Make Dirty Stainless Steel Pans Shine Like New Ahead of Holiday Hosting With This $7 Bestselling 'Magic' Cleanser Shoppers Love

And, it's under $10

Dark green kitchen with dark orange wall panels and copper pans hanging on rail over a small sink. The counters are black, cabinets dark green, there is a window and door to the left, and shallow dishes with fresh produce by the sink
(Image credit: Farrow & Ball)

With guests soon arriving for holiday festivities, are your pans looking a little worse for wear?

Whether you're a dab hand at hosting or aren't usually cooking up a storm, it's completely normal that pots and pans can end up looking tarnished, dirty, and a little stained. Luckily, all three are easy to combat with the bestselling Bar Keepers Friend Superior Cookware Cleanser & Polish, available at Amazon.

This Bestselling Cookware Cleanser Makes Old Pans Shine Like New

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

There are so many mistakes to avoid when cleaning kitchenware, and even more stainless steel cleaning mistakes to keep in mind, which is why the Bar Keepers Friend Superior Cookware Cleanser & Polish, available at Amazon, is such a brilliant buy when it comes to cleaning stainless steel.

It both cleans and degreases, and is also suitable for use on ceramic, copper, brass, chrome, and aluminium, cutting through usually tricky to tackle substances like oil, baked-on food, mineral deposits, and rust stains.

That's not all, either, as it can also be used for cleaning a stainless steel sink, cleaning porcelain sinks, and even cleaning a grill.

To use to remove tough grease from pots, pans, and other items, as well as cleaning a burnt pan or cleaning a burnt pot, simply wet the area to be cleaned, and sprinkle the Bar Keepers Friend cookware cleaner directly onto the surface. Then, rub the area gently with a wet cloth, such as the Great Value Multipurpose Microfiber Household Cleaning Cloth, available in a pack of two at Walmart, or a sponge, such as the Scotch-Brite Zero Scratch Scrub Sponge available at Amazon, to make a paste.

You can add more cleaner if necessary. In general, this method, while effortlessly effective, is a quick kitchen cleaning tip, too.

A yellow and white kitchen with brown parquet flooring. To the right are yellow cabinets, a silver hob, a white panelled wall with hanging copper pans, and a yellow range hood above. To the right are hanging copper pans. In front of the hob is a yellow island with a white countertop on wheels, underneath a green pendant lamp. Behind is a bright window.

Bar Keeper's Friend can be used for cleaning copper pots and pans like these.

(Image credit: Future / PAUL MASSEY)

It's also a cleaning supply that shoppers love, reflected in the 11,000 five-star reviews they've left, and the fact that over 10,000 were bought in the last month.

As one reviewer, Sensen, says, it 'I used this to clean my steel pan, and it works like magic. Just sprinkle some powder on top, let it sit, and the cooked-on residue comes right off. The pot ends up nice and clean with no lingering smell. We use it every single week, and one container has lasted us for several months.'

Another, Olga, writes that she 'seriously loves' this cleanser, adding, 'I didn’t think I’d ever be excited about a cleaner, but wow – this stuff really works. I used it on my stainless steel pans, and they seriously look like new. The stain removal power is amazing. For the really stubborn spots, I just make a little paste, leave it on for about five minutes, then scrub with a non-scratch sponge. That’s it.

'It doesn’t scratch the pans, and there’s no weird smell. I only use it a couple of times a month, so the size of the package lasts me a few months. It’s super easy to store under the sink and pull out whenever I need it. Honestly, it makes cleaning way less annoying.'

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For a gentle, natural approach, you can also cleverly reuse coffee grounds to clean pans.

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Ottilie joined Homes & Gardens last year, after finishing a Master's in Magazine Journalism at City, University of London. With previous contributions in Livingetc and Motorsport Magazine, she produces content for the Solved section on the website, focusing on clever tips and tricks to keep your home beautiful, organized, and clean, with particular expertise on all things home fragrance. She also has a Master's degree in English Literature and History of Art from the University of Edinburgh, where she developed a love for inspiring interiors and architecture.