How to Use Baking Soda to Clean a Cast Iron Kettle
Cast iron can be a tough material to clean. It is an even more daunting task to get inside those enclosed nooks and crannies. While this chore requires some elbow grease, the actual process and tools required to get your cast iron clean are relatively simple, and you probably have the materials already around the house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Dish tub or bucket
- Baking soda
- Hot water
- Scouring pad or brush
- Potato
- Knife
Instructions
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Cleaning Caked-on Substances
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1
Fill a large dish tub or bucket with hot water. You'll want to do this in a sink or in an area that can get a little messy without too much trouble.
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2
Mix in three tbsp of baking soda per quart of hot water. Make sure to stir the solution so that the baking soda is not just sitting on the bottom of the dish tub.
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3
Soak the kettle in the solution only as long as it takes for the crusted area to get soft, which is usually one to two hours. Soaking it too long will ruin the cast iron.
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4
Scrub only the crusty area with a scouring pad or brush. Scrubbing the entire area will require you to re-season the kettle afterward, meaning you'll have to re-seal the metal with a special kind of fat.
Cleaning Rust
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5
Rinse the inside and outside of your kettle thoroughly with warm water. Make sure the outside dries all the way.
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6
Put one or two tbsp of baking soda inside the kettle and fill it with warm water. Shake a little bit to mix the solution and let it sit while you clean the outside.
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7
Cut a potato in half and sprinkle the inside of one half generously with baking soda.
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8
Rub baking soda all over the outside of the kettle with the potato. Work in a circular motion and sprinkle on more baking soda if necessary, which will work as an abrasive substance. If the rust doesn't come off after about twenty minutes, try additional scrubbing with a brush or scouring pad.
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9
Rinse the inside and outside of the kettle thoroughly, and allow to dry. Repeat this process whenever you see rust developing.
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Tips & Warnings
Prevent rust by drying your kettle before putting it away.
Prevent caked-on food or drink by rinsing your kettle right after use.Wipe with a paper towel.
Never use soap, as you'll have to re-season your kettle
