How To Clean Baking Sheets With A Dishwasher Pod — Testing This Popular Cleaning Hack

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After years of use, I have several baking sheets that are covered with a permanent brown stain. But a recent TikTok video showed a trick to help rejuvenate a baking sheet using boiling water and a dishwasher pod. Can you actually clean a baking sheet by simply putting a dishwasher pod in the middle and pouring boil water all over it? Does it work with both non-stick and aluminum baking sheets? This trick sounds too good to be true, so I decided to test this cleaning hack for myself. Here’s what I learned.

TikTok Video Demonstrates How To Use A Dishwasher Pod To Clean Baking Sheets

We’ve probably all spent hours of our lives scrubbing our baking sheets in a futile effort to restore them to their original glory. But what if there was an easier way? What if you could easily clean your baking sheets without any elbow grease? According to this TikTok video by @blooms_abode, cleaning a non-stick baking sheet is as easy as making a cup of tea. All you need is some boiling water and a dishwasher pod.

@blooms_abode

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♬ In This House – Marcus Vinicius Alfaro Nascimento

In the TikTok video, @blooms_abode puts a dishwasher pod in the center of her dirty baking sheet. She then pours some boiling from a tea kettle on the sheet. The boiling water melts the dishwasher detergent pod open and soapy suds spreads across the nonstick baking sheet loosening the grease and food residue. She then dumps the sheet filled with dirty water down the drain. 

Putting This Cleaning Hack To The Test

When I saw this simple cleaning hack, I had to give it a try. Here are some tips and things that I learned from the experience.

Put Your Baking Sheet In The Sink Before You Pour Your Boiling Water

One of the first things that I noticed in the original TikTok video, was the that user poured their boiling water on the sheet while it was still sitting on the counter. Pouring boiling water into a shallow baking sheet looked too risky for me. I was worried that I’d either burn myself or make a mess. So I choose to test this cleaning hack in the sink. I recommend that you do the same.

Will Any Dishwasher Pod Work?

The TikTok video didn’t specify what type of dishwasher detergent pod to use, so I just used what I had. But some dishwasher pods claim to be more powerful that others. Personally, I didn’t test that theory.

It’s Easier To Pour Boiling Water From A Kettle

You can boil your water in a pot, but use a kettle if you have one. The water will boil faster and it’s easier to pour precisely onto the dishwasher pod.

Aluminum Baking Sheets vs Non-Stick Baking Sheets – Individual Results Will Vary

If you have large food chunks on the baking sheet, then hopefully the hot soapy water was able to loosen some of it up. But depending on if you have an aluminum baking sheet or a non-stick baking sheet, your results will vary.

• Aluminum Baking Sheets: Although I saw a noticeable amount of dirty water rinse away from my stained aluminum baking sheet, it was obvious that my stains were a lot more stubborn. If I really want to remove the stains from my aluminum baking sheets, then I’ll need to use steel wool and a lot of elbow grease. But honestly, I don’t mind the stains too much and I really like being able to put my aluminum baking sheet into the dishwasher. Non-stick pans and baking sheets need to be hand washed.
• Non-Stick Baking Sheets: However, if you have a non-stick baking sheet pan ($18+ via Amazon) like in the TikTok video, then the soap from the dishwasher pod and boiling water should pull a good amount of grease and food off the surface. A light scrubbing might be needed. But you will see much better results from this kitchen hack with a non-stick baking sheet pan vs an aluminum baking sheet pan.

Non-stick is one thing, but what about aluminum? My aluminum baking sheet pans ($11+ via Amazon) lost their silver appearance many years ago. At this point, they are so brown that they look like they were uncovered in an artifact dig.

There are a million tricks on how to clean baking sheets, but have you ever tried using boiling water and a dishwasher pod before? Did it work? Let us know in the comments.