How to Clean Bottom of Pans (when you don’t like to scrub)
We know that many have been struggling with how to clean bottom of pans. Don’t fret because I’ll show you how to clean that dark, greasy, and yucky gunk on the bottom of your pans.
For those who don’t know, when I’m not making YouTube videos about cleaning and when I’m not a mom, I am also a physician assistant. I will share a fantastic technique I learned as a PA that will cut the cleaning time for a very old and well-used pan in half. Who knew my medical experience could help with cleaning??
Now I know what you’re thinking: What does medicine have to do with cleaning a pan? And that is an excellent question. In medicine, when dealing with a skin condition, we prescribe a topical ointment or a cream. And sometimes, we recommend that they apply an occlusive dressing that is waterproof and non-breathable. So after you use a cream on your skin, you put an occlusive dressing on top to make the cream work better without getting wiped off or absorbed.
When cleaning a pan, we will apply that same concept of “occlusive dressing.”

What you’ll need
- Easy Off Professional Fume Free Oven Cleaner
- Plastic wrap
Steps on how to clean bottom of pans
Step 1: Spray the bottom of the pan with Easy Off
Make sure to spray heavily so that the bottom of the pan will be fully coated.
Step 2: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave the pan for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.
The plastic wrap will help the Easy Off not dry up easily and work better.
Step 3: Peel back the plastic wrap and scrub the pan
Use a regular sponge and/or steel wool to scrub the tougher spots that wouldn’t come off just by using a sponge.
Important: Steel wool is very abrasive and can scratch. So, we recommend that you test it in an inconspicuous area to ensure it won’t scratch.

Step 4: Rinse everything off with water
Tip: You may wash the pan one more time with dish soap such as Dawn Platinum Power Wash for better results.
As a result, the pan will look sparkly clean.
As a side note, if you have a prescription cream and want to put an occlusive dressing over it, don’t do it without the advice of your own PA or doctor.
Share this post if you know somebody who has dirty pans, which is anybody who cooks. You might also want to check our How To Clean A Greasy Stove Top post. And if you have other amazing tricks or hacks on how to clean bottom of pans, kindly leave them in the comments section.