Barbecuing is a great way to get the family together or chill out with friends. In some countries, it’s practically a tradition. And thanks to the person who invented the barbecue grill, now we can grill our meat easily and effortlessly.
But just as much as you cannot use a dirty plate or cup, using a dirty grill is quite unhygienic and unhealthy. If you are one of those who love to barbecue every other weekend, you know you don’t want to place your juicy fresh steaks, sausages, chicken, or pork on a dirty grill.
You don’t want all the grease and burned fat from your last barbecue to stick to your fresh meat. This means that before you go ahead and place your meat on your barbecue grill, make sure that the grill is clean.
Cleaning a barbecue grill is not difficult; there are several ways you can do it, and this is what this article is about. So without further due, here are 10 brilliant ways to clean a grill.
Grill Cleaning Hacks
1. Soap and Water
The magic of dishwashing soap is that you can use it to clean almost anything in your house, including carpets, windows, kitchen floors, you name it. So you can use it to clean your grill.
All you need to do is pour some in a bucket full of warm water, and then using a brush or scouring pad, scrub every inch of your grill. Dishwashing soap is an excellent grease and stain remover, and if you use a lemon dishwashing liquid, it will leave your grill smelling fantastic.
2. The Acidic Magic of Coffee
This may come as a surprise to some, but coffee is not just for drinking; you can use it on your hair, face, and even to clean your grill. It is a simple as mixing some coffee with some warm water and pouring it on your grill. You can also soak the removable parts in the mixture.
After an hour or more, give your grill and the grill parts a good scrub, and the dirt and grime will come off easily. This is because coffee is acidic, and the acid helps loosen up baked fat, grease, and gunk.
3. Onion to the rescue
Onions like coffee are versatile. It may sound weird, but you can use an onion to clean your grill.
Cut an onion in two halves, and then rub each piece over the parts of your grill that are greasy and dirty. Leave it there for a couple of minutes and then scrub your grill and rinse it with clean water.
The onion juice helps dissolve grease with ease. However, you must ensure that your grill is warm for the onion juice to work its magic.
4. White vinegar power
White vinegar is a common cleaning agent in many households. You can use it to clean your bathroom and kitchen sinks and faucets, windows, doorknobs, and more.
All you need to do is create a solution of white vinegar and water and pour the mixture on your grill. It will be easier to do this with a spray bottle to avoid wastage.
Leave it there for as long as you want, and then, using a scouring pad, scrub the grill thoroughly. The grime and grease should come off relatively easily.
5. Use Baking Soda
Baking soda is used for many purposes, including cleaning. It’s cheap, effective, and easy to use.
You can choose to make a baking soda paste with water and then apply it to your grill, or sprinkle it on the grill when the grill is warm, and then start scrubbing away. Use a scouring pad or steel wool to remove stubborn grime, and then rinse away the loosened gunk with clean, warm, or cold water.
6. Use Beer
No one likes to waste beer, but you can sacrifice a can or two to clean your grill. Pour some on a scouring pad or wire brush and scrub your grill. The beer should help loosen up any grime with ease, but make sure to do this when the grill is warm.
7. Steam the grime away
Fill a metal pot with hot water and place it inside the grill and close the lid. The steam should loosen up all the crud. You can also use a steam cleaner, which is easier to use.
8. Use a citric fruit
Cut a lemon, orange, or grapefruit in half and use it to wipe down your grill, and leave it there for some time to allow the citric acid to do its thing. Then scrub away the grease and grime.
Citric acid is great at removing grease and grime, and it also kills bacterial. So not only will your grill become clean, but it will also have a pleasant lemony scent.
9. Use aluminum foil
Take a sheet of aluminum foil and place the shiny side on your grill. Make sure to cover the whole grill properly and then turn on your grill, close the lid and leave it on for a couple of minutes. You may start to see smoke coming from the grill, but that should not worry you.
Afterward, remove the foil, and scrub the grill. The gunk should come off with ease.
10. Use your dishwasher to clean the removable parts
To make your work easier, you can use your dishwasher to clean some of the grill’s removable parts and the barbecue utensils.
11. Fire up your grill
Lastly, turn on your grill after cleaning it to burn off any of the cleaning agent residues. You definitely don’t want any of it on your grill, as it may alter the taste of your meat the next time you barbecue.
Final Remarks
Cleaning your grill can be an easy and simple process. You don’t have to use expensive cleaning agents; simple household items like baking soda, lemons, coca cola, white vinegar will do.
You only need to make sure that you clean your grill as often as you use it to prevent gunk buildup, rust and corrosion and to extend its life.