I have only been cooking with a cast iron skillet for about 2 years.  I love my cast iron skillet! I have always heard that caring for cast iron was hard to do.  But today’s cast iron is easier to care for.  My cast iron skillet is a Lodge 12.5″ skillet.  Lodge has been making cast iron skillets since the late 1800’s.  They have created a method of seasoning their pans so that minimal care is required.  Great!  But there are things that you must remember, kinda like the Golden Rules of Cast Iron:

1. NEVER wash a seasoned pan with soapy water!
2. NEVER put a cast iron pan in the dishwasher!

Soap breaks down the protective seasoning, and you have to re-season the pan all over again.  Leaving water in the pan leads to rusting which will need re-seasoning from the beginning.  I get my cast iron skillet clean with hot water and a plastic rough-surface scrub brush.  Then, I make sure the skillet is completely dry.  Next, I put a teaspoon of vegetable oil in the pan and with a paper towel rub the oil all over the pan, inside and out.  I store my skillet in an area with good air circulation so no moisture is trapped on it.  I, actually,  keep mine on top of my stove because it is used so much.  This cast iron skillet is amazing because nothing will stick to it, it can go from the stove into the oven, and you can use it on a campfire.  The more you use it, the better your skillet gets!