Pizza stones are deliberately low-maintenance — but that doesn’t mean you can ignore them entirely. The wrong cleaning approach can crack them, leave off-flavours, or cause them to deteriorate over time. Here’s the right way to clean a pizza stone, and what to avoid.
The Quick Answer
Scrape off stuck-on food while the stone is still warm (not hot). Wipe with a barely damp cloth. Let it air dry completely before storing. Never use soap, never submerge in water, and never put it in a dishwasher.
Step-by-Step: How to Clean a Pizza Stone
Step 1: Let It Cool (Partially)
Don’t clean a scorching hot stone — you’ll burn yourself and the sudden contact with any liquid could cause cracking. But don’t let it cool completely either. A warm stone (still too hot to touch bare-handed but not burning) is the ideal time to clean, as residue scrapes off more easily before it fully hardens.
Step 2: Scrape Off Debris
Use a metal bench scraper, the back of a butter knife, or a dedicated stone scraper to remove any stuck-on cheese, dough, or sauce. Apply firm, even pressure and work in one direction. Don’t dig into the stone — the goal is to remove the surface debris, not to restore it to factory condition.
Step 3: Wipe Clean
Use a cloth or paper towel that’s barely damp — wrung out thoroughly so it’s almost dry. Wipe the surface to remove any remaining ash or fine debris. Don’t scrub aggressively; a light wipe is enough for day-to-day cleaning.
Step 4: Air Dry Completely
Before storing the stone, let it air dry completely — ideally leave it out for several hours or overnight. A porous stone stores absorbed moisture, and if you seal it in a cupboard before it’s fully dry, that moisture can affect cooking performance and (in worst cases) cause cracking when the stone next heats rapidly.
Dealing with Stubborn Stains
Dark stains, grease spots, and burn marks are normal on a pizza stone — they’re a sign it’s being used. They do not affect cooking performance and you don’t need to remove them. A heavily used stone will look dark and patchy; that’s exactly how it should look.
If you have a specific stubborn spot (like melted cheese that hardened), make a paste from baking soda and a few drops of water. Apply it to the cold stone, let it sit for 5 minutes, then scrub gently with a stiff brush and wipe clean. This works on organic residue without leaving soapy flavours.
What Not to Do
Don’t Use Soap
Porous cordierite and composite stones absorb soap into their structure. Even a thorough rinse won’t fully remove it — and the next time the stone heats up, the soap residue can impart a bitter, soapy taste to the base of your pizza. Skip soap entirely.
Don’t Submerge in Water
Soaking a pizza stone causes it to absorb water deep into the pores. When the saturated stone is then heated rapidly, the moisture expands and can cause the stone to crack or split. Keep all cleaning surface-level and minimal.
Don’t Put It in the Dishwasher
The combination of soap, prolonged water exposure, and the thermal cycle of a dishwasher is likely to ruin most pizza stones. Even if it survives the first wash, the repeated cycles will degrade it over time.
Don’t Clean a Hot Stone with Cold Water
Pouring cold water on a hot pizza stone causes thermal shock — the rapid temperature change creates stress in the material that can crack or shatter it. Always wait until the stone has cooled to at least warm before any contact with water.
Self-Cleaning: The High-Heat Method
Many pizza oven users don’t clean their stones at all in the traditional sense — they rely on the extreme heat of the oven to burn off any residue. After your session, crank the oven to maximum and let it run for another 15–20 minutes. The heat will incinerate any leftover food, leaving just a fine ash that burns off or can be brushed away when cool. This is the approach most used in wood-fired setups.
Storing Your Pizza Stone
Store the stone in a dry place — ideally inside the oven itself between uses (many bakers leave it in permanently). Avoid cardboard storage boxes that trap humidity. If you live in a damp environment, occasional drying sessions (putting the stone in the oven at 200°F for 30 minutes) will drive out accumulated moisture before cooking sessions.
For more on choosing the right stone in the first place, see our guide to the best pizza stones.
Frequently Asked Questions
My pizza stone smells like grease. What should I do?
A grease smell usually means the stone has absorbed oil or fat from a cook. The most effective fix is to heat the stone to high temperature and let it burn off. Place the stone in a 500°F oven for an hour — the heat will render and eventually incinerate the absorbed fat.
Can I use a wire brush on a pizza stone?
For heavy-duty stuck-on residue, a stiff nylon brush is fine. Avoid metal wire brushes — they can leave metal particles in the porous surface and abrade the stone material unnecessarily. A bench scraper plus a nylon brush handles 99% of cleaning situations.
Why is my pizza stone turning black?
Perfectly normal. Burnt food residue, carbon deposits from the oven, and absorbed oils all darken the stone over time. A black pizza stone is a well-used pizza stone — it’s not a sign of a problem and doesn’t need fixing.
For oven-specific maintenance tips, see our reviews of the Ooni Koda 16 and Gozney Roccbox, both of which cover how the stones clean up after extended use.
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