How To Clean Your Backyard Grill and Prevent a Grease Fire

6/22/2022 (Permalink)

Cleaning Your Backyard Grill can also prevent Fire Damage.

Proper grill maintenance is important for several reasons. Excess smoke and grease residue could change the flavors of your grilled meats and vegetables. The debris may also prevent the grill from getting as hot as you need it to be. A dirty grill could additionally spark a grease fire that spreads to your Ogden, UT, home. To avoid the need for fire damage restoration services, keep your grill clean by following the below suggestions.

Grill Cleaning Tips

To prevent leaves and other falling debris from landing on your grill, you should protect it with a cover whenever it is not in use. When you are ready to clean, turn on the grill briefly. The process works best when the grill is warm. Before you start cleaning, wait for the grill to cool down so you will not get burned.

While these basic tips apply to most grills, the cleaning process is not the same for every grill. There are several different types of grills, each of which should get cleaned differently:

• Pellet Grills
• Gas Grills
• Charcoal Grills

Cleaning Pellet Grills

A pellet smoker is fairly easy to clean. Start by removing the grates and soaking them in soapy, warm water. Then use a wet-dry vacuum to remove any debris that is inside the grill. Next, take a brush and scrub the drip pan and the inside of the chimney. Finish by wiping the entire grill with a damp cloth.

Cleaning Gas Grills

You should thoroughly clean your gas grill at the start and end of each grilling season. After preheating the grill for 15 minutes and turning off the gas, remove debris with a wet wire brush. Add a grill cleaning solution or regular soap for stuck-on grease.

You should also use the wire brush and water to clean the inside sections of the grill. When you are finished using the grill brush, wipe down the areas that you have just cleaned. This should remove any bristles that dislodged from the brush.

Grease can also block the gas ports of the grill. Remove the burners and use a dry brush to eliminate any clogs in the ports. Move the brush sideways so you do not accidentally force debris deeper into the ports. For the outside of the grill, check your instruction manual.

You can probably use regular soap and water to clean porcelain, painted steel and ceramic grills. However, stainless-steel grills require microfiber cloths and specialized cleaners.

Cleaning Charcoal Grills

Charcoal grills should be cleaned quite frequently. That is because ash from the charcoal settles at the bottom of the grill with every use. Over time, this ash could clog the grill vents.

Use either a stiff-wire brush or a wad of aluminum foil to clean the grates of your charcoal grill. Then put vegetable oil on a towel or rag and rub it on the clean grates. This should limit future buildups. Finally, put dish soap on a steel brush and scrub the inside of the grill bowl.

Grill cleaning may seem like an annoying process. Yet taking the time to wash your barbecue at the start and end of the summer should reduce the chances of a grease fire and improve the taste of your meat.