Aluminum cookware has been popular among housewives for many generations, and it’s not surprising. Aluminum kitchen utensils are light, cheap, practical and durable. With proper care, such utensils will look neat and shine for many years without losing their appearance.
Aluminum pans are lightweight and common kitchen utensils.
But it is very difficult to maintain the newness of a pan if food is regularly cooked in it, milk and water are boiled, and something inevitably “runs away” or burns. Scale, soot, blackening, spots and rings appear inside. How to clean an aluminum pan so it looks like new again?
Features of using aluminum cookware
To determine how you can clean a specific aluminum pan with improvised means, at home, without harming the surface and until it shines, it is worth understanding why the dishes deteriorate and lose their appearance, so that this does not happen again in the future.
Such cookware heats up faster, which explains its popularity.
First of all, aluminum is a very soft and malleable metal and cannot be handled roughly. Aluminum kitchen utensils are “afraid” of high temperatures, fire, and mechanical damage. If you put it on high heat, black soot will appear on the outside, which will be difficult to remove. And if the porridge burns or the milk runs out, it will be difficult to remove traces, since the soft metal surface absorbs any dirt well. Aluminum should not be rubbed with abrasives, a hard wire brush or a scraper - the surface will be scratched and become even more susceptible to contamination.
Why you need to get rid of scale in your kettle
The rate at which salt deposits form depends on the quality of the water. The higher the hardness index, the faster the scale settles on the electric heater and the walls of the device.
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Maintenance of such equipment must be timely, because:
- rust forms under a layer of limescale, which destroys the metal;
- scale has low thermal conductivity, while blocking the contact of water with the heating element. In order to heat the liquid to the required temperature, the device has to work hard, this reduces its service life;
- under the influence of high temperatures, lime deposits impair the taste of water;
- Over time, excess salts, which inevitably enter the body with water, can have a negative impact on the functioning of the excretory system, kidneys, bones and joints.
Scale can have a negative impact not only on kitchen appliances, but also on the human body
Causes of contamination of aluminum pans
If the pan is very old, then it has simply darkened over time, even with proper care, and there is no need to do anything here, it is better to buy a new one. But if the dishes are a little old, then they could have turned black for various reasons, and the stains can be removed.
They also dislike long-term use - the aluminum darkens, fat accumulates, which literally eats into the metal.
The main reason is improper care. Aluminum utensils should be washed with a sponge with a hard but gentle surface, which will cope well with dirt but will not scratch the surface. Another cause of contamination is improper use. You should not put the saucepan on too high a fire: not only will the food burn, but the fire will also smoke the metal on the outside. It is worth cooking carefully so that nothing burns or sticks, since the aluminum heats up, and when, say, milk or fatty broth flows along the heated walls, it literally “tightly” sticks, and it will not be easy to clean.
The question arises of how to clean aluminum pans from carbon deposits in order to extend their service life.
How to clean an aluminum pan outside and inside
If aluminum cookware is dirty and regular washing does not solve the problem, try choosing one of the methods that we will offer you in this article. Select the cleaning method depending on the type and nature of the dirt, and remember that further care and proper use will determine how soon you will have to repeat this troublesome procedure.
Proper use of aluminum pans will extend their service life.
Cleaning from light blackness and soot
First, let's look at what to do if your aluminum pan has become slightly darkened over time, outside and inside, and how to properly clean this type of contamination.
To clean small black or yellowish stains, the most effective and gentle method is boiling. Aluminum will not be damaged by boiling water, and its surface will become shiny and new. The main thing is to find a container that is larger in volume than the pan you are going to clean. Pour water into a container and place your saucepan there, pour water inside it too. It should be completely immersed in water, then place the container on the fire.
You can add baking soda or a little powdered detergent to the water to make cleaning more effective.
When it boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer for half an hour, adding water if necessary. After this, leave it to cool to a temperature where you can immerse your hand in the water. Rinse the saucepan with the same water, inside and out, using a sponge, and rub gently. Rinse well with running water and enjoy the result.
How to remove traces of burnt milk
Blackness, soot and soot come off more easily than burnt food, especially hard on milk.
The most effective way is to boil again, just add vinegar to the water. Boil your pan in acidified water, and traces of milk will easily come off with a sponge.
You can descale aluminum cookware using vinegar.
We remove heavy deposits from burnt food and darkening on the inner walls
Cleaning a pan with badly burnt food is not easy. The main thing is not to rub with a hard scraper, as this will greatly damage the metal.
Pour water inside the saucepan, add vinegar and citric acid in the proportion: per liter of water - 1 tbsp. vinegar and 1 tsp. acids. Place this acidic solution on the fire and boil. Then let it simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes, after which gently scrape the carbon deposits with a wooden spatula to remove the top layer, and then wash with a sponge.
Citric acid will help clean dishes until they shine.
How to remove excess fat
If you have run out of fatty broth or soup, or a fatty layer has burned inside an aluminum pan, then acid will do a good job of removing it. Pour water into a saucepan and dilute with vinegar in a ratio of 1 tbsp. per liter of volume. Place on the fire and boil for 10-15 minutes, then drain the water and lightly wipe the inside surface with a sponge.
Then fill the dish with water again and add a little regular dishwashing detergent and boil for another 10 minutes. Now you can wash the pan, all the fat will come off.
Boil a container of vinegar or lemon solution and enjoy clean and shiny dishes.
How to remove lime
If the pan is “overgrown” with lime and scale, cleaning it is very simple, the main thing is not to scrape or rub. Pour water into it and add regular baking soda, one tablespoon per liter of water. Boil for 10 minutes, then wash with a sponge.
The limescale and dark layer disappear, and the pan takes on a new neat and shiny look.
If not all the scale is gone, simply repeat the procedure.
How to clean strong fumes and soot from the inside
If the inside of the pan has not just darkened, but literally turned black from burnt fat, burning and soot, do not rush to throw it away. Try to cope with a proven method.
To descale, use 9% vinegar.
To remove smoke and soot, fill the pan with vinegar solution and leave for several hours. Then pour out the solution and pour in a new one, boil for half an hour and wipe with a sponge. Repeat the procedure if necessary.
Special descaling products
The stores offer professional products for removing plaque – “Antinscale”, “Antinscale”. They contain citric, ascorbic, adipic, orthophosphoric or sulfamic acids, soda ash. They are poured into water, then boiled for half an hour and poured out. Floating deposits are softened and easily cleaned from the disc and disc surfaces. After using the products at home, it is correct to boil the water 2-3 more times.
Antiscale product for dummies (photo source: Yandex.Pictures)
What to do if the pan is oxidized
An aluminum pan can not only become contaminated with burnt marks, soot or scale, but also oxidize. Due to oxidation, it darkens, becomes dull and loses its appearance, becoming unkempt and sloppy.
Proper care and periodic general cleaning will help maintain the shine and cleanliness of aluminum cookware.
To clean an oxidized pan, try rubbing it inside and out with a regular lemon cut into halves. An apple also works well. Another way is to boil water with soda and then wash with a sponge.
Cleaning an old pan
Cleaning an old pan with burnt marks or discolorations is not an easy task. Try boiling it in a vinegar solution and then rubbing it with a sponge.
Afterwards, wash the pan thoroughly.
Soda works well, but you can’t rub the surface with it, but you can dissolve it in water and boil it. Boiling works best, and if the pan is very old, then the procedure should be repeated two or three times.
Anodizing as a way to protect aluminum
To avoid having to constantly clean aluminum products, you can protect the surface by using anodizing technology. Thus, a film of oxides is formed on the parts, and the outer layer is also painted. First, the part is cleaned of plaque; to do this, it is sanded, immersed in oxalic acid and washed with water.
Then a special solution is prepared - an electrolyte. To do this, pour distilled water and sulfuric acid in a 1:1 ratio into a plastic container of a suitable size. The latter is an electrolyte for a lead-acid battery, which can be purchased at a car store.
Further processing will be carried out using the electrochemical method. To do this, the power source is connected in this way: the positive wire goes to the workpiece, and the negative contact goes to the electrolyte bath. That is, electricity is passed through the solution, and an oxide film will begin to settle on the aluminum part. The procedure takes approximately 30 minutes, after which the part is removed from the container and washed thoroughly.
Oxidation creates reliable protection. A part covered with such a film will also have an attractive appearance. It is quite difficult to damage this coating, which means that the protection will be as durable as possible.
We return shine and newness to aluminum cookware
Soot and darkening, old stains succumb to acid and alkali. To restore old aluminum cookware to a new look and shine, simply wipe it with a sponge soaked in a vinegar solution. You can also use lemon or citric acid.
A solution of water and citric acid is an effective means for cleaning pots.
Regular brine or sour kefir will help restore the shine to the pan from the inside. Just pour in and leave for a few hours, then wash as usual.
General Cleaning Recipes
To avoid having to say goodbye to aluminum cookware in advance, you do not need to wash it in the dishwasher, since changes in water temperature will have a detrimental effect on it. At the same time, there are a huge number of methods for cleaning aluminum cookware:
- Mustard powder perfectly removes fat. And no special methods are required - just pour a little powder on a sponge and rub the dishes, then rinse with warm water. The excellent result occurs because mustard emulsifies fat, and it is easily washed off with warm water.
- Also, 9% vinegar will help restore the pan to its former appearance. Apply it to a cotton swab or soft cloth and wipe the aluminum cookware on all sides. If you don’t want to spend time wiping, and the dirt is mainly inside the pan (or other aluminum container), fill it with 9% vinegar and let it sit for about 2 hours. Then drain and rinse the dishes with hot water.
- You can also wash aluminum dishes with a solution per 1 liter of water: 1 tablespoon of soap shavings and 1 tablespoon of ammonia.
- Simple cleaning with Coca-Cola: pour the drink into an aluminum bowl and leave for half an hour, then rinse with regular soapy water or dish soap - the result will surprise you!
When cleaning, do not use metal brushes, alkaline or abrasive substances, as they can damage the dishes, causing darkening, and depriving them of their shine.
How to clean a burnt aluminum pan
Previously, burnt food was dealt with using an original method: you need to take onions (1 piece), peel them, put them in a saucepan and add water, and then boil them.
It will help if the contamination is minor.
Ammonia also works well with laundry soap. A couple of drops of ammonia, a little soap (grate), and boil.
We use Corvalol
Regular Corvalol does an excellent job of cleaning an old aluminum pan. Try this "grandmother's" method.
It will help get rid of old soot and soot deposits.
Just moisten a sponge with regular Corvalol (in drops) and rub the aluminum surface until it shines. After this, rinse very thoroughly twice with detergent and rinse.
Food products
Food products do a good job of scrubbing away soot, blackness and dark spots. Onions, lemon, and sour apple work well—with these products you can easily wash aluminum cookware.
The tart apples will add shine to the outside of the pan.
You can also use kefir or sour milk, cucumber pickle, table vinegar. Acidic foods help effectively but gently remove stains.
Lemon acid
You can successfully clean any stains with simple citric acid. It copes especially well with grease and old stains.
This is a great way to clean dishes at home.
Dissolve citric acid in water, boil a pot or pan, or soak overnight.
Table vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most popular “cleaning agents”. Acetic acid will help deal with light stains in no time; moreover, it helps eliminate any odors and disinfects the surface.
For badly burnt pans, use vinegar.
For severe stains, boil and soak the dishes in a vinegar solution; it is very effective.
Salt
Salt helps clean out old stains, especially in combination with soda and alkaline soap, such as laundry soap.
Metal can be easily cleaned using table salt.
You can soak or boil aluminum dishes with a saline solution, and then wipe them thoroughly. But under no circumstances rub the surface with salt, this will lead to scratches.
Baking soda
If the pan is covered with soot, old grease or blackened, baking soda will cope with even the most difficult task. It is especially effective if used with laundry soap. Just a bar of soap, a pack of soda, a full pan of water - and boil for an hour. Then you can leave it all overnight, and the next morning take out the pan and wash it.
This procedure transforms even old dishes beyond recognition and removes all old grease and dirt.
PVA glue
An interesting method for cleaning aluminum cookware is using glue. PVA glue or more often silicate stationery glue is used.
The product perfectly removes burnt fat.
To prepare the solution you need glue, water, a little vinegar or citric acid. This solution should be boiled in a saucepan and then rinsed with a sponge.
Activated carbon
Activated carbon, like Corvalol, helps dissolve old fat and give the metal surface a shine.
After cleaning, wipe off the slurry with a soft cloth and then wash.
Activated carbon can be used for minor stains, if the dishes have become slightly oxidized or darkened over time. But for severe pollution it is ineffective.
Special household chemicals
You can remove carbon deposits, soot and grease using special products that are now widely advertised by a variety of manufacturers.
It is important that the product is not abrasive - it will not cope with the task, but it will damage the pan.
Creamy products and sprays work well. They should be left on the surface for half an hour or more, then wiped with a sponge and rinsed thoroughly.
Instructions for removing grease
Removing grease from aluminum cookware is also not an easy task. And if you are looking for an easy way, you should immediately turn to special means. The more contaminants, the more times you will have to repeat the surface cleaning procedure.
If you do not wash the container from grease in a timely and efficient manner, it will lose its former shine.
For your information! The results are not always the same as those promised by the manufacturers of these products and described on the bottles of “miracle” liquids.
But there are also other methods that should not be neglected:
- Silicate glue + laundry soap. Recipe: Grind the soap, add glue, pour all the ingredients with water, put it on the fire, bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and treat contaminated areas.
- Baking soda + vinegar + cream of tartar + water. Mix all the ingredients in even proportions, boil for 15 minutes, and then remove old fat by rubbing with gloves and a kitchen sponge. While it’s boiling, you can take advantage of the situation and throw in some more kitchen equipment and clean it (cutlery, pot lids, etc.)
Use available cleaning products to clean dishes.
How to prepare an aluminum pan for use and care for it
An aluminum pan should be used carefully and cared for properly to maintain its neat appearance and shine.
If you bought a new pan, prepare it for use. Wash it in very hot water with ordinary laundry soap, and then heat it on fire.
Be sure to rinse the dishes afterward to remove any remaining natural products used.
When using an aluminum saucepan, follow these rules:
- wash immediately after preparing food;
- do not prepare products from milk, do not boil milk in this container;
- do not cook on too high heat;
- Do not wash with abrasives or scrub with a hard brush.
Remember that aluminum cookware is fragile and soft, it gets dirty easily, but is difficult to clean. Take care of it and use it correctly, and your kitchen will always be in order!
Chemicals
Stores sell professional cleaning products for aluminum cookware. In this case, there is no need to prepare homemade solutions. The best means include the following:
- “Shumanit” is a potent and effective drug used to clean dishes.
- Amway is an effective and aggressive solution.
- “Chister” is not very effective, but affordable.
Any purchased products must be used according to the instructions. Then they allow you to quickly remove dirt and give the product its original shine.
