How to Maintain and Clean Your Grill

There is no finer way to spend a summer evening than firing up the grill to make a delicious meal for your friends and family. Doing so, however, requires a functioning grill. With a little bit of maintenance and a once-a-year cleaning, your gas grill can have a long lifespan. Grill this summer with ease by following these easy steps to keep your grill in tip-top shape.

Maintaining Your Grill

There are a couple of routine checks to do after each of your grilling sessions to ensure years of successful and safe cooking. Our team at Appliance Educator recommends the following:

1.     Keep your grill covered. When not in use, make sure your grill is covered and protected from the weather and elements that could cause rust and dirt build up. If your grill doesn’t come with a cover already, be sure to purchase one to ensure a longer lifespan for your grilling machine.

2.     Clean it regularly. Although you will want to do a thorough, detailed cleaning every 6-12 months, you should always be spot cleaning after each use. This includes brushing the grates free of char and leftover food and wiping down the exterior. You could also turn the grill up to high for 15 minutes or so once a week to burn off excess gunk.

3.     Routinely check for propane leaks. A great way to check for a leak is by running soapy water along the gas lines and connection spots. If bubbles form, that’s a sign of a leak. You’ll need to tighten the connection or replace the line.

Deep Cleaning Your Grill

Your grill really only needs to be deep cleaned 1-2 times per year, but during those heavy grilling months, doing it more is definitely beneficial. Leftover food and grease can easily build up on the grates, burner protectors, and burners. With grilling season in full force, you’ll want to give your grill a nice clean. All you’ll need is a grill brush, soapy water, old sponge, and a little bit of elbow grease to really wipe it clean.

1.     Heat the grill for 15 minutes on high heat. This will break down the gunk and leftover particles from your last grilling session.

2.     Take a grill brush dipped in water and scrub the grates. Although brushing the grates is typically done before or after each use, it is important to start your next clean off with this step. This time use a bit of extra force and even use a metal scraper if necessary. The goal is to scrape the grates completely free of gunk on all sides. For tough grease spots, add some dish soap to the water.

3.     Remove and wash the burner protectors. These are those V-shaped tents or lava stones that you see covering the burners. Soak them in soapy water and wipe them clean.

4.     Remove burners from gas supply line to wipe clean. Be sure to wipe side-to-side and not front-to-back so you don’t brush debris into the ports. Clean the burners in soapy water and wipe dry with a towel.

5.     Clean the exterior stainless steel with a BBQ stainless steel cleaner and micro fiber cloth. Make sure you are using the correct solution for cleaning the exterior of your grill. Sometimes, hot soapy water is enough, but be sure to avoid any harsh cleaning solutions.  

Our team at Appliance Educator wants to make your kitchen redesign – whether it be indoors or outdoors – easy like a summer breeze. Enjoy this grilling season by keeping your grill clean so you can kick back, relax, and let the grilling do the talking.

*An Important Note On Wire Brushes

While we have found that wire brushes work well when used correctly (i.e everything is washed down after the use of a wire brush), there are a few risks that come along with using them. They can fall off and get stuck in misc. places in your grill, making it easy for them to get stuck in your food. Ingesting wire bristles is less than ideal, so we have found some safer alternatives to use in leu of the daunting wire brush. We suggest using crumpled up aluminum foil or a bristle-free grill brush. Some experts also say that rubbing an onion on a warmed up grill helps get rid of charcoal build-up and grease.