I have always use hot water and a brush to clean my cast iron. Lately I bought the new Lodge brush and liked it but hardly use it now. My wife had some of the blue scotch pads and she said they were non scratch. They work like a charm. Being non scratch they don't hurt the seasoning. You have to use the blue and I get them in the cleaning supplies at Walmart. They will take off any stubborn food but most of the time it's just a simple wipe with them. Don