Jump to:
Grilling season is upon us – praise be!
But with the summer and constant BBQs also comes constant cleaning! So today, we going to show you how you can hack your cleaning and get your BBQ grill gleaming in minutes!
Forget the expensive cleaning kit – we’ve got 10 hacks and a bunch of tips to clean a BBQ. Get rid of bits of food and even use food to clean your BBQ grill. All that and more, below!
Who knew that onions, coffee and beer could clean a greasy grill?
10 Hacks To Clean a BBQ Grill
1. Heat
If it’s your first time firing up the ol’ girl this year, then make sure to dedicate some time to get your grill up to heat. Greasing your hot grill with a bit of vegetable oil can ensure that food doesn’t stick!
And once you’re finished, use that excess heat to carbonise any leftover food debris. Instead of sticking, it’ll burn to a crisp and be a lot easier to simply scrape off. Then you’ll be right as rain for your next BBQ party.
2. Steam clean
Now, you could use an actual steam cleaner to clean your grill plate. But first, you’d have to own one and second, it can be messy.
Instead, when your barbecue starts to cool, simply cover your grill with some moist newspaper soaked in water and close the lid. Keep the lid closed for about 30 minutes and hey presto – a quick and cheap steam clean!
3. Clean with onions
This hack is one of our favourites to get a sparkling grill in minutes!
While your BBQ is still hot, put a whole onion on a long barbecue or carving fork and rub it along the bars of your grill. The water in the onion vapour will clean and remove any food sticking to your grill bars!
4. Baking soda
We’re pretty sure at this point that you could use vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to clean just about anything!
Sprinkle baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) onto your grill and dissolve in it in water. Rub with a scrubbing brush until all the baking soda is gone and the grill sparkles.
5. Vinegar spray
For this hack you can just pour 500ml of vinegar into a:
- Bucket of clean water
- Or a spray bottle
- To create a vinegar solution
Once you’ve followed step 3 with baking soda, spray your solution on the grill and leave it for about 10 minutes. Next, using a dry cloth, wipe your grill down. Simple as!
6. Coffee cleaner
That’s right, stain-central aka coffee can be used to clean stuff too!
Take out your grill racks and even any BBQ utensils you want to clean. Then, soak them in in coffee to loosen hard-to-get-at food residue.
This cool hack works because the acid contained in coffee loosens the solidified stains. Neat!
7. Waste of beer?
Ok, hear us out here. We only want half of your precious beer!
For this hack, pour half a bottle of beer onto your still-warm grill to give it a light coating, and rub it in. You can use a wire brush here, or even an old newspaper. Sit back and watch your grill sparkle.
8. Scrub the rest off
For this hack, you’ll be back at it with the warm water. Take a bucket of dilute but hot soapy water and rub down your grill. And if you don’t have a grill brush, you crush tin foil (aluminium foil) and use that instead.
9. Cleaning the base
Remember, you need to clean more than just your grill and lid! It’s important to remove old ash and coal for a charcoal grill or to clean up grease that’s been spitting out from gas grills.
For charcoals, lift out your coal tray and dispose of them in a bin. Use a damp kitchen towel to pick up the rest. And always wait till they’re cool!
Then you can rinse inside with warm soapy water and dry with paper towel or a tea towel. For gas BBQ bases, make sure to use a cleaning spray to get to underneath shelving.
10. Scrub outside
And when the inside of the barbecue glitters, don’t stop there! For this last tip, all you need is hot soapy water and plenty of elbow grease.
You can also use a cleaner spray to help you with the job. A non-stick spray works best.
Cleaning Tips For Barbecue Grills
Grease
For gas BBQs remove your grease tray and dispose of excess grease separately. Then, you’ll need to use hot soapy water or bicarb and vinegar to remove sticky patches on the exterior.
Food
Food debris can stick to your grill and cause an unpleasant flavour and even sanitary risks! So to tackle stuck-on food and food remains, we recommend heating your grill before and after cooking on it and scrubbing with a wire BBQ brush.
Dirt on the surface
A diluted solution of vinegar sprayed onto baking soda and water that’s been allowed to sit is a great alternative to a non-stick BBQ spray!
Stainless Steel Gas Grills
- Use steel wool for grill bars and a plastic scraper for your grill plate.
- Using a less abrasive BBQ brush, clean burner tubes in an up-and-down motion across vents.
- For your stainless steel exterior, use a steel clean and a damp cloth or a homemade vinegar solution.
Charcoal Grills
Unlike a gas grill, for a charcoal BBQ you should:
- Wait until coals are fully cooler, then remove your ashtray.
- Dispose of spent coals and ash.
- Use a brush to clean out any excess debris.
- Remove grill racks and either put in the dishwater or hot soapy water to clean.
- Spray down interior and exterior with a vinegar solution of a non-stick cleaner.
Remember, for a sparkling BBQ, try to clean it after each cooking session. On top of that, you’ll want to do a deep clean twice a year (before and after the grilling season). And to keep your BBQ protected from the elements, don’t forget your grill cover.
There you have it – expert cleaning hacks to get rid of food and grease and have a gleaming BBQ in minutes! So if you want to test your new skills out on a brand new charcoal or gas BBQ, check out our range via the button below!
Shop Barbecues
