Scorched food on cookware can be a nightmare. Few things are more frustrating than scrubbing a pan covered in burnt food.
However, a TikTok clip shares a simple hack that saves hours of washing, soaking, and expensive cleaners — using one common pantry ingredient.
The scoop
Gabie Vigneault (@cleaningwithgabie) shared a tried-and-tested hack for removing burnt food stuck to pans.
@cleaningwithgabie Baking soda is amazing!! 🤍 #cleaninghacks #cleaninghack #hacks #lifehack #bakingsoda #cleantok #howtoclean #CapCut ♬ original sound - Ian Asher
"Baking soda or citric acid works very well!" said Gabie.
In the video, the creator sprinkled baking soda across the burnt surface, added hot water, and boiled it for a few minutes. She gently scraped the bottom with a wooden spatula.
Once the pan cooled, it was washed with dish soap and a sponge to clear away any residue. After rinsing, all the burnt food was gone, and the pan looked brand-new.
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While citric acid can work as an alternative, baking soda is the more common pantry staple and usually already on hand.
How it's helping
The immediate benefits? Saving time and money.
Baking soda dissolves organic matter and acts as a mild abrasive that scrubs away buildup without scratching cookware — within minutes. It also neutralizes stubborn odors, making cookware smell fresh again while lifting stuck-on food.
However, the biggest benefits are health- and environment-related.
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Absolutely 💯 Simple swaps like this can also reduce the need for single-use cleaning bottles. Baking soda, often packed in paper cartons, reduces single-use plastic waste from cleaning products, which are frequently packaged in plastic bags or bottles. Plastic bottles take approximately 450 years to break down, as WWF Australia observed.
It also avoids the hazardous chemicals found in commercial cleaning formulas. According to the American Lung Association, some cleaning products release harmful compounds, including volatile organic compounds, that may trigger headaches, allergic reactions, or respiratory problems. That's another reason to reach for simpler ingredients.
Other natural hacks — such as using lemon to remove hard water stains or a salt-and-ice combo for cleaning coffee pots — demonstrate how household staples can be just as effective as store-bought products.
What everyone's saying
Fellow TikTokers loved the hack. Some also shared how they use natural cleaning products in their homes.
"I use just vinegar and turn the stove on. Works with zero scrubbing," one viewer suggested.
"You can simply fry some onions in the same pan; everything that gets burnt will be easy to wash off later," advised another.
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