Figuring out how to clean stainless steel pans is easier than it looks from the bottom of a sink full of fond. Stainless is the most forgiving cookware there is: no seasoning to protect, no coating to scratch through, and no reaction to soap, soaking, or acid, which means every method that's off-limits for cast iron or nonstick is fair game here. What stainless does have is a polished surface that shows every scratch, a knack for collecting rainbow heat tint and chalky white spots, and a stubborn relationship with burnt-on oil. This is the routine that handles nearly everything in a couple of minutes, plus the escalation for heavier jobs, what genuinely damages stainless, and when the dishwasher is fine. For the serious cases, we've got dedicated guides linked throughout, so this page stays the short answer and those stay the deep ones. If you're shopping rather than scrubbing, our <a href="/articles/best-stainless-steel-cookware-set">best stainless steel cookware set</a> roundup covers which finishes are easiest to keep clean.
Step-by-step
The everyday routine: hot water, soap, and a non-scratch sponge
For a pan that's merely dirty, let it cool for a few minutes so you aren't plunging a hot pan into cold water, which can warp the base, then wash with hot water, dish soap, and the non-scratch side of a sponge. Work in the direction of the brushed grain if the finish has one, and use a wooden spatula or plastic scraper for anything that resists. Rinse, and then dry it right away with a towel rather than leaving it in the rack; air-drying is where most water spots come from. That's it for 90 percent of washes. Stainless doesn't need babying, and the biggest mistake is treating it like it does: soaking is fine, soap is fine, scrubbing hard with the right pad is fine. The only rule that matters day to day is to keep metal and coarse abrasives off a polished interior, because scratches accumulate and never come out. Keep a plastic scraper by the sink and you'll almost never reach for anything harsher.
Deglaze while it's still warm — the trick that prevents most scrubbing
The browned, stuck-on layer left after searing is fond, and it dissolves in liquid the moment the pan is hot. Right after you plate the food, with the pan still on a warm burner, pour in a half cup of water, stock, or wine and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon. The stuck bits lift in seconds, and if you added stock or wine you've just made a pan sauce; if you used water, pour it out and wash normally. This single habit eliminates nearly every hard cleaning session, because fond left to cool and dry bonds to the steel and then needs abrasives to remove. If the pan has already cooled, put it back on the stove with an inch of water, bring it to a simmer for five minutes, and scrape. Don't use cold water on a screaming-hot pan, though; let it come down to warm first. Warm is the window: hot enough that the fond releases, cool enough that the base won't warp.
Baking soda paste for stuck oil film and light burnt spots
The dull brown or amber film that builds up on stainless is polymerized cooking oil, and soap alone won't move it. Make a paste of baking soda and a little water, spread it over the affected area, and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before scrubbing with a non-scratch sponge. Baking soda is mildly abrasive and mildly alkaline, which loosens grease without scratching the polish. For a heavier layer, cover the bottom of the pan with water, add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda, simmer for 10 minutes, and scrub as it cools; the heat does most of the work. This is also the first move for a lightly scorched pan bottom. For a genuinely burnt pan, the kind with a black crust, the full sequence is in our <a href="/articles/how-to-clean-burnt-stainless-steel">how to clean burnt stainless steel</a> guide, which goes deeper than this page needs to. Don't let a baking soda paste dry on the pan; keep it damp, or it'll turn into its own crust.
Vinegar for rainbow heat tint and chalky white spots
Two cosmetic problems account for most stainless complaints, and vinegar fixes both. The blue-and-gold rainbow sheen that appears after high heat is a thin oxide layer that formed when the pan got very hot; it's harmless and doesn't affect cooking, but it looks like damage. Wipe the interior with white vinegar on a cloth, let it sit a minute, rinse, and it's gone. The white, chalky spots and cloudy film are calcium and other minerals left behind when water boils off or air-dries in the pan, especially with hard tap water. Simmer a 1:3 vinegar-and-water mix for a few minutes, or wipe with straight vinegar, then rinse and dry. Vinegar is safe on stainless in these short exposures; just don't leave it sitting in the pan for hours. Both come back with use; both are five-minute fixes, and neither means the pan is damaged. If the spotting is heavy, the causes and the longer-term prevention are covered in <a href="/articles/how-to-remove-water-stains-stainless-cookware">how to remove water stains from stainless cookware</a>.
Oxalic-acid cleansers for the jobs everything else fails
When baking soda and vinegar aren't enough for a dulled interior, a burnt exterior, or a stubborn brown ring, the next tool is an oxalic-acid powder cleanser: All-Clad's own version, or the well-known Bar Keepers Friend-type powders. Oxalic acid dissolves rust, mineral deposits, and cooked-on oil at the chemical level, and the fine mineral abrasive polishes without leaving visible scratches when used correctly. Wet the pan, sprinkle a little powder, and rub gently with a damp non-scratch sponge, following the grain on a brushed finish, for no more than a minute or so at a time. Rinse thoroughly, because residue left to dry can etch a faint haze into the finish, then wash with soap and dry. Keep it off aluminum bases and off any nonstick, and wear gloves if your skin is sensitive; it's a mild acid, but it's still an acid. Used monthly, this is the difference between a pan that looks worn at two years and one that looks new at ten.
What never to use, and the dishwasher question
Three things do real, permanent damage. Steel wool and green scouring pads gouge a polished interior and leave a haze of fine scratches that then trap food and stains; if a pan is already scratched, our guide on <a href="/articles/how-to-fix-scratched-stainless-steel">how to fix scratched stainless steel</a> covers what can and can't be done. Bleach and chlorine-based cleaners attack the chromium oxide layer that makes stainless stainless and cause pitting, small permanent pockmarks. And salt left sitting in a pan of undissolved water, or salted food left overnight, does the same thing more slowly; add salt to water that's already boiling and never leave brine in a pan. As for the dishwasher, most stainless cookware is technically dishwasher safe, and it will come out clean. It will also come out spotted and slowly dulled by harsh detergent, and pans with aluminum encapsulated bases can discolor. Hand washing takes two minutes and is the better habit; the dishwasher is fine for the occasional lazy night.
The exterior and bottom, then dry to prevent spots
The inside of a pan cleans itself through use; the outside is where scorch marks from gas flames, grease film that dripped down the sides, and drip stains on the base accumulate. Treat the exterior the same way as the interior, escalating from soap to baking soda paste to oxalic cleanser, and finish brushed stainless with a stainless cream polish and a microfiber cloth for a streak-free surface. A heavily scorched bottom may take two or three rounds of powder cleanser and patience. Then dry everything immediately with a towel, inside, outside, and around the rivets where water pools, and put the pan away rather than stacking it wet. Drying is the unglamorous step that prevents spots, and it's why the pans on cooking shows look the way they do. One more thing worth saying: if food is sticking to your stainless, the problem is almost never cleaning. It's heat and fat, and <a href="/articles/why-do-eggs-stick-to-stainless-steel">why eggs stick to stainless steel</a> explains the fix.
Recommended Gear
The gear we'd reach for. Prices shown on Amazon at click-through.
All-Clad Cookware Stainless Steel Cleaner, 12 oz Powder
budget-friendly
A mild oxalic-acid powder formulated by the company whose pans people most want to keep pristine. It lifts heat tint, calcium haze, and browned oil film that soap won't touch, and it's fine enough not to scratch a polished interior when used with a soft sponge and water. One can lasts a very long time.
Check Price on Amazon →
Scotch-Brite Zero Scratch Scrub Sponge, 9 Pack
budget-friendly
The everyday tool for stainless should scrub hard and scratch nothing, and the blue non-scratch pad does exactly that on polished cookware where a green pad leaves swirl marks. Nine to a pack means you replace them when they get grimy instead of nursing one along for months.
Check Price on Amazon →
Weiman Stainless Steel Sink and Cookware Cleaner and Polish with Microfiber Cloth
mid-range
The interior of a pan gets cleaned by cooking in it; the exterior and bottom are where scorch marks and water spots accumulate. This cream cleaner and its microfiber cloth are for the outside of the pan and the sink it lives in — a finishing polish that leaves brushed stainless streak-free.
Check Price on Amazon →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to clean stainless steel pans?
Deglaze while the pan is still warm with water or stock to lift stuck food, then wash with hot water, dish soap, and a non-scratch sponge, and dry immediately with a towel. Escalate to a baking soda paste for oil film, vinegar for rainbow tint and white spots, and an oxalic-acid powder cleanser for anything stubborn. Stainless tolerates soaking, soap, and acid, so nothing about the routine is delicate.
How do you get burnt-on grease off stainless steel pans?
Simmer an inch of water with two tablespoons of baking soda in the pan for 10 minutes, then scrape and scrub with a non-scratch sponge as it cools. For what remains, use a baking soda paste left on for 20 minutes, or an oxalic-acid powder cleanser rubbed gently with a damp sponge. Truly blackened pans take a couple of rounds; our burnt stainless guide has the full escalation.
Why does my stainless steel pan have rainbow stains?
That blue-and-gold sheen is heat tint, a thin oxide layer that forms when the pan gets very hot, typically from preheating empty or searing on high. It's harmless and doesn't affect cooking. Wipe the surface with white vinegar, let it sit a minute, and rinse; it disappears. It will return with high-heat cooking, which is fine; it's cosmetic, not damage, and a monthly wipe keeps the pan looking new.
Can you put stainless steel pans in the dishwasher?
Usually yes, and they'll come out clean. The trade-off is water spots, slow dulling from harsh detergent, and possible discoloration of aluminum-clad bases. Fully clad stainless handles it better than pans with exposed aluminum. Hand washing takes about two minutes and keeps the finish looking new far longer, so use the dishwasher as an occasional convenience rather than the routine. Check the manufacturer's guidance for pans with riveted or coated handles.
Can you use steel wool on stainless steel pans?
Not on a polished interior. Steel wool and green scouring pads leave a haze of fine scratches that trap food and stains and never come out. Use a non-scratch sponge, a plastic or wooden scraper, baking soda, and an oxalic-acid cleanser instead; between them they handle anything steel wool would. The only place coarse abrasion is defensible is a badly scorched exterior bottom that's already hidden, and even there a powder cleanser usually does the job.
How do you clean the bottom of a stainless steel pan?
Start with a baking soda paste left on for 20 minutes and a non-scratch sponge; scorch from gas flames usually needs an oxalic-acid powder cleanser rubbed in with a damp sponge, rinsed well, and repeated once or twice. Follow the grain on a brushed base. A cream stainless polish and microfiber cloth finish the job without streaks. Wiping the exterior after each wash keeps this from becoming a project in the first place.
Why does my stainless steel pan have white spots after washing?
They're mineral deposits, mostly calcium, left behind when hard tap water evaporates on the surface, either from air-drying or from boiling water away in the pan. Wipe with white vinegar or simmer a 1:3 vinegar-water mix for a few minutes, rinse, and they vanish. Prevent them by towel-drying right after washing rather than leaving pans in the rack, and by salting pasta water only after it comes to a boil.
Want to dig deeper? See our guides to How to Clean Burnt Stainless Steel, How to Remove Water Stains from Stainless Cookware, Why Do Eggs Stick to Stainless Steel?, and Best Stainless Steel Cookware Set (2026).