Thrifty 35 yo SAHM of a DD born surgically 2004 and a DS born at home 2007 (woohoo! HBAC!), I am a passionate from-scratch cook, and have had to learn to cook for dairy-free, egg-free, low-sodium, sugar-free and low glycemic at various times or all at once due to my health, DH's health, and our kids' food allergies. Also passionate organic Square Foot / Intensive vegetable gardener. Frugality can be fun.
I would use pure Lanolin (such as Lansinoh) or pure cold-pressed coconut oil, instead, because those do a superb job, and unlike Vaseline, are NOT putting petrochemicals on your skin. Petrochemicals do penetrate and enter the bloodstream. The coconut oil is exceptionally good and doesn't leave any stickiness like the lanolin. ... View related article.
Because potpourri oil is usually synthetic and not edible and because plastics absorb and hold aromatic oils... you may have a health hazard that may not be remediable.
If all else fails, hit it with straight 91% (or strongest you can buy) rubbing alcohol. Strong alcohol dissolves oils. Rub every part of the interior, and leave it open, empty and unplugged overnight. If that doesn't work, get rid of the fridge. Sorry to say but his health is more important than a fridge.
Oh, and LOL since he doesn't seem to have a lick of sense (just kidding.. my son is only a toddler and already I dread the things he will think up to do!) make sure he keeps windows open when using that alcohol so as not to breathe it too much.
I love lemons too, but had to note that any acid will keep fruit from browning, and white vinegar is a darned sight cheaper than lemons. So here's my lemon-loving frugal advice: zest a lemon before slicing or juicing, and freeze the zest in "one lemon' parcels in a freezer bag, for use when a recipe calls for "zest of one lemon". But for keeping fruit from browning, for scrubbing pots, and for most other purposes other than scent and nutrition, plain white distilled vinegar (at a few bucks a gallon) deodorizes, sanitizes, softens callouses, keeps fruit from browning, and does most anything a lemon will do, for a savings. ... View related article.
Canola oil won't season it the way shortening or lard will. Solid fats are what you need. And while it is new, don't cook liquids in it or boil anything in it, like pasta or whatnot... it's not a saucepan. That weakens seasoning on any skillet. Making skillet cornbread, where I heat the bacon grease in the skillet in a 400 degree oven til barely smoking, then pour in the cornbread batter all at once and bake in the skillet, is the best way I know of to boost the nonstick performance. But as someone else said, a crappy skillet won't ever do you right, and an antique one is worth the money. Also, like others said, don't use soap or detergent, never submerge it in water. Some people even refuse to rinse theirs with water, and instead scrub it with a natural brush and wipe clean.
Oh, and if you want to get rid of everything caked on an antique skillet, or say something gets burned on and you need to take it down to the bare iron and start from scratch making a brand-new seasoning? clean and dry it, and put it in a self-cleaning oven while the cleaning cycle goes. Hours later, your oven will unlock, and your skillet will have everything except bare iron burned to ash. You can then start the process of seasoning it from scratch, which will turn your gray iron a gleaming deep black when you are through. ... View related article.
