When you purchase yourself a barbeque grill it is best to think of it as an investment rather than just thinking of it as just something for outdoor living or for family and friend gatherings. This is especially true these days because there are so many higher end BBQ grills that are a large investment of money. Even the middle and lower end models are often quite expensive.
Look at your BBQ grill as something that will play a significant part in your family’s outdoor activities and entertainment for many years to come.
Like any other investment your BBQ grill requires proper care and maintenance in order to guarantee that your barbeque grill will continue to function properly and give you the best results for many years into the future.
Leaving you grill messy without cleaning it soon after you are done using it will not only make it harder on you when you finally decide to clean your grill but it will also drastically decrease the useful lifespan of your investment.
If you leave your grill dirty without a good proper cleaning that also increases the likelihood that it will develop rust and cause permanent damage to it.
While some different maintenance and cleaning methods are distinct to a specific type of barbeque grill (charcoal, propane, gas, electric, or smoker grills), the majority of maintenance methods that are on our list should be able to be done on most, if not all types of BBQ grills.
Step 1- Gather All of the Needed Items
You are going to need some common household items for the cleaning of your barbeque grill. These include:
A brass wire grill brush
Some steel wool pads. Ones that contains soap already work well, like S.O.S. pads. Maybe some Scotch-Brite pads.
Some dish soap
A sponge or dishcloth
Some cooking oil spray (Something like PAM works well)
Some baking soda
Some aluminum foil
Step 2- Brush your grill
The first thing that you will need to do to your grill is to give it a good brushing to remove and loosen any burned on food and sauces. Use your brass wire grill brush (or other brush type that is appropriate to your specific type of grill) for this and make sure to get into every part of the grill and also from the bottom side, turning / flipping over the grill as needed to reach all spall spaces and corners in between the grill.
Routine brushing of your barbeque grill will help prevent any kind of food, sauce and other buildup. If buildup from food or other items is left too long it can turn into a nightmare to clean that you will regret having to do. It can also end up causing damage such as rust since your grill would be contaminated.
Step 3 – Clean Your Racks
After you have given your grill racks a good thorough brushing if there is still some buildup from food and other cooking items you can use some dish soap on them to help loosen up the build-up and make it easier to remove. Dish soap like Dawn or Palmolive work well for this.
You can use whatever works best for your given conditions to aid in the cleaning such as your steel wool pads, a Scotch-Brite type pad (those colored square pads used for many things. They are also called artificial steel wool), a sponge or dish cloth. Try to get them as clean as possible so they are ready to go next time that you want to use your grill.
Step 4 – Use Baking Soda and Aluminum Foil
Baking soda is a very nice cleaning and polishing agent that can produce great results. Once you have removed all buildup from wire brushing then lightly scrubbing your barbeque grill with baking soda and a soft bristle brush will give a great lustrous shine like the day that you bought it from the store. Baking soda can also be used on any handles and knobs to remove any extra buildup if needed.
Aluminum foil can also be used to help keep your grill looking nice. Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil and gently rub the foil on your grill surfaces and you’ll notice that it helps to remove buildup and. Aluminum foil is actually a low-priced and affordable method you can use to aid in the cleaning of your BBQ grill.
Step 5 – Cooking Oil Spray
When you finished will the thorough cleaning of all buildup and debris and grill is not hot then you may want to spray it down using a light layer of spray cooking oil.
Spraying it down with cooking oil can prevent your barbeque grill from rusting. Make sure to do this when you are sure your grill is not hot or around any ignition source since most cooking oil sprays can ignite and cause a fire.
CONCLUSION
Cleaning a BBQ grill doesn’t have to be a daunting task that you hate having to go through if you just make sure to follow the grill cleaning methods listed above. Keeping up with your grill cleaning and doing it after each use will make it easier to clean since there is not a lot of build-up to clean off.
Cleaning BBQ grills is something that all family members could help with, even if it is in just a small but helpful way. It should be considered part of the family and friend bonding experience and also parents can teach their children the proper way to clean a BBQ grill and that doing proper care and maintenance on things can help them last longer and bring more enjoyment.
