Which Gas Grills Does This Guide Apply To
Generally speaking, this guide can be applied to all and any gas grills.
Whether full-sized or portable gas grills, liquid propane or natural gas grills, they all have pretty much the same components and should be cleaned the same way.
There can be differences between manufacturers and models, and some may indeed have special components not seen elsewhere, but this guide will be right for over 90% of all gas grills out there.
Other Hacks Weve Seen
First, brush the grill gates with a neutral oil, like canola. Sprinkle kosher salt all across the grates. Then, scrub them down with a halved potato.
* Get the grill piping hot, then scrub it down with half an onion. While this sounds like a lovely method for cleaning the grill pre-steaks, this will likely impart flavor, so best not to do this before grilling peaches.
Turn Off The Gas Supply
First things first, make sure you turn off the gas supply.
While this might seem like an obvious step, its often a forgotten one thats very important.
So, locate the source of the gas, whether thats the gas supply valve on a propane tank, or the connection point for natural gas supplied grills, and turn it off before you do anything.
And if in any doubt, as good ol Grandpa taught me, righty tighty, lefty loosey.
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How To Clean Your Barbecue Inside Out
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A quick guide on how to clean your barbecue quick and effectively using these proven methods.
How Do You Clean A Neglected Grill
If you have neglected cleaning your grill for years, you probably dont want to spend hours scrubbing away at your grill making no progress. Instead, try mixing baking soda and water to make a strong paste. It will break down grease and baked-on food with ease. If youre going to clean your whole grill, you might need a lot of paste. Heres what you need to do.
Read Also: Baking Soda To Clean Grill
Grill Brush With Nylon Bristles
Never use wire brushes on your grill grates. Wire bristles can break off on the grill grate and end up in your food.
Instead, use a BBQ cleaning brush with nylon bristles that wont damage your cast iron grill grates. It will still remove any stubborn burnt-on food particles without wires ending up in your food. Make sure the grill is cool before using.
Wipe The Grates And Racks
Wipe the grates and racks with a damp rag to remove loosened bits, and make sure there are no loose brush bristles left on the grate .
If you have a cast-iron grate, clean it completely, then brush on some vegetable oil with a paper towel to keep your grate in proper shape. Bare cast iron needs to be inspected regularly, because it is more likely to rust.
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How Do Youdeep Clean A Propane Grill
Deep cleaning your gas grill is when you will need to remove and replace certain parts to clean them.
Clean the burner valve with soapy water, running water through the inside of the valve.
Clean the inside surfaces of the grill using a nylon-bristle brush dipped in warm soapy water. Rinse with clean water.
When all surfaces are dry, reinstall the burner valves, burners and heat tents.
HOT TIP: To protect your gas grill from rusting, its very important to thoroughly dry the inside surfaces as well as each and every part thats washed or rinsed with water before you reinstall them.
Check your operating manual before cleaning the outside of your grill. Certain materials may be sensitive to harsh cleaning agents. For a stainless-steel exterior, use a specially-formulated stainless-steel grill cleaner and micro-fiber cloth. Ceramic, porcelain and painted steel surfaces can usually be cleaned with a sponge using a solution of mild dish soap and water.
On The Heavy Grime Most Of The Products Didnt Work Very Well
Orange Glo worked well, however I was amazed at how easily the hand sanitizer worked. Place a small dab on a rag and wipe, the grime will wipe away. The downside is that it seems to leave a film. It does come off easily with any of the light dirt cleaners.
Light Dirt easily cleaned up with Steel Cleaner, Grate Chef Stainless Steel Wipes and Windex. The wipes left a protective coating that needs to be wiped with a dry rag.
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Every Few Weeks: How To Inspect And Clean Your Smoke Stack
Every few weeks, you should do a deeper clean. Dispose of the old foil or drip tray liners and remove the drip tray and heat baffle. Vacuum the inside of the grill and firepot with a shop vacuum, and scrub the inside of the chimney with cloth or paper towels. Spray the inside and outside of the grill with your cleaning solution and let it soak. Wipe away with a disposable cloth or paper towels.
Finally, return the heat baffle, drip tray, new liners, and the grill grates. It may seem like a lot of work to do every few cooks, but if you take care of your grill, itll take care of you for years to come.
Tips For Keeping Your Grill Clean
Eliminate the need to clean your grill as often by taking proper steps to keep it clean all barbecue season. Here are ten tips for keeping your grill clean all year long:
- Do a quick clean of your grill after each use.
- Be sure to wipe down all surfaces right away after splatters happen.
- Replace wire or bamboo brushes regularly.
- Consider replacing grill grates every five to ten years or as needed.
- Remove grates, burner hoods, and control knobs to clean them properly.
- Dont forget to empty the firebox of all ash regularly.
- Always cover your grill after it cools down.
- Store your grill when possible so that it doesnt sit out in the elements.
Are you a grillmaster with helpful tips on cleaning your appliance? Share your tips belowwed love to hear them!
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What Is The Best Grill Cleaner
The best grill cleaner is the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner. It cuts grease with ease on any part of your grill. You can use it for the outside, inside, the grates, burner plates, bottomyou name it!
It will save you so much time that you would otherwise spend scrubbing your grill.
Check out the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner on Amazon here.
Another popular grill cleaner is the Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish, which you can find on Amazon here.
To browse more effective cleaners for your kitchen, click on the links below.
How To Clean The Exterior Of My Weber Grill
My husband forgot to put the cover on the grill after I used it the other night. This morning I went outside and saw it covered with dust and tons of pollen like yellow stuff. And a spider decided to spin a web between the handle and the side tray. The grill needs a good cleaning now. what’s the best way to do this? Can I just turn the hose on high and blast it? If I need to rub off stubborn spots, what should I use?
It’s a Weber Genesis grill with a natural gas connection, if that makes a difference. Thanks!
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What You Need To Clean Your Grill
Before you begin cleaning, make sure the grill is completely cool, including the grates, ash box, and all components. You can heat the grill for 15 minutes before you start cleaning it in order to burn off excess debris on the grates, but make sure to let it cool down until its warm, and use a grill brush to scrape off ash and loosened debris.
Note: Do not use oven cleaner on a grill or put any part of a grill in a dishwasher.
Equipment Needed For Cleaning Your Gas Grill
In my experience, whether that be meat and ingredients for recipes, or grills and cleaning products for cleaning, its always easier to have a checklist to hand and ensure that everything you need is out and ready to use.
So, heres everything you need to clean your gas grill:
- Tarpaulin or newspapers for covering work surfaces and floors
- Toothpicks, or paper clips
- Metal spatula or grill scraper
- Glass cleaner
- Stainless steel cleaner or a specialist grill cleaner.
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How To Clean Grill Grates With Vinegar 2021
How To Clean Grill Grates With Vinegar. Add this mixture to the bag and seal the bag tightly. Add two cups of water on top of it.
All you need is a spray bottle, lukewarm water, white table vinegar and a sheet of aluminum foil. Allow the bag to sit overnight to allow time for the residues to loosen from the grates.
How To Maintain A Gas Grill
- Before grilling, let the grill preheat for 15 minutes to burn off the baked-on food and grease.
Its best practice before every use to burn off all the excess food on your grill. This also makes it easier to clean. Most of the baked-on food will be ash so you wont have to worry about scrubbing the grates vigorously.
- Invest in a grill cover.
For the cold winter seasons, you probably wont be using your gas grill too often. Invest in a grill cover to protect it from the elements and keep it in good condition for the next summer.
- Brush your grill grates off before grilling.
A grill brush is a must. Brush off your grill thoroughly before every use before putting meat on the grill.
Looking for a durable grill brush? Check out the .
- Use a stainless steel polish to protect the gas grill from rust.
When you clean your grill, you might as well apply a polish as well. It keeps your grill shiny and beautiful for years to come. Many grill cleaners double as a cleaner and polish, like this one from Weiman, available on Amazon.
- Empty your drip tray every couple of weeks.
Most gas grills have a drip pan or drip tray that catches grease and oil that drips off your grill grates. If you neglect this, youll have to deal with a nasty grease-coated tray that will be difficult to clean.While youre cleaning your gas grill, remove this tray, dump the excess grease into the trash, and soak it in some warm water and dish soap.
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How To Clean Rusty Grill Grates
No one wants to eat food thats been cooked on rusty grill grates. Not only is it unappetizing, but cooking on rusty surfaces can also allow bacteria to enter the food. But the good news is that you can clean rust off your grill grates in just a few simple steps.
Tools and Materials Needed:
Collect all of the necessary cleaning supplies before heading outside to your grill.
Step 2: Make a Paste
After placing your rubber gloves on, make a thick paste of baking soda and vinegar in the plastic bowl by stirring the two ingredients together, adding small amounts of each until the mixture resembles the consistency of toothpaste.
Choose Tools That Wont Scratch Your Grill
Whether youre giving your grill a once-over cleaning or a deep clean, youll need a few easy grill cleaning tools. Just make sure they wont hurt your grills finish or function.
Our team likes to use soft sponges and wooden scrapers. Plastic tools are OK as long as your grill is cooled down. In some cases, you may be able to use rougher scrubbing tools like a premium quality grill brush to scrape away debris from grates.
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What Household Items Can You Use To Clean A Grill
You can clean your grill with many different household cleaning products. They are just as reliable as a kitchen degreaser or grill cleaner that you can buy in a store or online.
Here are some grease-cutting combinations that will clean your grill with ease.
- Baking soda and water
- Dish soap and baking soda
Use Cleaning Solutions Recommended By Your Grill Manufacturer
Most grill manuals will come with some cleaning recommendations. Usually, the cleaners listed are going to be fairly gentle, like ordinary dish soap combined with water. However, you can make your own DIY grill cleaners, too.
For instance, try mixing an even amount of white vinegar and water. Spray the solution on your grates or racks. Wait 10 minutes for your degreaser to work. Then, spray a folded square of aluminum foil with more vinegar mix and rub down the grates. Wipe them off and discard the foil. You dont need to rinse everything off because vinegars naturally nontoxic.
Along with those grill cleaning tips, some preventive measures can save you from dealing with a gunked-up grill. Be sure to:
- Cover surfaces with aluminum foil.
- Use a grill pan or basket.
- Use cooking oil, either on the grates or the food itself.
- Clean out ashes from pellets or charcoal.
- Use a grill cover when you arent cooking.
With proper care, your grill will last longer and your food will taste better. The steps above will also save you from having to scrub extra hard the next time you clean. With an easier cleaning job, you wont need any harsh chemicals to clean your grill.
Certain tools or chemicals may be a bit too harsh for your grills surfaces. Whether or not these cleaners are harmful depends on how you use them and the type of grill you have. Here are some general tips for proper cleaning.
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How To Clean Electric Griddles
Electric griddles are ideal for making french toast, eggs, or pancakes.
Follow these steps to clean your electric griddle.
Step 1: Unplug the griddle.Step 2: Let the griddle cool down for five to ten minutes. Step 3: Use a paper towel to remove oil, grease, burned food from the electric griddle surface. Step 4: Pour a small amount of hot water on the griddle.Step 5: Add a drop of dishwashing liquid to the warm water on the griddle.Step 6: Use a non-scratch electric grill brush to clean the food residue for best results.Step 7: Use a paper towel or a dry cloth to wipe down the griddle.Step 8: Dry the grill completely and assemble or pack away for next time.
Clean The Grease Tray And Catch Pan
- Open your grill’s cabinet doors, then carefully pull out the grease tray and catch pan.
- Dump all the loose debris into your garbage can, then spray and wipe both with grill cleaner. Make sure to remove all grease and stains from both the top and bottom of the tray.
- If your grill’s catch pan has a disposable aluminum liner, throw it out. Before installing a replacement, make sure the inside of the catch pan is perfectly clean.
- With all grease-catching components clean, carefully put them back where you found them.
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How To Clean A Barbecue Grill
- Pin
- Total Time: 1 hr
Luckily, the time spent maintaining a grill is minimal, and the payback for the effort is enormous. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with a top-of-line model or a cheap knockoff: A major seasonal cleaning combined with an every day scrub-down will improve your grill’s cooking performance. A clean grill will cook food better, and it will be free of residue that could possibly contaminate it.
How To Clean Outside Grill Grates Easily
How do you clean grill grates?
- on Aug 11, 2016Simply spray them down with a degreaser allowing to sit to break down the residue. If need be use a scrub brush or brillo then wash with soap and water.
- Rosanne on Aug 11, 2016it’s best to clean right away by shutting off the grill and closing cover.Then, wipe down some people use bunched up foil to scrape
- Pgl on Aug 11, 2016there is a brush made for grills I too use a degreaser or dawn with vinegar or sprinkle baking soda rinse with vinager
- Poppy on Aug 12, 2016in the UK there is a product called cloudy ammonia, if you put the grills in a large strong plastic bag then add a saucer of ammonia seal up the bag and leave overnight by the next day the burnt on grunge should rinse off easily. I am sure you have something similar in the US, be warned it stinks.
- Pam G on Aug 12, 2016I agree with Poppy. Put them in a large trash bag, pour in some ammonia and tie the bag shut. Leave the bag outdoors over night and the next day the food and grime will just wash off with a rinse from the water hose. Make sure you rinse it well. So easy and no scrubbing.
- Linda on Aug 12, 2016That works really great. I have always used that for the grates in my oven too. No scrubbing.
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Cleaning The Inside Of Your Charcoal Barbecue
- Ensure your barbecue has cooled.
- Brush the grates to remove any food debris.
- Spray some grill cleaner and let it settle for 30 seconds.
- Brush it off with a stainless steel bristle brush and wipe clean with a wet sponge.
- Remove any leftover ash from the base of the grill.
- Clean the inside of the cook box and lid using lukewarm soap water and a brush.
- Wipe down the cook box.
- Dry thoroughly.
It’s also worth noting that when meat sears, it releases fats and juices that can prompt flares if they make contact with the coals underneath. The Weber team tells us that this can be avoided by using an indirect heating method or by using a drip pan.
