The Key To Cleaner Baking Sheets Might Be Hiding In Your Laundry Room

Every cook has been met with the pesky, unappetizing sight of dried crud on their beautiful baking sheets after longtime use. But if you're looking for one of the best ways to clean baking sheets, it turns out there's a surprise everyday laundry item you can utilize: dryer sheets. Typically used to reduce static electricity and make laundry feel softer, those feather-light, pleasantly-scented pieces of fabric can also double as an incredibly effective method of removing caked-on stains and burnt food from the surfaces of your baking sheets, delivering clean, smooth pans.

The science behind why dryer sheets will work to clean your crusty baking sheets is simple: The conditioning chemicals they contain (a combination of fatty acids) when released in hot water, will work to easily lift the food residue off your pan, meaning you don't have to keep using up your time and energy scrubbing your heart out for minimal results. Additionally, since the dryer sheets are completely disposable, the clean up of that clean up? Just as easy. So you might want to consider keeping a few dryer sheets in your kitchen cabinet — this just might become your favorite dish-cleaning hack. 

Using dryer sheets to clean your baking sheets is relatively easy and one of the best ways to remove stains from baking dishes. You'll simply place a few sheets onto your dirty baking pan — right on top of the stains — then soak them in warm to hot water with one to two squirts of dishwashing soap anywhere from one hour to overnight, with your dryer sheets completely saturated. There's no need to swirl them around in the water (though the fun is tempting) — the chemicals will get to work without any extra prodding. Afterward, the stains and caked-on grime should lift right off. But it's important that you place your baking sheet on a flat surface like your countertop or the bottom of your sink for this method to work properly. For any stubborn remaining pieces of burnt-on food, feel free to scrub the same dryer sheet directly onto the baking sheet to help loosen up and remove the pieces.

Additionally, this method is useful to clean your oven and grill racks, which have likely seen their share of spilled sauce and caked-on casserole grime. However, depending on the size of your racks, you'll want to soak them in the bathtub with about eight to 10 dryer sheets. And for best results here, you'll want to place some of your dryer sheets underneath your rack and some atop them. After soaking, run one of your wet dryer sheets over the rack, and voila.

Your dryer sheets are surprisingly versatile and can be utilized to make a number of other kitchen tasks quicker and easier, too. For example, if you're looking for an effective method of cleaning your stove, you can soak a dryer sheet — or two — in a bowl of water for about 15 minutes. Then, use the sheet to scrub the stains from the surface. Additionally, those staticky sheets (when dry) can come in handy for cleaning up dry ingredient spills, such as flour or pancake mix, as the particles on the surface of the sheets attract powdery substances, making them much easier to pick up than when using dry paper towels. 

Looking for an easy way to deodorize your kitchen trash can? You guessed it — you can use a dryer sheet for that, too. Simply add one to the bottom of your can before placing your trash bag inside, and the smell will mask the unpleasant odors and freshen up the entire can. With a little creativity, your dryer sheets can be a total kitchen life-saver.