Removing bleach/aluminum product from pan

Factual Questions
1

My SIL put bleach in her muffin pan to get out something, and now the cups have brownish ick in them. I found a web page that recommends “Heat a solution of 1 tbs. vinegar per qt of water or 2 tsp. cream of tartar per qt of water in each pan until discoloration disappears.”

Anyone have any experience with this issue? Could you just ignore it and cook with it normally?

2

Bleach and aluminum react to form aluminum oxide/hydroxide. This should be a greyish substance and the vinegar/cream of tarter is probably a good start for it. The brown ick you are describing sounds like something entirely different. It can’t hurt to try though.

I don’t suspect it is anything horribly toxic.