Without ruining it. Again.
The "no soap" rule is from when soap was made with lye — harsh stuff that actually stripped seasoning. Modern dish soap is mild detergent. It's fine. Your grandma was right about a lot of things, but this one's outdated. Use a little soap if you want. It won't hurt anything.
Look. I've watched people do insane things to cast iron. Soaking it overnight. Running it through the dishwasher. Leaving it wet on the counter "to dry." And then they wonder why it's rusted, why the seasoning's flaking, why everything sticks.
This isn't complicated. Cast iron is the easiest cookware to care for — if you stop treating it like it's either indestructible or made of glass.
Here's how to actually clean the thing.
After cooking, let it cool down enough to handle — but don't let it sit there for hours. Warm pan, hot water, food comes right off. Wait too long and you're scraping dried cement.
Hot water, a stiff brush or chain mail scrubber. That's it. If something's really stuck, a little coarse salt works as an abrasive. Scrub, rinse, done.
Soap is optional. Use a tiny bit if there's grease you can't get off. Just don't soak the pan in soapy water for an hour. That's not washing — that's sabotage.
This is where people fuck up. Wipe it with a towel. Then put it on the stove over low heat for a minute or two until it's completely dry. Not "mostly dry." Not "it'll air dry." Bone dry.
While it's still warm, rub a tiny amount of oil over the cooking surface. Vegetable oil, canola, flaxseed — whatever. Use a paper towel. Wipe off the excess until it doesn't look oily anymore.
You want a micro-thin layer. Not a puddle. Not enough to see. Just enough to protect.
That's it. Store it somewhere dry. If you're stacking pans, put a paper towel between them.
Hot water. Scrub. Dry. Oil. Done. People make this sound like a ritual. It's not. It's less work than loading a dishwasher — which, by the way, you should never do with cast iron.
Not for 5 minutes. Not to "loosen" stuck food. Iron rusts when it sits in water. Period. If you have stubborn stuck-on food, boil some water in the pan for a few minutes. That'll lift it. Then scrub and dry immediately.
Already said this, but I'll say it again. Water + iron + time = rust. There's no "quick soak." There's only rust waiting to happen.
The dishwasher is hot water and harsh detergent for an extended cycle. It will strip your seasoning and leave you with a rusty mess. Just don't.
Even a few water droplets left sitting will create rust spots. Dry it with a towel, then heat it on the stove. Every time. No exceptions.
Seasoning isn't permanent. It builds up over time through use and maintenance. Every time you wash, you're exposing bare iron. A thin oil layer protects it until next time.
Wet pan goes in cabinet. Cabinet is dark and humid. Rust happens. You come back to spots. Dry it properly before storing. Always.
Chain mail is fine — it's designed for this. But those aggressive steel wool pads can scrape off seasoning you've spent months building. Use something designed for cast iron, or just a stiff brush.
"I'll just burn it off" — great, now you've damaged your seasoning and there's carbonized crud everywhere. If food is stuck, use water and scrub. Not a blowtorch.
Congrats. You scrubbed through your seasoning. That's bare iron now. And bare iron rusts. Fast. Like, minutes-after-getting-wet fast.
Dry it. Now. Then re-season that spot before you cook on it again. I don't care if it's just a small patch — water finds bare iron like it's got a grudge.
Don't know how to season? Christ. Fine. Go here.
You don't need much. A stiff brush or a chain mail scrubber. I'd go with the chain mail — it's more effective on stuck food and it won't damage seasoning like steel wool will.
Lodge makes cast iron. They know what works on it. This thing handles stuck-on food without scratching seasoning, rinses clean instantly, and will outlast every sponge you've ever bought. Simple tool that does the job.
Get the ScrubberDon't want chain mail? A stiff nylon brush works fine for everyday cleaning. OXO makes a good one for like $10. Just don't use anything that'll scratch metal — no steel wool, no green scouring pads.
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That's it. Hot water, scrub, dry completely, thin layer of oil, store dry.
Soap won't kill your pan. Soaking will. The dishwasher will. Storing it wet will.
Cast iron has survived being dropped, being left on fires, being passed down for generations. It can survive a little dish soap. What it can't survive is you leaving it in water overnight because you "didn't feel like dealing with it."
Now go wash your pan. The right way this time.