If your enamel cookware is stained or has burnt-on food on the bottom here is HOW TO CLEAN ENAMEL COOKWARE, so it’s bright and white again!
I love to cook in my cast iron enamel-coated pot. I use it for boiling pasta and making soups and stews like my easy beef stew recipe.
Whether your pan is Le Cruset, Staub, or some other brand, it will eventually start to stain, and if you happen to burn something on the bottom and have trouble getting it off, this tip will get it looking bright and new again. It’s a two-step process but takes no time at all to do.
First, to clean enamel cookware you will need baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
You can see just how disgusting my pan is! It’s really stained and when I make homemade spaghetti sauce the tomatoes stain the enamel coating every time. Place the pot on the stove and put a 1/2 inch of hydrogen peroxide and 1/4 cup of baking soda in the bottom. Turn the stove on high and allow bring it to a boil.
When it gets foamy turn it off and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This will loosen anything crusted and start to loosen the really stubborn stains.
The second step to clean enamel cookware is a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Extra Power. Just empty the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixture out of the pan and rinse with water. Wet the Magic Eraser and scrub the bottom and sides. It will not take to much elbow grease because you did step one. By the way, I tried just the Magic Eraser and that didn’t do anything so it’s important not to skip step one to clean discolorations on enamel cookware.
You can now see the after! All those stains are gone. It’s like Magic. {pun intended} There are a few scratches on the bottom of my beloved enamel pot but all the stains are gone from them and now I don’t have to be embarrassed when I pull it out to cook when company is over!
Barbara says
Unfortunately this method only removed a little of the stains. Still have black dots and streaks. Magic eraser didn’t do anything.
Linda says
I have a white enamel jelly roll pan that has some stains on the inside, outside, and bottom of pan. How do I boil the pan until it becomes foamy since I cannot heat it on the burner. Do I put it in the oven? If so at what temperature?
Jia says
Thank you for the info, however it does not work for the outside of the pot. DO you have suggestions for speckle spots on the outside?
Thank you, Jia
Richard says
Hi! Terrific method. Cleaned up a beautiful enamel cast iron Dutch oven that I found at a 2nd hand shop. I’m curious. The texture of the enamel is rougher where the mixture cleaned the surface. Have you noticed any difference in the way the enamel performs after using this method?
Karen says
This is amazing. I had a bad stain in my enameled Dutch oven and thought it would never come off. I followed the directions and after boiling it, the interior was white again with no scrubbing. Thank you for this information
Michelle says
Thank you! This worked great! I left it sitting a little longer after turning off the stove, because I forgot about it 🙂 And when I checked, the stains were lifted out into the foam. I just rinsed and wiped with a dish towel. Appreciate the great tip!
Brooke LaRocco says
Omg it worked so well my mom is very impressed by how much it worked. She was almost about to throw away the pot until i convinced her that I could restore it! It’s now shinier than ever!
Real Housemoms JK says
So glad it was helpful!
Ann says
I requested and received a LeCreuset Dutch oven for Christmas to replace my old Tramintino that had become badly stained. Then I decided to try and remove stains from the old one to see what happened. Used every method discussed here and ended up with needing an overnight bleach soak to remove residual stains, and all these efforts made the old pot look almost as good as my new one. I was so excited, and decided to go one extra step and season the renewed pot by rubbing with a little oil and baking in oven at 400 degrees for an hour. I wanted that nice new shiny look inside, and I swear I saw that somewhere in another post, and it works for my raw cast iron after all. BIG MISTAKE! for enamel cookwear. Now the enamel is stained again with the baked-on oil, and nothing I do is removing it. 😢
Holly says
Holy cats did this work well! Recently found a great set of vintage Elysees Yellow Le Creuset on Craigslist and all the pieces are almost perfect, except for 1 saucepan that has some brownish-red stains all over the bottom. I found your method as a non-toxic alternative to bleaching the pan, because I just don’t like the idea of bleach in my porous cookware… (nor ZEP industrial strength mold/mildew cleaner, as another user recommended up above– definitely NOT food safe). WOW! There’s just a faint trace of the stains and it looks almost as good as new. I love vintage Le Creuset, so this post is absolutely bookmarked–thanks so much for sharing!
Renee says
Thank you so much!! Worked like a charm…didn’t even need to scrub!!!
Aubrey Cota says
Awesome!
Amy Holman says
Thank you for this excellent remedy, which I will use on the stained insides of my poets. What if there are stains on the outside of the pan? Should I just put it in a larger pan and cook it in that mixture? I have a pretty–or once pretty–Villeroy & Boch enameled steel floral teakettle and one side is speckled from overheating. Should I put it on its side, or do you recommend another technique.
Latonia Jackson says
I have the same question, for cleaning the outside of the pots and pans
Jerry says
Not a commen, but a question….once I use this mixture to clean one of my enameled pots, can I save and reuse the mixture, or must I begin from scratch for next pot?
Aubrey Cota says
Probably best not to reuse a dirty mixture. I think I would recommend beginning from scratch.
Rob Wnter says
I stumbled on this method that works before your eyes.
Fill the bottom with Zep Mold Stain and Mildew Stain Remover, available from Home Depot and most home improvement stores. Wait 30 minutes and rinse. For super stubborn stains, warm solution on stove until steam rises from surface. shut off stove. It works like no other solution I’ve found. No scrubbing involved!
Holly says
ZEP Mold & Mildew Stain remover is an industrial strength chemical and isn’t recommended for cookware, nor is it food safe (especially if you’re heating it up!). ZEP makes a food safe cleaner for pots & pans; however, mold & mildew cleaner isn’t a good idea on porous cookware.
Cliff Chism says
Thank you. A husband got to make his wife very happy today. Interestingly, your pot looks almost exactly like ours… before and after… LOL
Aubrey Cota says
That’s what we’re here for right! Glad it worked out so well for you.
Jean Doherty says
Have a very stained enamel pan and couldn’t figure out how to clean it. Now I have a possible solution. I hope the inside of the pan looks as good as the photo you show!! Nothing was burned, just many uses, over and over boiling, etc.. I will send a photo result. Thank you.
Julie @Real Housemoms says
We’d love to see. Thank you Jean!
Liz says
Thank you for the good info. Have a fun day.