How To Easily Clean A Grill And The Best Products To Use

You may think a grill is like a cast iron skillet — the less you clean it, the more flavor it imbues on food. While this is somewhat true, it's important to regularly clean it, because a dirty grill is inefficient and even a safety hazard. A grill covered in caked-on food and ash takes more time to heat and cooks food more slowly. Meanwhile, dripping grease and charred chunks can cause flare-ups.

You should remove ash and give your grill a good scrape every time you fire it up, maybe with a tool like the Grillart grill brush and scraper.  However, a deep cleaning of your grill is only necessary after every six uses.

Before cleaning your grill, don an apron and gloves to protect your clothes and hands from hard-to-remove ash and grease. If you have a gas grill, disconnect the gas tank, and for both gas and charcoal grills, remove grill grates for easier cleaning and access to the grill's interior. Clean grates and the interior and exterior of the grill with your chosen cleaning solution, then rinse and dry thoroughly. A good grill cleaning tip is to rub some high-temperature oil on the grates, like vegetable or canola, after cleaning to prevent rust and create a nonstick coating.

One of the best grilling accessories from Amazon is the Carbona oven rack and grill cleaner. It comes with a bag to soak your grill grates overnight, and according to users, it's highly effective. If you need to clean your grill quickly for immediate use, try Dawn Platinum Powerwash dish spray. Although Dawn is intended for dishes, it's a powerful degreaser that works wonders on grill bars. Spray grates and your grill's interior with the foam, let sit for a few minutes, then wipe and rinse clean. 

As a cleaning product made specifically by a grill company, Weber grill grate cleaner is a fast, nontoxic option that can dissolve grease and break up the grimy buildup without needing much effort, and may be more affordable than other sprays. Parker and Bailey BBQ grill cleaner and degreaser is another quick and powerful grill cleaner, but with no worrying fumes.

If you prefer the DIY route, you can make your own grill cleaner using vinegar, which cuts through grease and kills bacteria. To clean a grill with vinegar and water, put equal parts of each in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Spray onto grill grates, and the interior and exterior of your grill. Let it sit around 10 minutes, then rinse and dry.