Save Your Sink From Scratches With Martha Stewart's Cast Iron Cleaning Hack

Cast iron pans may be great for cooking, but they also have the potential to scratch your sink. You may know how to care for your cast iron pan, but not necessarily how to stop it from damaging other kitchen items. Enter Martha Stewart, whose expert advice on all things to do with the kitchen extends to a super handy hack that will protect your sink. In a TikTok containing footage from a throwback episode of Stewart's show, the domestic goddess explained how to stop a cast iron pan from marking. "Notice what I've done in the sink," Stewart said to viewers. "I've lined the sink with towels just to keep the sink from scratching."

Though Stewart didn't specify whether she used dish towels or paper towels, she did cover the entire sink, with the idea being that the towels will then stop your cookware from leaving scratches. This hack is ideal if you're washing a new cast iron pan, as older cast iron cookware only needs to be cleaned with soap a couple of times per year. And, putting towels down is also useful if you're washing a particularly heavy pan that's more likely to leave a mark behind on your sink.

This cast-iron cleaning trick is super simple and affordable. As it's more of a prevention than a cure for a scratched sink, ensure you put the towels down before putting any pots and pans in the sink. If you are planning on putting larger cast iron items in the sink, we recommend using proper dish towels rather than paper towels. When wet, paper towels have the potential to split, meaning the pots and pans could still scratch your sink.

Some sink materials will show signs of wear faster than others. For example, a sink that's also made from cast iron is durable, but the protective coating on top could get chipped if a heavy item like cast iron cookware is put on top of it. Other sink materials that are susceptible to scratches include stainless steel, certain types of acrylic, and copper. If you have a sink made from one of these materials, this protective hack could be a sink saver.