Hell hath no fury like the staying power of baked on food on your pots and pans. Sometimes a soak overnight is required, but to guarantee things will come clean by morning, try turning to your dishwasher detergent instead.


Photo by jessicafm.

Like our parents before us, we've left pots and pans out overnight, filled with water and dishsoap to let stuck on food soften for a morning cleaning. It doesn't always work, but it's better than nothing, right?


Maybe not. The folks over at the weblog Parent Hacks suggest using 1 teaspoon of dishwasher detergent (that you would normally use in your dishwasher) in combination with hot water. Let it sit in your pan overnight and the food should rinse clean without any scrubbing. We were skeptical, so we put it to the test last night and it worked like a charm—even on the crusty leftover cheese from our baked macaroni dish. It didn't even require a once over with our sponge, just a simple rinse and it all came clean. Best of all, it didn't require any wear and tear to our sponges or additional elbow grease.

Have your own have a tip on getting your dishes sparkling without a lot of work? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Crusty pots and pans come clean with an overnight dishwasher detergent soak [Parent Hacks]