Cast iron care advice online is full of confident contradictions. This is the attempt to cut through it.
Search “how to clean cast iron” and you’ll find one article insisting soap will ruin your pan forever, and another two links down saying that’s nonsense. One site says never use metal utensils; the next sells cast iron specifically because it can take metal utensils. New pan owners end up more anxious about their skillet than confident using it.
IronCares exists to give the plain, unhedged version: what seasoning physically is, what actually damages it, and what’s just kitchen folklore repeated because it sounds cautious. Every guide on this site is written to be the only page you need to read on that specific question.
The three core guides — seasoning, cleaning, and rust removal — cover the situations that come up for nearly every cast iron owner, from a first-time seasoning to reviving a pan found at the back of a cupboard.
A note on links
Some pages on this site may include links to products, and some of those may be affiliate links — meaning a purchase made through them can earn this site a small commission at no extra cost to you. That never changes which pans, tools, or techniques get recommended; the guides are written the same way regardless of whether a link earns anything. See the privacy policy for the full disclosure.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or something that needs a closer look — reach out at hello@ironcares.com.