How to Clean Your Le Creuset Pots and Pans
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** UPDATE: April 2019 **
In March of 2019, I mentioned that a Reader had passed along a magical cleaning solution that would make your Le Creuset pots and pans sparkle like new. I included the formula, which was a bleach + vinegar combination, in the post but when I thought it deserved its own space, I created this post.
BUT THEN: Upon posting the entry, I immediately received a comment and a link to an article that gave me pause.
What I learned from that article is that combing bleach and vinegar “produces chlorine gas, which even at low levels, can cause coughing, breathing problems, and burning, watery eyes.”
To be sure, I called poison control to confer.
They, too, despite my pleading — Really? I can’t use a teensy tiny bit? Even if I’ve never experienced the adverse side effects? Is a small amount of chlorine gas so terrible? — agreed that bleach and vinegar should not be mixed.
“Ma’am,” they told me. “Don’t do it.”
Ugh. OK. Fine.
How to Clean Your Le Creuset Pots and Pans (Safely)
There are several non-toxic methods for cleaning your Le Creuset cookware. I have had success with numbers 1 and 2 below. The remaining suggestions come from readers who have had success with these methods.
- A solution from Le Creuset itself: Cast Iron Cookware Cleaner. It costs $25, which may feel pricey, but you need a small amount for each job — this bottle will last a long time.
- Water + Bleach: Fill your pot with water and bleach: for every liter of water, use 1 cup of bleach. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Be sure to use regular chlorine bleach as opposed to chlorine-free bleach.
- Magic Eraser.
- Warm Water + Baking Soda + Vinegar or Lemon.
- Warm Water + Baking Soda + Hydrogen Peroxide: Bring it to a boil with lid covered; it comes out pristine once you wipe it with a paper towel.
- Easy-Off Oven Cleaner: You can spray the pot, put it in the oven, and shut the door. You can also spray the oven. All the baked-on gunk wipes off. Clean as usual and you’re on your way!
Friends, how do you clean your enameled cast iron cookware? I’d love to know.
Here’s what is NOT RECOMMENDED: Combining bleach and vinegar.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
75 Comments on “How to Clean Your Le Creuset Pots and Pans”
What are the amount for the peroxide, vinegar, water mixture? Thank you.
Thank you so much for this article! PS. What color is your le creuset??? Is it sugar pink? Such a gorgeous pink!
Yes, its pink! I got it at an outlet. Not sure they still stock the color, but it’s one of my faves 🙂
I am appalled that all of these are toxic suggestions with the exception of maybe one. How about you soak your le crueset in warm soapy water and scrub it down. If things are really bad you warm it on the stove with the soapy water in it first. That is all I ever do and mine are perfectly clean, white and shiny. My lungs thank me for it every day.
What’s toxic about vinegar and baking soda? Or baking soda and hydrogen peroxide? Or magic eraser? Or lemon juice? Some people…..
Bar keepers friend is what I use
If you were to heat bleach, it could cause a reaction that could be dangerous. At boiling point, the water in the bleach mixture becomes vapor and releases chlorine gas. This yellow-green gas can cause severe chemical burning to the lungs and even suffocate those who can’t get away from it in time. Are you crazy? You better do your homework before you post ideas like this
A friends partner and her sister were cleaning the bathroom. They mixed vinegar and bleach to clean the tiles. The following day her sister died from a brain hemorrhage!
There are two other everyday cleaning products that when mixed create an infection incendiary bomb. Never mix chemicals.
The best way to clean a burnt pan is to put a dishwasher tablet in the pot and cover the part needed cleaning with hot water. Let it simmer for 15 minutes with a lid on. Then scrub with a nylon scotch bright. Sometimes it needs more than once. I get them from the pound shop.