Burned on Food Cleaner - Baking Soda

I burnt some soup really well! (I can't cook really well, but at least I am talented at burning! But alas, to be really frugal you gotta cook!) I mean really good stuck on black soup on the bottom of the pot.

I made a baking soda paste per some discussion thread I read online and let it sit on the bottom for awhile. I took a metal scrubbie, and Viola! Easily cleaned up burned mess. Then it got me to thinking. My dish soap is crap. (I swear Dawn has changed its formula) No dish soap I have bought lately cuts grease. I am getting disgusted with dish soap. I tried using Charlie's soap which worked fine but it was too harsh on my hands. Surely if baking powder can clean up that burnt pot it can do other wonders right?

So I took an old parmesan plastic shaker container and filled it with baking powder and when I do dishes, I put just a little soap and sprinkle a fair amount of baking soda in the dishwater. Seems to be doing fairly well, as well as the Charlie's soap, but baking soda exfoliates and makes my hands softer instead of chapped.

So, then I decided to really test it. I will have to share how bad I am at cleaning the stove burners in order to do so though. I really hardly ever do it. So, if you cringe at how far I let these things go, I apologize.

Here is my lovely burner pan.

I sprayed it with vinegar, sprinkled on baking powder and sprayed some more vinegar on top of it and let it sit for awhile.

I had to do this 2 times using a wire brush and metal scrubbie and this is what I got.

Before and After

Maybe I could have done more, but I got tired of scrubbing and it was down to the really bad part. I have in the past tried ammonia, straight vinegar, oven cleaner and dryer sheet soaked in water according to discussion threads I have come across, but this has done the best yet. If anyone knows of anything better that really works on burnt-on-for-years burner pans let me know!

Now, I know if I did it more than once a millenia, I wouldn't have so much problem keeping them clean . . .