Dutch ovens are built to last, but cleaning one after countless tough, stuck-on meals can feel intimidating. Instead of reaching for harsh cleaners, one TikTok user shared a simple trick using only two ingredients that makes cleanup easier while saving money.
Water and baking soda are all you need — and maybe a little elbow grease.
The scoop
Shared by Mari (@marii_garciia_) on TikTok, the video walks through all the steps you need to take. It starts with Mari filling her Dutch oven with water, then bringing it to a boil on the stove before adding four spoonfuls of baking soda.
While that goes to work, she mixes equal parts water and baking soda to create a paste that she uses to clean the lid with a sponge. She then empties the Dutch oven and uses the remaining paste to scrub the bottom of the pot and rinses the inside before showing off the shiny, clean final product.
@marii_garciia_ Finally got around to cleaning my Dutch oven. Got it as clean as my toddler allowed lol not too bad I'd say! Just used baking soda and water 😁 #dutchoven #cleaninghack #cleantok101 #bakingsoda #fyp ♬ Gravity (feat. Laura Korinth) (Edit) - Boris Brejcha
"Finally got around to cleaning my Dutch oven," she wrote. "Got it as clean as my toddler allowed. Just used baking soda and water."
How it's helping
If you're looking to keep cleaning simple in the kitchen and keep your cupboards uncluttered, using natural, non-toxic kitchen items like baking soda is a great way to save money on commercial products and stay clean.
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Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is an effective household cleaner because it's mildly abrasive, so its crystals are soft enough not to scratch most surfaces, while its basic, alkaline property makes it react with acidic compounds that often cause odors and stains, not just masking them but breaking them down chemically. When mixed with warm or hot water, it forms a paste that can break bonds between grime or grease and the surface of pots, pans, and silverware.
Without relying on chemical cleaning products, baking soda and water can help extend the life of cookware, reducing the need to replace items and cutting down on waste. This means you can keep using your Dutch oven for your favorite breads, roasts, or one-pot meals for longer.
Other useful alternative cleaning hacks that avoid expensive brands and can save money using stuff you already have at home include using lemons to help your oven sparkle, using vinegar and alcohol to polish windows, and using a slightly different baking soda combination to clean grout between tiles.
What everyone's saying
The clean results spoke for themselves, and commenters were clearly impressed by the transformation and simple hack.
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$200 or more 💰 "Wow," one commenter wrote. "Looks shiny."
Another seemed a bit more blown away: "Yooo broo this is some nice cleaning man."
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