We’ve all been there before, with the daunting, sticky kitchen messes: cinnamon roll residue on a baking sheet, melted cheese “glued” to a casserole dish, burnt bits of rice fused to the bottom of a pot—not to mention that lingering layer of grease or food film you feel but can’t even see.

Even with a dishwasher on your side, cleaning ultra-dirty dishes is a huge pain when you’re not sure how to tackle them—but if you’re armed with the right products and some smart strategies, it can be a breeze.

• Give it a good soak

If you don’t happen to have a dishwasher, this easy method takes some time but calls for hardly any elbow grease. First, scrape away whatever debris you can with a plastic spatula or brush. Then, place your gunky baking pan in the sink, fill it with hot water and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Then top it off with a dryer sheet (yes, really!) and let the pan sit like this for one hour. When the 60 minutes are up, wipe the pan all over with the dryer sheet—the grime should come off effortlessly!—and then give it a final rinse.

• Let your dishwasher do the dirty work

For those that do have a dishwasher, you don’t have to roll up your sleeves at all—even to pre-rinse dishes—so long as you use a dishwasher detergent that’s formulated to remove invisible food residue in just one wash, like Cascade Platinum + Oxi. It’s a powerful solution that contains stain-lifting ingredients that break down stuck-on food and leaves your dishes with a deep hygienic clean that you can see and feel. (Just don’t forget to scrape off the larger scraps beforehand.)

Pro tip: Load your dishes deliberately — and make sure what you are adding is dishwasher-safe. All the gunky items should be facing the spray arm (often located right in the center), with nothing blocking the water stream.

• Get a lift from lemons

Acid from lemon juice can get a darkened aluminum pot or pan to sparkle in minutes. Here’s how to apply it: Scrape away any remaining food, then fill the pot or pan with hot water first and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Place it on the stove to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then let it cool and pour out the water. Wipe away any remaining residue using a sponge, and rinse. Voilà: suddenly spotless.