Extremely Dirty Pans...

[GregS]

In my late Grandfathers storage I found about ten lodge cast iron pans and skillets. All have minimal rust and pitting. But the building where they were stored (for years) did have dogs living in it and they peed and pood all around in there, THEN the building got water damage and it has harbored alot of mold for quite a while. You can hardly breath in the room it's so musty and there's dog crap and mold everywhere.

Can I possibly re-sanitize all these nice cast iron pieces?

 

[Doug D.]

Sanitize first by a soak in a bleach solution for safer handling. If no electrolysis set up, vinegar/water bath for rust removal. (See http://www.castironcollector.com/restore.php for details.) You don't say if they are in need of a de-crudding as well. May want to proceed somewhat differently if so.

 

[Ty L.]

With minimal rust and that many pieces, it might be worthwhile to set up a lye bath. To see if it might work for you, read the instructions here, and if you use a Rubbermaid tote or something similar, they surprisingly clean up very nicely (like brand new) once the lye's been diluted and disposed of.

 

[GregS]

Thanks! I appreciate the advice! I suppose that since you are suggesting cleaning methods then you do believe it is possible to make them safe for eating again. No there is no crud, just rust and mold. They were put away relatively clean, but the building they're in is disgusting.

 

[Doug D.]

The hardest part will be having to use more than one method to deal with more than one issue. Bleaching first will kill the mold and canine artifacts. It can be scrubbed and rinsed thoroughly afterwards, and then even neutralized with aquarium de-chlorinator if desired. But that will perhaps still leave some rust, which requires the vinegar solution treatment or electrolysis. Lye might be effective on the contaminants, but it still won't affect the rust.

If it was a combo of just crud, canine, and mold, but with no rust, it might be as simple as running them through a short self-cleaning oven cycle. Assuming you (and other housemates) were willing to use it for the purpose. But, again, no help with rust there.

 

[GTurner]

If it was a combo of just crud, canine, and mold, but with no rust, it might be as simple as running them through a short self-cleaning oven cycle.

Self-cleaning oven cycle??

I thought that wasn't recommended.

 

[Doug D.]

It's ordinarily not, for a variety of situations and reasons. 120 year old Erie skillet? No way. Easily replaceable, relatively modern Lodge with dog pee and mold? Preferable to throwing it in a fire (also never recommended).