires its original shine.

Instead of toothpaste, you can also use a more exotic remedy - tartar. This is the sludge that forms during the production of wine. It is often used as a leavening agent. Can be found in household supplies stores.

You can clear it. The main thing here is how. Cleaning aluminum cookware at home is easy, but not all means are good.

  1. Avoid using harsh abrasives. Such as a metal sponge. They will scratch the dishes. If the stains are hard to come by and you cannot do without such products, choose a quality brand and do not put pressure on the dishes when cleaning.
  2. Avoid baking soda. And any products that contain alkali. Some sources suggest or even recommend using baking soda. Do not do this. This will discolor the dishes.
  3. Use hot water sparingly. Aluminum is a temperature sensitive metal. Using boiling water and even just hot water, be careful not to deform the shape of the dishes. Before doing any manipulations with it, it is better to let the dishes cool down.
  4. Remove burnt food carefully. If your aluminum pots and pans contain burnt food, the safest way is to simply pour hot water over them. Let the water stand for about one hour. Then drain the water and wash the items as usual.

Mother of two children. I have been running a household for over 7 years - this is my main job. I love to experiment, I constantly try various means, methods, techniques that can make our life easier, more modern, richer. I love my family.

If the care of aluminum cookware is incorrect, as a result, rust forms, oxidative processes appear.

This material is very soft and susceptible to various types of dirt. Therefore, the problem of burnt food is serious because it is important to clean the aluminum without damaging the surface.

This is difficult to do with conventional dish detergents. So how can you clean aluminum?

Citric juice

The acid in lemons is a well-known natural cleaner. It is also able to remove traces of rust that appear on aluminum pans if not properly cared for.

How to clean at home:

  1. To clean, you will first need to coat the rusted areas with salt.
  2. Then squeeze the lemon juice. You can use lime instead.
  3. The salt and lemon juice should work within 2 hours.
  4. Then they take a soft sponge and clean the remnants of the mixture, and with it the rust.

You can use acid, it helps to remove scale. Dilute one sachet in water, pour it into a saucepan and boil for about 30 minutes.

Then the kitchen utensils are simply rinsed. Citric acid and juice are safe and healthy products. If the pan rusts, this is the best way to clean it.

Lemon juice + tartar + soda

Aluminum has a natural shine and beauty. However, without regular cleaning, such surfaces lose their gloss and scale forms on them. The process depends a lot on the product to be cleaned.


How to clean aluminum?

How to wash: Lemon juice, tartar, water, soft dish sponge, baking soda; rubber gloves.

How to clean aluminum:

  1. Wash the aluminum to remove the basic dirt and dry it.
  2. Mix 1 tbsp. l. tartar (formed at the bottom of bottles or barrels of wine), vinegar and soda with one-quarter of the water. The solution should be enough to fill the entire pot.
  3. Place cookware on the stove over medium heat. Wait for it to boil. If you also need to clean your cutlery, such as spoons or forks, you can also dip them in this solution.
  4. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. When limescale begins to lag behind the sides of the pot, put on rubber gloves and clean the utensils and the container itself with a sponge and dishwashing detergent.

In the same solution, you can boil to remove traces of fat andplaquefrom external surfaces.

Vinegar is another of the best natural cleansers. It removes rust perfectly. To remove it from small items such as knives, spoons or forks, place them in the solution of this product.

Then wash them with your cheek, rinse in clean water and pat dry with a towel.


Bura

Borax solution is another good remedy for. It can be used to remove rust, scale and carbon deposits. This is a quick help for burnt food particles.

You will need: borax, a clean soft cloth, water and rubber gloves.

How to remove carbon deposits from aluminum pans:

  1. Sprinkle the entire shell with brown.
  2. Dampen a soft cloth with water and slightly dampen the product.
  3. After 10 minutes, rinse the dishes thoroughly with clean water.

With this method, you will quickly wash off all dirt.

External aluminum surfaces can be cleaned using special products sold on store shelves. Household chemicals can lighten metal as well as remove scale.


To wash an aluminum pan, you will need to prepare a dishwashing detergent, a bucket, warm water, a special solvent for scale and carbon deposits, soft towels.

Some cleaning agents should be used in a mask, as indicated in the instructions.

How to clean aluminum pans at home:

  1. The process must be carried out outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  2. Fill a bucket with warm water, add detergent.
  3. Take a store bought product, process the dishes in accordance with the instructions.
  4. Rinse the pan with detergent and water to remove any household cleaning residues.

Wipe the aluminum pan thoroughly and dry. It must be kept dry to prevent rusting.

How to clean? From household chemicals such products are more often used: Bref, Losk. Also, such products may contain aluminum oxide.

Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide

Sodium bicarbonate is a proven product that can effectively clean silver, aluminum, copper and brass cookware.

If the hostess is faced with the issue of limescale on her favorite pot, then this is the best solution to the problem.

How to clean black and scale from aluminum cookware:

  1. Pour hydrogen peroxide onto the area to be cleaned.
  2. Sprinkle in baking soda to completely cover the area to be treated.
  3. Rub the surface gently with a soft brush.


Finally, rinse with warm water to remove baking soda and dirt.

Aluminum reacts quickly with sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda can discolor your dishes, so it's best to use it in moderation.

Flour + salt + white vinegar

A mixture of flour, salt and vinegar is another effective home remedy for cleaning painted aluminum surfaces.

To clean aluminum, you need the following components:

  • flour - 1 tbsp. l .;
  • salt - 1 tsp;
  • white vinegar - 1 tbsp l.

You should also prepare a small brush, soft towel and water in advance.

Step by step instructions on how to clean an aluminum pan:

  1. Step 1 - mix the ingredients together. Combine salt and white vinegar, add flour and stir. You should get a pasta without lumps, reminiscent of store sour cream.
  2. Step 2 - cover the product with a paste. Using a small brush, apply the mixture evenly over the entire painted surface. Let the paste work for 40 minutes.
  3. Step 3 - wash and dry. Moisten the surface to be cleaned with water and rub gently for 3 minutes. Rinse off residues with water.

This is a great way to deal with tough dirt. It will save aluminum from oxidation, remove grease, scale and carbon deposits.

If you do not know what to clean, you can always use the products that are in the refrigerator. If oxidative processes have begun, it is recommended to use ketchup. You can use any product to clean your pan.


Ketchup can be used to clean aluminum baking sheets, spoons and pans.

The algorithm of action for an oxidized product made of such a metal:

  1. If the dishes are oxidized, they are completely covered with a layer of ketchup. Give it a little effect, about 20 minutes.
  2. Wipe with a soft cloth and rinse with water.

This simple and cheap method can be used to clean aluminum to a shine. And also the dishes will stop oxidizing.

For cleaning aluminum you can also use white vinegar. The acid it contains works wonders.


Descaling the pot with vinegar is easy. It also removes fat. You can also use white vinegar when the food is burnt in the pan or it is covered in soot.

How to clean a burnt-out aluminum pot or skillet:

  1. Dilute 1: 2 white vinegar with water.
  2. Soak a sponge in the solution and wipe the dishes with it.
  3. Take an old toothbrush and scrub it hard on the areas where the most burnt food has accumulated.

After achieving the desired result, rinse the dishes under running water.

The peel of one apple will help to clean aluminum pots at home to a shine. This method can also be used for enameled dishes.


Apple peel perfectly removes any dirt, including carbon deposits.

How to remove carbon deposits from an aluminum pan:

  1. Place the apple peel in a container of water and bring to a boil.
  2. We turn the handle of the gas supply stove and set it to medium mode.
  3. We boil for half an hour.
  4. We pour out the water, let the kitchen utensils cool and wash them with soapy water.

The acid in apples works in a similar way to vinegar. Quickly removes any dirt.

You can also wipe the outside of the pot with the apple peel.

Sour milk

An unusual, but very effective method for cleaning aluminum dishes is sour milk or kefir.


How to wash:

  1. Easily remove carbon deposits from the baking sheet. pour sour milk.
  2. Leave it overnight.
  3. Sour milk will soften carbon deposits and burnt food. In the morning, dirt can be easily removed with a dishwashing sponge.

It is impossible to keep sour milk in aluminum utensils for longer, otherwise the oxidation process will begin.

Onion

Onions also contain substances that can descale dishes. The vegetable should be peeled before washing with this method.

If you put the husk in a saucepan, it may brown over it.

Peeled onions are placed in a saucepan, poured with cold water to the very brim, and boiled for 1 hour. If it was not possible to clean the kitchen utensils during this time, the procedure can be extended.

To save the pot and pan from burning, it is necessary to look after the food, as well as to properly care for it. Aluminum appliances must not be washed with bleach.

If a woman has already washed pots with Whiteness, then she should know that soon she will have to buy new kitchen utensils.

Do not salt fish and vegetables in aluminum utensils, or store vegetables, meat or other food products. Such dishes quickly deteriorate, and prolonged contact, even with ordinary water, will lead to the appearance of dark spots. Therefore, after washing, you should always wipe the pots and spoons dry.

An aluminum pan is lightweight, heats up quickly and is relatively inexpensive. But aluminum is a fairly soft metal, so it is prone to corrosion and oxidation. For this reason, such products quickly become covered with carbon deposits, scratches and lose their shine. Burnt food in an aluminum pan is also common. It is not necessary to throw away dishes that have lost their appearance; it is enough to know how to clean them at home.

  • Wipe off carbon deposits with an iron washcloth. As a result, the pan will be covered with unsightly scratches, into which dirt will clog.
    Use a cleaning powder. As in the previous case, scratches cannot be avoided.
  • Clean with concentrated acids and alkalis. Reacting with aluminum, they cause browning to darken. These substances can be found in common household chemicals, so choose a metal cleaner.
  • Dishwasher safe for aluminum dishes. As a result of such washing, the protective oxide film is destroyed, which leads to darkening and deformation of the product.
  • The oxide film is also destroyed by soda. Therefore, use it as little as possible and between cleanings carry out the restoration procedure (calcination) of the pan, which is described at the end of the article.

How to remove burnt food

Regular aluminum cookware does not have a non-stick coating and has thin walls. Therefore, the food in it often burns, and it can be difficult to wipe off the burn. Procedure if the pan is burnt:

  • Pour dishwashing detergent and water into the bottom of the dish.
  • Boil for 10-20 minutes.
  • Leave on for 2-3 hours.
  • Rub the softened dirt with a sponge.

There are several more effective folk ways on how to clean a burnt pot inside:

Salt. Prepare a concentrated brine solution and boil until the carbon deposits begin to come off. If the jam is burnt, fill the bottom of the container with salt for 2-3 hours, and then remove the burn with a sponge. Repeat as necessary. Remains of the jam should be removed without the use of abrasives.

Citric acid. Dissolve 2 tbsp. l. powder in such an amount of water that it covers the carbon deposits. Boil for 10-15 minutes, rub with a sponge.

Vinegar. If necessary, use instead of lemon in the same way. For 1 liter of water, take a glass of 9% vinegar.

Activated carbon help get rid of burnt milk and dairy products. Fill the bottom of the pan with crushed tablets and leave for half an hour. Then fill with cold water and stand for another 40 minutes.

Salt, soda and ammonia. This composition is good for fresh dirt. Pour the ingredients into a saucepan in equal parts, pour the water above the burn-in level and simmer with the lid closed for 20 minutes.

And ammonia. Mix equal parts soap shavings and ammonia, 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water. Fill a saucepan with the solution, boil for 15-20 minutes, rub with a sponge if necessary.

How to remove carbon deposits and darkening

When heated, adhering food, grease and dirt particles form an ugly black coating (carbon deposits). Moreover, with aluminum cookware, this happens especially often due to the properties of the metal. If carbon deposits are not removed in time, a thick layer will accumulate.

In addition, in the process of aluminum oxidation, the surface tarnishes and darkens. The dishes will turn black even faster if you boil water without salt in them, boil potatoes in their uniforms, cook sour dishes, for example, cabbage soup, compotes.

To clear the aluminum pan from burning and soot, to lighten the walls outside and inside, folk remedies will help.

Salt, vinegar and mustard. Mix the ingredients in equal parts and rub the walls with the resulting gruel, leave for 15 minutes and rinse with water. This composition will perfectly wash away stubborn fat.

You can clean the pan until it shines table vinegar. Apply acid to a rag and scrub the soiled areas. After 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly under running water.

Outside carbon deposits can be removed with salt. Apply it to a sponge, moisten with water and rub on problem areas.

Silicate glue or PVA

This old proven method will help get rid of strong burning and old fat. If you need to get rid of the dirt inside, take 2 tbsp. l. glue and 2 tbsp. l. grated laundry soap. Dissolve these ingredients in 2 liters of water. Boil for 30-40 minutes with the lid closed, after which the remaining carbon can be easily removed with a sponge.

If you want to remove blackness from the outside of pots, choose a large container that suits your needs. Pour 1 bottle of silicate glue or half a glass of PVA glue into it, 1 piece of grated laundry soap. Pour in water and put on fire. Stirring gradually, wait until the soap dissolves and place the dishes to be cleaned into the solution. Boil for an hour with a lid on the container. Then remove the aluminum pieces and finish cleaning with a sponge.

To get rid of dark deposits and darkening on aluminum surfaces, use food acids. They will not harm the metal, but they will significantly brighten the dishes:

Apple. Take a sour fruit, cut it in half and wipe the darkened areas with a cut.
Lemon juice. Wipe dark spots with half a lemon, rinse with cold water.
Sorrel. Boil a bunch of sorrel in a bowl for half an hour.
Kefir, whey or yogurt. Simply pour the existing product into a saucepan and let sit overnight. You can also use cucumber pickle.

How to descale

Aluminum cookware is often used to boil water. Use the same effective home remedies to remove limescale deposits.

Lemon acid. Boil water with 2 tbsp. l. lemons for 15 minutes. Remove from the stove, after cooling, rinse with a sponge.

Soda. Wipe the limescale with the baking soda gruel. When rinsing, add ammonia to the water.

Kefir, brine or whey. Fill with the liquid in the house for 3 hours, then drain and rinse with running water.

Onion. It also helps to get rid of scale and carbon deposits well. Peel the onion, chop and add the required amount of water. Boil in a saucepan for 20-30 minutes.

Dentifrice. Mix it with a teaspoon of dish soap, apply to the bottom and sides, and let sit for 24 hours.

Advice! Traditional methods are effective with a small layer of scale. If the lime deposits are old, you will have to use household chemicals. Read the instructions carefully so as not to damage the product.

Maintenance rules for aluminum cookware

If you have purchased a new pot, you need to prepare it for use. First of all, wash it with a soapy sponge to get rid of technical lubricants.

Next, you need to ignite the pan in order to restore the oxide film. It protects dishes from oxidation and deterioration, and also prevents harmful impurities from entering food. The procedure is carried out as follows:

  • Pour vegetable oil into the bottom of a dry, clean saucepan.
  • Add 1 tbsp. l. salt.
  • Heat the saucepan while tilting it to distribute the oil to the sides.
  • If you smell burning, remove from heat and wait until it cools.
  • Wash with a sponge and detergent.

Advice! It is advisable to do this procedure between cleanings, since the protective film is broken when exposed to acids and alkalis.

Also adhere to the following rules:

  • Try not to cook acidic and dairy foods in aluminum pans.
  • Stir the food often while cooking to prevent it from burning. To do this, use a wooden or silicone spatula to avoid scratching.
  • After cooking, immediately transfer to another container. Do not leave it in a saucepan, otherwise the food will quickly spoil and acquire an unpleasant metallic taste.
  • Do not salt and ferment foods in aluminum dishes: when salt and acid come into contact with aluminum, compounds harmful to health are formed.
  • Once a week, do a prophylactic scrubbing of the outside with baking soda and a sponge.

Aluminum is a lightweight, durable metal that heats up quickly and evenly. These qualities make it suitable for the manufacture of kitchen utensils, primarily pots and pans, colanders.

However, initially shiny or even matte aluminum household items lose their attractive appearance, becoming covered with oxide, stains, a hard-to-remove coating or burn to black.

Such utensils are unpleasant and even dangerous to use for cooking. Therefore, it is recommended to figure out how to clean aluminum utensils, rid them of carbon deposits and oxide.

Choice of means

The disadvantages of aluminum include the softness of the metal, its instability to abrasion. If you plan to keep your pots shiny for longer, stop using wire scourers and brushes, abrasive sponges, or sandpaper.

Even an application that is able to rid the metal of the oxidation film will affect the appearance of the utensils - the shiny surface will become dull due to numerous micro-scratches.

Polishing with GOI paste will help to return it to its ideal state - a cloth soaked in a solvent is rubbed with a piece of hard paste, and then the metal surface is polished to a mirror finish.

When choosing how to clean aluminum, you should pay attention to substances that are almost always at hand for any housewife. These include:

  • laundry soap;
  • baking soda;
  • salt;
  • table vinegar;
  • lemon juice or citric acid;
  • dairy products;
  • cream of tartar;
  • stationery glue;
  • oxalic acid, etc.

When cleaning aluminum utensils from blackness, stains and carbon deposits, use brushes with semi-rigid polymer bristles, foam sponges, cotton or microfiber napkins, and rags.

If advice on how to clean a burnt pot or frying pan at home does not help to cope with the task, you can try using special products for cleaning porcelain and glass. Or resort to such means as "Chister", "Bugs Shumanit", "Oven Cleaner", etc. Use special equipment, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Brand new aluminum utensils shine attractively, but after a while of regular use they tarnish and become covered with unaesthetic stains. Usually housewives use the same usual composition for washing aluminum dishes as for pots and pans made of other materials, primarily stainless steel.

But this is the wrong approach. Conventional dishwashing detergents are capable of cleaning the aluminum surface from common dirt, but they will not save it from oxidation, will not be able to fully protect against the gradual formation of plaque, which, under regular exposure to high temperatures, turns into carbon deposits over time.

Therefore, as needed, including if food is accidentally burnt during cooking, effective methods of cleaning aluminum cookware should be used, using home or special products.

Methods for cleaning aluminum from stains, oxide

Option 1. Sour liquid. Plaque, dark spots can be removed by pouring kefir or sour milk, cucumber pickle, Coca-Cola on the bottom of the dish and leaving it for 10-12 hours.

The sides of the pan can be wrapped with a rag soaked in the appropriate composition, and moistened with it several times, preventing it from drying out. After soaking, the utensils are washed under running cool water and the dirt is wiped off with a soft cloth.

Option 2. Sour apples. Sliced ​​apples are used to wipe the surface of the aluminum dish if it has darkened over time. After waiting about an hour, you can repeat the procedure. Then the dishes are washed and wiped off with a rag or soft sponge.

Option 3. How to clean aluminum to a shine using table salt. If the pan turns black, it is placed in a solution of sodium chloride at room temperature for half an hour or an hour.

To prepare the solution, warm water and salt are used in a 1: 1 ratio, it is important to wait until it is completely dissolved. After soaking with a sponge, clean the surface to a shine, then rinse with cool water.

Option 4. Tartar. This is the classic method that has been resorted to since the days when aluminum cookware was just beginning to come into everyday life. Tartar forms at the bottom of containers in which wine is stored for a long time.

This precipitate is collected and taken up in hot water. After the solution has cooled, a soft rag or napkin is well moistened in it, after which an aluminum object with traces of darkening and oxide is treated.

To grate the dishes to a mirror-like shine, a thick gruel is prepared from tartar and water. Polishing will take a lot of time and effort.

Then the utensils are washed in cool water and wiped dry with a soft cloth. Cleaning with tartar is considered to be more gentle than using citric acid or vinegar, due to the high temperatures during boiling.

Option 5. Soda. Sodium bicarbonate is poured into a small bowl or other suitable container, a little water is added to form a slurry. The resulting composition is applied to the darkened surface of the pan and rubbed with a soft cloth. Rinse the dishes well after polishing.

Option 6. Soap solution + polishing. Laundry soap shavings are dissolved in hot water, and utensils are soaked in it. Then it is washed and treated to a shine with a sponge using a mixture of ammonia (5 grams) and borax (15 grams).

Methods for cleaning carbon deposits

Layered carbon deposits on the outside of the pan or food remnants on the bottom that burned out and firmly adhered to the metal surface cannot be removed using the methods described above. Consider potent cleaning methods.

Option 1. Soda + glue. Pots or a frying pan made of aluminum, on the walls of which carbon deposits have formed, are soaked for 3-4 hours in a solution made from baking soda, office glue and water.

Ten liters of hot water are poured into a container of a suitable size, then one hundred grams of soda and silicate glue are dissolved in it. Utensils soaked in a cooled solution are cleaned with a sponge until shiny and rinsed thoroughly in clean water.

Option 2. Table vinegar. If you do not have at your disposal special tools that can effectively clean a burnt out aluminum pan, use ordinary table vinegar or apple cider vinegar (6 or 9%), it is also allowed to dilute the essence in a ratio of 1 part to 10 parts of water.

The vinegar should be poured into a skillet or saucepan that has burnt food on the bottom. The dishes are placed on the stove and the high heat is turned on. Bring the liquid to a boil, remove the pan or saucepan from heat and allow it to cool completely.

When the temperature of the liquid reaches room temperature, use a sponge to wash off the remains of burnt food. Then the dishes are washed well under running water.

Vinegar can also be used to remove dark oxide stains from aluminum utensils. It is enough to moisten a rag with the composition and carefully treat the aluminum surfaces.

Remember to protect your hands with rubber gloves when using vinegar. If the option with boiling is selected, open a window for ventilation, turn on the hood so that the pungent smell does not spread throughout the apartment.

Conclusion

Knowing how to clean a frying pan or pan made of aluminum, you can easily figure out how to clean other products made of this metal that are on the farm, for example, moldings on kitchen furniture.

But it is important to know that the choice of cleaning agents for anodized aluminum, which has an attractive yellow-golden color, is limited - you can only use laundry soap and a mixture of ammonia and borax for polishing.