What You'll Want To Reach For When Cleaning Enamel Dishes

Enamel dishes and cookware are durable, and cleaning them is usually relatively simple. With most meals, a simple sponge in warm water will take care of the mess. However, there is one thing you'll want to keep on hand if you regularly use enamel in the kitchen; and, oddly enough, you may find it in your bathroom. Denture tablets may be just the thing you're looking for when attacking tough enamel stains.

These unique dishes are both highly functional and aesthetically endearing as they often conjure up the feeling of home and comfort with their perfectly painted designs. Similarly, with enamel cookware, a sense of tradition and family bonds often stem from the sturdy and long-lasting pots and pans.

Many times, these items are passed down from generation to generation, which results in a lot of meals cooked and served with them. However, when food is left to dry and harden on surfaces, it not only makes cleaning much more difficult but it has the potential to stain. Since denture tablets' entire job is to lift stains, it makes sense that this common product can help remove spots from your enamel kitchenware.

The process of using denture tablets to clean enamel couldn't be any easier. According to One Good Thing, all you need to do is fill your enamel pot or pan with warm water and then add 1-2 denture tablets to the water. The tablets will fizz as they work hard to remove the stains — denture tablets can also clean coffee pots.

Once they have completely stopped fizzing, that is your signal to remove the water and rinse off the pot or pan. Then just clean as you normally would. Enamelware is best washed by hand rather than a dishwasher since the gentle washing helps preserve it. Use warm water and a sufficient amount of dish soap to wash the piece with a non-abrasive soapy sponge.

For dishes, you can follow the same process; but fill up a container to hold the water and drop your dish in it, along with the denture tablets. Again, once the fizz stops, remove the dish and wash it under warm water with a soft, soapy sponge.

If you don't have denture tablets in your home, you more than likely have the next best thing right in your cupboard. You can also use a concoction made from baking soda and kosher salt to remove stuck-on food and protect against staining.

First, remove as much as possible of the food that is stuck by washing your enamelware with a cloth or sponge. You can also scrape it with a plastic spatula. Don't use a metal spatula as that can damage the enamel. Then, dry it completely with a paper towel. Next, create a paste from baking soda, kosher salt, and water. Completely cover the stuck-on or stained areas of the cookware or dish with the paste. Then scrub with a cloth and the food should fall off while the stains lift. 

For more difficult stuck food and stains, repeat the process. If you still have problem areas where food has burnt into the pan, boiling water may help remove it. Other ways to remove stains and stuck-on food on enamelware include hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda and even bleach and water.