How to Clean a Gas BBQ Grill

Keep your gas grill clean and shining.

Grilling is one of summer's tastiest pleasures. No matter what food you're preparing, grilling enhances the taste and broadcasts the aroma to the neighbors. Keeping your gas grill clean will ensure that your grill produces enticing and healthy food for you and your family. Cleaning your grill completely will probably take close to an hour, but it does not need to be done often. Furthermore, if you maintain your grill's grate as described, you will minimize unhealthy carcinogen ingestion.

Things You'll Need

• Grill brush
• Grill cleaner
• Paper towels
• Putty knife
• Disposable aluminum pan
• Cleaning solution
• Scrub brush

Instructions

1. Wait until your grill is cool to the touch before you clean it.

2. Spray the outside of the grill with grill cleaner. Let the cleaner soften the grime. Wipe it away with paper towels.

3. Rinse the exterior of the grill with warm water to remove any leftover grill cleaner or debris. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the outside of the grill is dirt-free.

4. Remove the cooking grates from the inside of the grill. Brush them with the grill brush to remove black debris. Run them through the dishwasher.

5. Brush off any dirt and debris from the casting sides and the inside of the lid using a soft brass wire grill brush.

6. Remove and scrape the sear plates using the scraper on your grill brush.

7. Brush the ashes and debris off of the burners, and down into the drip pan.

8. Use a putty knife to scrape the contents of the drip pan into a disposable aluminum pan.

9. Disconnect the gas supply, and open all of the valves for three minutes to purge all of the gas from the line.

10. Remove lava rocks (if present) to reveal the grill burner.

11. Spray cleaning solution on the burner and the burner cover. Let it soak to soften the encrusted surface.

12. Scrub the burner and the burner cover with a scrub brush. The burner holes should be clean.

13. Dry the burner and burner cover with paper towels. Reassemble as necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your grill grates after each use. Scrape all the food debris from the grill grates when the food has finished cooking. Spray vegetable oil on the grates after the grill has completely cooled.

• Some people purchase disposable aluminum drip pans. Others cover the pans that came with the grill with foil. Either method makes cleaning the grill easier.

• The flames at the base of your grill should be blue. If they're red or orange, you may need to clean or replace your burners.

References

• Gas Grills Now: How to Clean a Variety of Parts on Your Grill
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Tips for Cleaning Your Outdoor Grill

Resources

• Fightbac.org: Partnership for Food Safety Education