Remove Caked-On Grime From Your Baking Trays With This Must-Have Product

If you often find yourself vigorously scrubbing away at your grimy aluminum baking trays to no avail, you may wonder if you'll ever get them clean. However, rather than tossing them and buying new cookware, it turns out you can easily make your trays look new again with Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser. Making a paste from this product and a little water is they key to restoring your baking trays. 

With many of us spending up to six hours cleaning per week, per the American Cleaning Institute, creating this simple mixture should make tackling some of your tougher household chores easier, allowing you to quickly give your baking trays a deep clean. Not only that, but it should also help to save you money, as you won't have to replace your grimy baking sheets. All you'll need is a few tools, and you should be ready to kickstart the transformation!

To try this out for yourself, you'll need Bar Keepers Friend cleanser, which you can find on Amazon for $11.17, and a sponge or cloth you're willing to get a bit dirty. You'll also need gloves and perhaps a mask to cover your nose and mouth. Combine a small amount of cleanser with some water, either in a bowl or directly on your baking tray. You'll have a paste-like substance. If you're unsure how much to apply, it's always better to start with a little and apply more if needed to avoid wasting any product.

To get rid of the grime, scrub with your sponge and paste, ensuring you get into every nook and cranny. You should begin to see the grime transfer over to your cloth or sponge, so you'll easily be able to tell if it's working or not. Add more paste as needed. Leave the mixture to sit for half an hour or more, depending on how grimy your tray is. After rinsing, you should be left with completely grime-free baking trays that look like you just grabbed them off the store shelf. You can repeat these steps if your tray isn't clean enough.

You may be wondering exactly how this magical product works. It's due to the abrasive oxalic acid in Bar Keepers Friend, as well as surfactants. This abrasiveness combined with the loosening abilities of the surfactants help to break up the grime, so you can remove it more easily using your cleaning tools. However, there are some precautions to keep in mind while working with this cleanser.

Avoid getting the product on your skin or inhaling it, as it can be irritating or harmful. Wear gloves when using it, and use it in a well-ventilated area. Secondly, never mix it with other cleaning agents such as ammonia or bleach, or any alkaline products. Doing so could result in potentially toxic fumes. Instead, use Bar Keepers Friend mixed with water, or as advised by the product instructions, and stick to cleaning aluminum trays, as it may damage your non-stick ones. However, you could also put it to work in your kitchen sink, to get rid of mineral deposits, or get rid of soap scum on shower doors. One tip: Your baking tray is one of those kitchen items you don't need to clean as often if you cover it with aluminum foil every time you use it.