How to safely clean your grill

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Cookouts and barbecues are great, but the aftermath sure isn’t. After the food has been cooked, the guests have left, and the party speaker has been safely stowed away, it’s time to clean up. We have power washer recommendations for getting the dirt and grime off your floors, and a guide to ensure the cleaning products you use to wipe down tables and chairs aren’t toxic or loaded with microplastics. But what about the grill?

This is the appliance you cook on, so ensuring it’s properly maintained can actually impact your health. Leaving leftover food bits on the grates “until next time” is risky due to a temperature range that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has dubbed “The Danger Zone.” Research has shown that it takes 20 minutes or less for bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella, to double in volume on food between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict guidelines on which internal temperatures to shoot for when cooking food.

The good news is that bacteria can be killed by exposure to the extremely high temperatures of your grill as it heats up, provided you keep the lid closed. The surface temperature of your grill’s grates, which are likely made out of a heat-conducting metal like steel or cast iron, will also reach a surface temperature well above the “danger zone” range. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to what goes from the grates to your plate.

To properly clean your grill grates, you will need to invest in a brush, which allows you to loosen and remove baked-on food pieces after several passes. This is the only tool you may already have at your disposal, but there’s been an interesting development that might make you want to upgrade. In recent years, people have reported injuries from ingesting the bristles from grill brushes. While rare, these cases have been documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The main symptom of ingesting a grill brush bristle is severe abdominal pain, and removal can require surgery. We don’t want that, so we’ve got some suggestions to help every grill master avoid a grill disaster.

Cleaning your grill’s grates

OXO Good Grips Hot Clean Grill Brush

OXO bristleless grill brush — The lack of bristles keeps your food much safer.

OXO

You can entirely eliminate this risk by getting a bristleless brush. This style of grill brush features coils of twisted metal that look like chain mail. The one we’re recommending features a removable head, allowing you to clean the brush itself easily. Additionally, it features a built-in metal scraper on the top side, allowing you to chip away at stubborn food pieces with a sharper-edged tool. Once the food bits have been removed from the grates, you should keep note of where they’ve fallen. If they’re collected into a grease pan below the grill, you should remove and clean the pan in soapy water. Your grill’s grease pan may be disposable; in this case, you should replace it regularly.

Cleaning the inside of your grill

Unicook Universal Replacement Heavy Duty Adjustable Porcelain Steel Heat Plate Shield

Replacement grill burner covers — These universal models will fit most grills.

Unicook

If food is stuck below the grill’s grates, remove them and collect the bits with a moistened paper towel, making sure to dry every section thoroughly once it’s been cleaned. Grease and grime can accumulate on the heat shields installed on top of your grill’s burners. Most of the time, these shields are made from either porcelain or stainless steel, which means you can clean them off with mild dish soap and a sponge, ensuring they are thoroughly dried before reattaching them to your grill. If you’re cooking on an older grill that hasn’t been deep-cleaned in a long time, the best option may be to replace its heat shields entirely. Most manufacturers allow you to buy this part, but you may be able to get away with using a universal set. If using a third-party part, be sure to measure your current grill heat tents to make sure the replacements are the correct size.

Cleaning the outside of your grill

Cleancult – Lemon Verbena – All Purpose Cleaner

Cleancult cleaning spray — You don’t want to use chemicals that are too harsh on your grill.

Cleancult

Cleaning the shelves of your grill is an overlooked but crucial step in reducing bacterial growth. Unlike the inside of your grill, this part won’t get exposed to extremely high temperatures, which means any bacteria that get on it will thrive if left unchecked. If you’re grilling meat, there’s always going to be one or two drops of liquid that drop down as you move it from the plate to the grill, and it’s possible an entire piece will fall onto it. The good news is that you can use a general-purpose antibacterial spray on your grill rather than one specifically designed for this appliance.

Therapy Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish

Therapy stainless steel cleaning spray — It cleans everything from fingerprints to grease drips.

Therapy

Once your grill’s shelves have been thoroughly wiped down, it’s time to move on to every other outer surface of the grill. If you see any accumulation of grease on part of the grill, you can use a degreasing spray to get it off before wiping that section down with a paper towel. Follow this up by using a non-abrasive polishing spray to help the outside of your grill retain its luster. After it’s been cleaned from top to bottom, make sure to keep your grill under a cover to prevent rain from falling onto it. This can cause damage to the grill and give germs a new place to thrive. You can order a cover designed specifically for your grill, or opt for a universal one based on its size.

Kona BBQ Grill Mats

Kona grill mat — A mat will help cut down on future cleaning time.

Kona

One of the easiest ways to reduce the time it takes to clean your grill is to prevent it from getting very dirty in the first place. The best way to do that is to cook your food on a food-safe grill mat or in a cast-iron skillet. Both tools allow you to impart grilled flavor into whatever you’re cooking and utilize the large surface area of your grill, but don’t allow bits of food to fall between its grates. You will need to follow the proper maintenance instructions for those tools. And using them won’t totally prohibit grease from getting all over the inside of your grill, but it’s worth considering. Similarly, you should only use metal tools when cooking on a grill, as plastic will burn when it comes in contact with the grates. Your best bet is to purchase a complete grill tool set that includes all the utensils you’ll need in a single package.

Lodge 10.25 Inch Cast Iron Skillet

Lodge cast iron pan — This pan will only get better over time and it’s easier to clean than your grates.

Lodge

Conclusion

Cleaning your grill isn’t nearly as exciting as firing it up and cooking for a crowd, but it’s a way to keep the people you’re feeding from getting sick, so they’ll want to come and have fun again soon. Regular maintenance can also help your grill avoid damage from chunks of food particles falling in the wrong place, or grease building up on your burners and gumming them up. You should only have to deep clean your grill a few times a year, but doing touch-ups after each cook will keep it in good shape.