I use hot water and the chainmaill scrubber to clean my cast iron. If it is properly seasoned nothing sticks so much you have to spend more then a minute to clean it. I use soap every so often, just be sure to heat dry after rinsing and recoat with oil. All my cast iron is Lodge and now it comes pre seasoned which saves you a lot of hassle. Lodge has quality cast iron that gets better with age. I had one cast iron skillet made in China that pitted and the pan split in two pieces. Shoddy casting.
