Cleaning your gas grill regularly is one of the golden rules every grill master should abide by to properly maintain their grill and guarantee a long life full of burgers, chops and ribs. How often you clean and maintain your grill directly impacts your grill’s longevity. As a gas grill owner, you are lucking out. Cleaning gas grills is actually significantly faster and easier compared to traditional charcoal grills. We won’t be going into full detail on how to clean specific models or brands of gas grills, but we will be sharing our favorite tips on grill maintenance that applies across the board.
There two ways to maintain a gas grill: one is a routine cleaning usually done right after use, while the other involves deep cleaning, which should be done at least once a year. Here we give you the basic steps and things you should keep in mind on how to clean your gas grill. Think of cleaning your grill the way you clean your car: you wash it regularly and vacuum out the inside as routine maintenance, and then make sure it has an oil change on a regular basis, but not nearly as often. Your grill isn’t so different and should receive them same level of tlc as your favorite ride.
To Get You Started, Here are the Things that You’ll Need
- Bucket of warm water
- Dishwashing detergent
- Kitchen cloths
- Wire brush
- Cooking oil or spray
How to Clean a Gas Grill After Each Use
- Turn gas to high. If you have a “Clean” setting, use it.
- Let it run for 15 minutes then turn it off.
- After the grill has cooled down, brush off any leftover residue with wire brush.
- Shut off the gas valve for safety, which you will find it where the grill connects to the propane tank.
- Fill a bucket with warm, soapy water. Use 2 or 3 drops of dishwashing detergent to 1 cup of water.
- Use the wire brush again to clean the grates, or you can also use a cloth to get around the burners and reach tight areas.
- Use the cloth to rub cooking oil onto the grill grate. This helps keep the grates from rusting.
- If you grill has preparation space next to the grilling area, make sure to clean that as well.
- Turn the valve on again and that’s it. Your grill is up and ready to rock!
How to Deep Clean Your Gas Grill
- You can repeat the same steps above from 1 to 4.
- You then remove all parts of the grill, such as the grill burner cover, the ceramic or clay briquettes and the burner unit.
- By removing all the parts, you can now clean each of them thoroughly. Use warm, soapy water made from 4 or 5 drops of dishwashing detergent to 1 gallon of water to clean the burner cover.
- Check for clogs in the burner to prevent fires. Make sure there is no grease or grime inside the burners. You may be able to lift them out or you may need to get a wrench and unfasten the bolts to check the insides. If upon checking and you found some clogs on your burners that you cannot remove, it might be the time to replace to the clogged burners.
- Clean the whole grill with warm soapy water as well inside and out. You can also use the wire brush to clean the grates, while you can use a kitchen cleaner that you normally use for counters in tough areas. If you find any rust spots, you may opt to paint those areas with metal paint to keep the rust from spreading.
- Put the grill back together and turn the valve on.
- Let the grill burn for a few minutes to burn off any residues left and cleaners used in the grill.
- And that’s it, your gas grill is looking shiny and new and ready to get its barbecue on!
That sums up the best way on how to clean your new grill. Pretty easy right? As a quick reminder, make it a routine to clean your gas grill after every use and deep clean your gas grills once a year, preferably at the end of the grilling season or when you are grilling with less frequency. If you don’t grill heavily and just take it out a few times a year for the occasional backyard bash, you may only need to deep clean your grill once every other year. But before anything else, make sure to first read through your manual and confirm what is okay and not okay to clean with your grills to guarantee your safety and avoid any potential damage to your barbecue beast.
Leave a Reply