You might be surprised by what causes cloudy spots and stains on stainless steel cookware. Luckily, there's an easy way to remove them.
This Is Why Your Stainless Steel Pots and Pans Look Cloudy
Published on Mar. 05, 2025
Some cooks swear by stainless steel. It withstands high heat, heats evenly and lasts forever. But stainless steel pots and pans can be difficult to clean. No matter how many times I scrub my beloved All-Clad pan, I still notice white, cloudy residue on the bottom. What’s the deal?
The residue is not harmful, and that chalky discoloration can easily be removed.
Why does my stainless steel pan look cloudy?
The cloudy haze you see on your stainless steel pan is caused by, well, water. Pretty anticlimactic, right? Water, particularly hard water, contains mineral deposits, including calcium. Those minerals can wreak havoc on certain areas of your home. The same reason you have a clogged shower head, stubborn soap scum, or a discolored coffee maker is also what’s causing calcium buildup on your stainless steel pans.
When hard water is heated, solid deposits of calcium carbonate can form. When you boil water, it breaks down and leaves behind calcium carbonate, also called limescale. This process also happens in the dishwasher, because the appliance uses heat to wash and dry the dishes. Your stainless steel pot is left with unsightly white stains that no amount of scrubbing will remove. It’s kind of like how heat creates rainbow spots on stainless steel.
How can I remove the spots from stainless steel cookware?
To remove calcium deposits from stainless steel, it’s vinegar to the rescue! We all know vinegar is a powerhouse when it comes to fighting hard water deposits. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says, “The acidity of vinegar helps to dissolve mineral particles by making them charged. These newly charged particles become attracted to the positive and negative charges in water and can be washed away easily.”
Here’s how to apply that science to cleaning your stainless steel cookware:
- Fill the stained pan with three parts white vinegar and one part water.
- Bring to a boil, then turn off the burner. For extra stubborn stains, allow the pan to soak for a few minutes.
- Rinse, then immediately dry with a clean towel.
That’s it! Once the vinegar dissolves the calcium, the stains will easily wipe away, and your pan will look new again. To keep them clean repeat this process as needed. If you wash any stainless steel cookware in the dishwasher, use a rinse aid like Finish Jet Dry. Rinse aids create a protective layer on your pots and pans that repels water droplets, preventing them from drying on the surface and leaving behind mineral stains.
