I bought a couple things from a friend selling Pampered Chef stuff almost 20 years ago. I got 2 of those nylon scrapers free with my order. I still use them every time I clean dishes.
I'll wade in on the cast iron debate. I only use hot water and scrubbing with a cloth and/or scraper when I clean mine. I also try to wash the pan while it's still pretty warm (if I can hold the handle for 3 seconds or more). My seasoning procedure is as follows: 1. Wash with hot water. 2. Put on high heat and evapourate all the water out of the pan. 3. Pour in about a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and wipe with a paper towel. 4. Leave on the heat until the oil just starts to smoke. 5. Pull off the heat and let cool to room temp. Then put the pan away. You have to get the oil to polymerize in order to build up the seasoning. The only way to do that is with heat. You can either do it when you first put the pan on heat or during cooking (just oil the pan after use method) or right before you put the pan away (My method). I also don't believe that a cast iron pan that's been ground smooth is that much better than a newer rough sand casted pan. I've got an old wagner pan that came smooth from the factory that's just slightly less non-stick than my new lodge sand casted "rough" pan. The wagner is nicer to look at, I guess that counts for something.