TL;DR
Sugar and oil leave two different residues, and they need two different water temperatures. Honey, syrup, and jam dissolve in hot water almost instantly. Oil and butter need hot water plus plenty of detergent to release. The part that never gets clean on either is the ring holding a set of measuring spoons together.
Two residues, two problems
Sticky measuring tools come from two sources, and knowing which one you are dealing with saves time.
Sugar-based residue -- honey, maple syrup, molasses, jam, condensed milk -- is water-soluble. Hot water dissolves it readily. It only becomes difficult when it dries into a hard glaze, and even then a hot soak reverses it.
Fat-based residue -- oil, melted butter, shortening, peanut butter -- is not water-soluble at all. No amount of rinsing removes it. It needs hot water plus detergent, which surrounds the fat and carries it away.
Most people use the same lukewarm rinse for both and get a poor result on both. Match the method to the residue.
Small tools with awkward geometry are the theme of our guide to cleaning kitchen tools without damaging them, and measuring sets are a good example.
How do you clean sticky measuring cups?
Rinse sugar residue under hot running water, which dissolves it in seconds. For oil or butter, wash in hot water with plenty of dish soap and a brush. Separate a spoon set at the ring, wash each spoon individually, and dry everything before reassembling.
The ring is the dirtiest part of a spoon set
Most measuring spoon sets are joined by a split ring or a hinged clip through a hole in each handle. That ring is a metal loop threaded through several holes, and it collects everything.
Batter, honey, and oil work into the gap between the ring and the handle holes and stay there. The spoons look clean. The ring is not.
Take the set apart. Most split rings open with a fingernail or the edge of a spoon. Wash each spoon on its own, wash the ring itself with a brush, dry everything, then reassemble.
If the set does not come apart, work a brush through the ring and around each handle hole under hot running water, and fan the spoons out so the ring is exposed rather than bunched.
Nested cups, seams, and the flat rim
Dry measuring cups nest, which means the outside of one is in contact with the inside of another. If the outsides are not washed, residue transfers.
Wash the outside of every cup, not just the inside. Pay particular attention to the flat top rim, which is the surface you level flour against and which collects a film of everything you have ever scooped.
Cups with a welded or riveted handle have a seam at the joint. Brush it. On plastic cups, check the underside where the handle meets the body -- there is usually a molded recess there that traps residue.
Liquid measuring cups with a molded spout hold residue in the spout channel. Brush that specifically; a rinse runs past it.
Honey, syrup, and the trick that makes them easier
Honey and syrup cling because they are viscous, not because they are hard to dissolve. Hot water alone handles the residue.
Rinse the cup or spoon under hot running water within a minute of use and the residue is simply gone. Let it dry and you need a hot soak of five to ten minutes first.
For future measuring, a light coat of neutral oil or a quick spray in the cup before adding honey lets the honey slide out cleanly -- less waste and much less cleaning. The same stickiness problem is covered in how to clean a honey dipper.
Oil, butter, and the film that survives washing
Fat leaves a thin film that feels slightly slick after a normal wash, especially on plastic and silicone, which hold oil more readily than steel.
The fix is temperature and detergent, not scrubbing harder. Run the water hot, use plenty of soap, and give it contact time -- a ten to fifteen minute soak in hot soapy water for a badly greasy set.
A baking soda paste on a brush handles anything left on plastic. Never use an abrasive pad on plastic or silicone, which scratches the surface and gives oil more to hold onto. Plastic's oil-holding behavior is covered in how to clean mixing bowls, and rancid oil film is the subject of how to clean an oil dispenser bottle.
Faded markings, dishwashers, and material rules
Printed or painted measurement markings fade in the dishwasher. Repeated cycles of hot detergent wear them off, and a measuring cup with no legible markings is not much use.
Stamped or engraved markings on stainless survive indefinitely. If your set is stamped, the dishwasher is fine. If it is printed, hand wash to keep the numbers.
Stainless steel: hot soapy water, brush the seams, rinse, dry. Avoid chlorine bleach, which pits stainless, and steel wool, which leaves iron particles.
Plastic: dishwasher safe on the top rack for most sets, but check for a temperature marking. Thin plastic warps in a lower rack, and a warped measuring cup no longer measures accurately.
Glass liquid measures: dishwasher safe, though printed markings on some fade over time. Avoid thermal shock -- do not put a hot glass measure into cold water or a cold one into hot liquid.
Dry everything before nesting or reassembling. Water trapped between nested cups leaves spots and, over time, odor. Our house cleaning services page covers the broader kitchen.
FAQ
How do you get honey out of a measuring cup?
Rinse it under hot running water within a minute of use -- honey is water-soluble and dissolves almost instantly at high temperature. If it has dried into a glaze, soak the cup in hot water for five to ten minutes first, then rinse. Detergent is not required for sugar residue.
Why do my measuring cups still feel greasy?
Fat is not water-soluble, so rinsing does nothing for it. Wash in water as hot as you can safely handle with plenty of dish soap and give it contact time -- ten to fifteen minutes of soaking for a badly greasy set. Plastic holds oil more stubbornly than steel.
How do you clean measuring spoons that are joined by a ring?
Take the set apart at the split ring, wash each spoon individually, wash the ring itself with a brush, dry everything, and reassemble. The gap between the ring and the handle holes traps batter, honey, and oil, and it stays dirty no matter how clean the spoons look.
Can measuring cups go in the dishwasher?
Stainless and most plastic sets can, on the top rack. The problem is printed or painted markings, which fade with repeated hot detergent cycles and eventually become illegible. Sets with stamped or engraved markings are safe indefinitely; hand wash printed ones.
How do you keep honey from sticking in a measuring cup?
Coat the inside lightly with a neutral oil, or give it a quick spray, before adding the honey. The honey slides out cleanly, you waste less of it, and the cup rinses in seconds afterward. It works the same way for maple syrup and molasses.
Why are the numbers wearing off my measuring cups?
Printed and painted markings are worn away by repeated dishwasher cycles -- hot water plus detergent plus time. Hand washing preserves them. A measuring cup with illegible markings should be replaced, since guessing at a measurement defeats the purpose of the tool.
Baking tools get used constantly and cleaned casually. If you would rather hand the whole kitchen off, every home is different, so the real number depends on size, condition, and what you want covered. Get a quote and we will walk you through it.