How to Clean a Pizza Stone: 5 Tips for Cleaning Pizza Stones

A pizza stone is a type of baking stone that is specifically used to make pizza. It is usually a circular slab of porous material such as cast iron, ceramic, or stone that you can place into a conventional oven.

The pizza stone material quickly absorbs heat and uses it to cook your pizza quickly in a similar way that traditional brick pizza ovens cook pizza. The stone slab aerates your dough, baking it from the bottom and resulting in a crispy pizza crust.

The porous material of a pizza stone absorbs whatever comes into contact with it. That’s why you should never clean a pizza stone with dish soap and water. With that in mind, there is an unconventional yet simple way to clean a pizza stone that doesn’t even involve running it under a faucet.

1. 1. Scrape away the residue. Make sure your pizza stone is at room temperature before you attempt to clean it. Allow it to air dry on your counter, outside of your pizza oven. After your stone has cooled, use a plastic spatula, bench scraper, stone brush, or other pan-safe scouring pad in a circular motion to gently remove any stuck-on grime or burnt food remains.
2. 2. Wipe with a damp cloth. Use a soft cloth with a little hot water to wipe away any remaining debris from the stone after you’ve scraped any of the initial cheese or pieces of food off of it.
3. 3. Make a baking soda paste. You can use a baking soda/ warm water paste to remove any stubborn stains you want to get off of your pizza stone. Simply mix baking soda and warm water together until it forms a paste, then apply to stains in a circular motion with a cloth or toothbrush. Wipe down the stone again with a damp cloth.

Cleaning your pizza stone occasionally can help keep it in top form for the many years of baking you’ll be using it for. Here are some extra tips to keep in mind when you’re cleaning your pizza stone.

1. 1. Be gentle with stain removal. When you’re removing stains from your pizza stone, don’t use any corrosive tools or materials. Avoid using metal tools to scrape food off of your pizza stone, because they can potentially scratch it. Instead, gently rub off any stuck-on food with medium-grit sandpaper.
2. 2. Wash sparingly. Similar to a cast-iron skillet, the flavor of a pizza stone improves the more you use it. Only clean it when it’s especially grimy, which should only be occasionally.
3. 3. Only use the baking soda solution for stains. Due to the porous surface of the pizza stone, it will absorb the flavors it touches. This means that if you use dish soap and water, your next pizza will taste like soapy water. Only use safe and approved cleaning methods, like the paste made out of baking soda and water, to wash your stone.
4. 4. Avoid using oil on it. Oiling or greasing up your pizza stone will not enhance the flavor or improve the cooking of your pizza. In fact, olive oil will start to burn and smoke as your pizza cooks in the hot oven, so avoid using these whenever possible.
5. 5. Bake your stone. If you’re unable to remove certain grit and grime from your pizza stone, put it back in the oven and bake at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes. Let the stone cool before attempting to scrape the grime loose again.

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