I know "neccessity is the mother of invention," but sometimes I think stupidity can lead one to discover handy remedies as well.
Got stupid one night fixing dinner. Went to broil nice piece of marinated meat. Had lined drip pan with foil and sprayed food pan. Broiled meat, came out fine. Went to place pan aside for cleaning but sink and counter space already cluttered with dishes and prep for rest of meal. Left pan in broiler and used oven. (Yes, ME BAD, ME STUPID.) Went to clean pan today. Soak, soak, soak, scrub, scrub, scrub burnt goo still not go. Finally grabbed big jug of Orange TKO...
I mixed undiluted TKO with enough baking soda to form a spreadable paste (WARNING: DO NOT USE PLASTIC ITEMS FOR THIS - THEY WILL DISSOLVE). I spread it on the gunked pan and then let it set for an hour or so. Afterwards I was able to use a rough scrubber pad to remove almost all of the mess without much trouble. Good thing too as today had snow and I couldn't fathom opening windows to ventilate for those ammonia spray oven cleaning products. I may even try this for the cleaning of my gas oven instead of those "EASY STINK" products.
I made a considerable "investment" over a year ago for a gallon jug of TKO and it is still going strong as the best household kitchen/bathroom cleaner when diluted and when neccessary full strength.

PlumbJiggy,

Ya gotta love Orange TKO. It is my most used product in the house and out of the house. IMO it is reasonably priced when you consider the relatively small amount I use. Usually a single ounce at a time. An ounce in a 32 oz. spray bottle is extremely strong stuff. The only things I don't like it for is windows/mirrors (can't seem to get it diluted enough) and drain cleaning (just too darned expensive at a cup/treatment when a single treatment isn't sufficient).

_________________
Keeping it clean and green here, Boss.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

1/32 isn't too bad. I've always been put off by the huge price tag, but with spring cleaning coming up soon, I think I'll give it a go. Where's the best price you've found so far, Clean?

~Dave

Dave,

Unfortunately memory is not one of my long suits I can't remember the price, but the best price was on a gallon purchased from Texas TKO at last year's (2003) Organic Show. Prior to that I purchased a 64 oz. bottle from Elliott's Hardware. You can buy from Texas TKO on the internet. I think he still offers free shipping in the State of Texas. I think Elliott's still carries the larger sizes (64 oz. / 1 gallon). You can find the smaller sizes in a variety of locations.

Sticker shock is tough with this stuff, but when you consider cost/use it is very reasonable IMO.

_________________
Keeping it clean and green here, Boss.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

For those stuck with a carboned-up non-aluminum pan or grill and no immediate access to TKO, I believe soaking the affected areas in household ammonia will remove/loosen the deposits (credit for the tip to Graham Haley). When done, throw the carbon/ammonia combination on the compost pile. With grills, one would need a container of some sort to do the immersion.

Here's a tip for cleaning grills that I found on the web (preferably for organic lawns )
+++
From http://www.askyourneighbor.com/hhints.htm
"CLEAN THE GRILL

This cleanup trick works while you sleep! Lay a barbecue grill rack on the lawn overnight-the dew will combine with the enzymes in the grass to loosen any burned-on grease. Try it with messy oven racks too!"
+++

Totally off topic is the technique for using a molasses bath to remove rust from iron/steel, as described in this exchange concerning steam engine restoration:

http://www.steamengine.com.au/ic/faq/mollasis.html

_________________
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.

Has anyone used/purchased the Echo Quest Laundry Pure system? You hook it up to your washing machine, doesnt use detergent.

Thanks

Cathy