Summer Home Cleaning Your Grills

Summer House Cleaning Tips-Cleaning Grills

Spring has sprung and soon it will be time to get those juicy steaks marinated and fire up the grill.  But before your grilling gets underway, your trusty grill may need a little TLC, especially if you are like many, who put away their grill for the winter before cleaning it.   Now it’s time to face the music.   Put on your game face, slip on those cleaning gloves and let the fun begin.

Cleaning Your Grill:
If your grill is plated or stainless steel (do not use these tips on aluminum grills), take the grills off the unit,  spray generously with oven cleaner and place in a plastic bag overnight.  All the grease and cooking debris should come off easily the next day using a non-scratching scouring pad.  Rinse well and dry.  Be sure to oil it with cooking oil when it is finished drying to help retard rust.

Kettle Grills:
You can use oven cleaner on the inside but not on the painted exterior or on any aluminum parts.  You can also use a heavy degreaser solution on the inside to help clean the greasy deposits that collect around the top of the bowl.  The outside of the grill can be cleaned with glass cleaner.

Gas Grills:
If yours comes with removable lava rocks they can be cleaned by boiling them in a dish detergent solution.  Flavorizer bars can be cleaned with a wire brush or run through the dishwasher.  Use a wire brush on the burner to get rid of rust or hardened spills.  Wire-brush the entire outer surface of the burner.  Unclog burner holes with a opened paper clip but be sure you do not enlarge holes.  Tape gas openings closed to keep water out while you finish cleaning the interior.   Clean the inside of the grill with a stiff brush and a detergent solution.  Damp sponge the whole thing and rinse well with a hose.

Caution: Do not use oven cleaner on any aluminum grill parts or put grill parts into a self-cleaning oven.  Do not use abrasive pads or cleaners on painted or nonstick surfaces.

To ease cleaning the next time you use your grill, spray the interior with nonstick cooking spray.  Keep a wire brush handy when you are grilling and use it to scrape off the grill when you have finished grilling your last item.  If you are cooking for a large group, scrape the grill with your wire brush between each round to help reduce buildup.  When you have grilled your last burger, shut the grill cover closed and turn up the heat as high as it will go.  Leave on for five minutes.  This works much like a self-cleaning oven, burning up any grease and debris left on the grill.  Let cool and wipe off any ash that remains.

As with all cleaning duties, including house cleaning, it is better to take a little time to maintain cleaning than to try to do it all at once.

Now let the grilling begin….