What Happened While I Waited
About 30 minutes later, curiosity pulled me back to the sink.
The water had cooled. The baking soda paste had thickened. The sheet looked… different.
The dark areas didn’t look as baked-in anymore. They looked softer. Looser.
I grabbed a regular sponge—nothing abrasive—and gently rubbed one corner.
The stain lifted.
Not faded.
Lifted.
I froze for a second.
I kept wiping, slowly, watching years of buildup come off with almost no effort.
I rinsed the sheet under water, and for the first time in a long time, I could actually see the metal again.
It wasn’t brand-new—but it was shockingly clean.
Why This Works So Well
Baking soda isn’t just powder—it’s mildly abrasive and naturally breaks down grease.
When mixed with hot water and left to sit, it loosens the baked-on residue instead of forcing you to scrape it off.
That’s the key.
It does the work for you.
I Tried It on Every Sheet I Owned
Once I saw the result, I couldn’t stop.
I stacked all my baking sheets in the sink and repeated the process. Some needed a second round. The worst one soaked overnight.
The next morning, I rinsed them all.
The difference was unbelievable.
They looked clean enough that I didn’t feel embarrassed using them anymore.
But Then I Tried Something Else (No Baking Soda)
A few weeks later, one sheet started looking dull again—not stained, just greasy and cloudy.
This time, I tried a different trick, and it surprised me even more.
All I used was white vinegar and dish soap.
Here’s what I did.
I placed the baking sheet flat in the sink, sprayed it generously with vinegar, then added a few drops of dish soap on top.
I spread the soap lightly with my fingers and let it sit for 20 minutes.
When I came back, the grease wiped off like it was never there.
No scrubbing.
No smell left behind.
Just clean metal.
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