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Whether it’s a vintage piece inherited from your grandmother, or a brand new set of Pyrex glass cookware, it’s hard not to love these dishes. There is nothing quite like a casserole baked in a glass pan, but you can also use this type of cookware for many other purposes.
The bottom line is, Pyrex glass cookware always looks beautiful. However, it is also common for dirt stains to appear on this type of cookware over time, and sometimes it seems impossible to remove them.
How do you restore your Pyrex glass cookware to its original glory? Is it even possible? In fact, yes, there are a couple of tricks you can use to have your glass dishes always looking shiny as new. Read on to find out more.
About Pyrex Glass Cookware
Although many people call their glass cookware Pyrex, which is a brand name, in most cases this cookware is borosilicate glass. Pyrex was the first brand of borosilicate glass introduced ever, as far back as 1915. At the time, it brought forth a small revolution in the cookware industry, but today there are many companies that make similar glass products.
What is borosilicate glass?
Borosilicate glass is a type of glass made using a different process than standard soda-lime glass (commonly used for windows and other glass products. Borosilicate glass is much tougher and more resistant to heat than soda-lime glass which makes it perfect for cookware).
Today, some of the glass cookware is actually made from tempered soda-lime glass, tempering refers to the process by which the glass is made more resistant to heat and shattering. The way to clean these glass dishes is the same, no matter what type of glass they are made of, so let’s delve in!
How To Clean Pyrex Glass Cookware?
When it comes to regular maintenance, cleaning Pyrex cookware is fairly straightforward. If you want to keep it looking as new, you should always wash your Pyrex glass cookware by hand, using dishwashing soap and a non-abrasive sponge.
While putting Pyrex cookware in the dishwasher won’t destroy it, you might end up with stains and scratches on your beloved cookware so that is one thing to be careful about.
Now, this is fine in most cases, but, as we all know, sometimes you might end up with bits of scorched food that stick to your glass dish that just don’t want to come off. Moreover, with years of use, dark stains might form on the glass that certainly looks unattractive.
So what should you do in these cases? There are a couple of tricks that seasoned cooks use to make it easier to clean Pyrex glass cookware. In what follows, we’ll cover four Pyrex glass cleaning methods that seem to be most successful.
Baking Soda And Dish Soap
When you have tough stains to deal with on your cookware, the first thing to try is soaking it in warm water. While this might work for burnt food stuck to the bottom, with some stains it will just not be enough.
What you can try in this case is soaking the dish in hot water with the addition of regular dish soap and some baking soda. Let it sit for a couple of hours (or maybe even overnight), and the stains should soften and come off more easily.
Another strategy to try with really tough stains is to mix baking soda with water until you have a thick paste. Apply the paste to the problem area and use a sponge to scrub. It will take some elbow grease for sure, but this method should be effective. You can also try adding a bit of dish soap to the paste.
Dryer Sheets
Another old trick that many housewives know and use is adding a dryer sheet to the water in which you soak your dish. Just fill your Pyrex dish with warm water and put a dryer sheet in there.
Let it sit until the water cools down, and then try scrubbing with your favorite method. The logic behind this is that dryer sheets help soften the residue, and it often works well. This method is also useful for all kinds of cookware, not just Pyrex.
Magic Eraser
A lot of people recommend the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser sponge for cleaning Pyrex dishes, but probably any type of abrasive sponge would do the trick. The key is to choose an abrasive sponge that is made of nylon or other materials that are not metal. You can also use steel wool for extra scrubbing power, but this will easily lead to scratching the glass, especially if your Pyrex dish is colored, you should be extremely careful with this.
On the other hand, plastic abrasive sponges like the Magic Eraser are generally safe to use, and you can combine them with any of the methods mentioned above. Just keep scrubbing and eventually, all the grime should be gone!
Abrasive Cleaners
The final thing that can be helpful in cleaning Pyrex glass cookware is using a gentle liquid or cream abrasive cleaning product.
Some people swear by Bar Keepers Friend, some have used a regular oven cleaner, but in any case, this type of product can help deal with the tough grease stains on Pyrex glass.
Final Thoughts
Although sometimes grease stains can get baked on your Pyrex glass cookware, it’s definitely possible to remove if you know how to do it. Granted, it takes some persistence, but if you use our advice you’ll surely be able to do it. No need to give up on the stained casserole pan! Just try out the methods we suggested and you’ll quickly find your favorite one.
