Cheap is my favorite!
I do what you told me ;) I fill the pan halfway with water and boil it while scraping the bottom with a spatula. Then I dump that out and it usually looks pretty good. If it still looks gunky, I’ll take a sponge and wipe it clean, then rinse (no soap ysed) then dry in the burner.
What did you find?
Took me forever to find it.
I add some lard then warm the pan. Not hot. Then I dump in some coarse salt and a little bit of baking soda.
Scrub it with the soft brush (no soap) and rinse it out. Wipe it out and carry on from there.
I also use this:
(I must admit that I let mine get *really* bad before I clean it...)