How to Clean a Gas Grill With Minimal Effort
You bought your new gas grill a while ago and it’s getting pretty gross. There’s baked-on food everywhere and grease burnt on the grill. It’s not coming off anytime soon, and you’ve tried everything.
Even worse, every time you cook, the baked-on food catches fire in the bottom of the grill pan. Not to mention that it smells of old food.
Luckily, you can clean a gas grill with minimal effort with the right strategy. Here’s how.
How to Clean the Inside of a Gas Grill
1. Turn off the gas.
When cleaning a gas grill – or any appliance that uses gas – be sure to turn it off for your safety. While cleaning, you don’t want to accidentally ignite the grill and cause injury. Locate your gas valves and turn the one that runs to your grill off. The gas valves are often near your grill in your backyard. Or, you might find them in your front yard too.
2. Remove the grill grates.
The grill grates are not attached to your grill, so just remove them and set them aside for now. If you want to keep clean, put on some latex gloves before removing your grill grates.
3. Remove the metal pieces covering the burners.
Below the grill grates, you’ll find a few more metal pieces. These plates cover your gas burners. They often catch grease and grime that falls through the top grate. So, you don’t want to skip cleaning these. Set them aside for now as well.
4. Vacuum the dirt and charcoal inside your grill.
After removing the grates and metal pieces, you might see a lot of loose dirt, charcoal, and food sitting inside your grill. An easy way to remove all of this is to use your handheld vacuum cleaner. Use an extension cord if necessary. If you can use a vacuum, it will save you a lot of time.
If you don’t have a handheld vacuum cleaner, then wipe up the loose dirt and charred food with a couple of rags. The grill can be pretty grimy so don’t use new towels that you want to keep in great condition.
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5. Soak the grill grates and metal pieces in hot water and dish soap. Soak them in your sink or a large plastic bin.
At this point, you’re probably hoping that you don’t have to scrub the grill grates vigorously. Luckily, you don’t. Just fill your sink with hot water and dish soap and let the grates soak. Some grill grates will be too big to fit in your sink. In that case, set your grill grates in a shallow plastic container with hot soapy water.
If you don’t have a plastic bin handy, you can try the strategy we used to clean stove top grates. Learn more right here.
6. Let them sit for 30 minutes or more.
Especially if you have neglected to clean your grill for months, you want to soak the grates and metal pieces for at least 30 minutes. Don’t be surprised if you need to add new water and soap to resoak the grill grates a few times.
7. Wipe off the grill grates and metal pieces with a damp rag.
After you’ve soaked the grill grates, wipe the soap and grime off with a damp rag. Be sure to find a couple of old towels for this, because they may get incredibly dirty.
8. For difficult stains, scrub them with your grill brush.
If you still have difficulty removing stains, you always have the option of soaking the grates again. But, you can also try scrubbing them with your wire grill brush. Chances are great that 30+ minutes of soaking softened the grease enough so that you can remove it with the brush easily.
What is the easiest way to clean a gas grill?
The easiest way to clean a gas grill is to remove and soak the grill grates and burner covers. Then, vacuum the inside to remove any loose dirt, charcoal, and food. Spray the outside of your grill with a kitchen degreaser and wipe it with an old rag. Soak tough stains with hot water and soap. Then, let it sit for 30 minutes or more before rinsing, drying, and reassembling it.
You don’t want to spend much time scrubbing your grill grates. It’s highly likely that you won’t ever be able to get the tough grease off if you haven’t cleaned your grill in a long time. Or, it will take way too much time to be worth it.
Soaking your grill grates is quick and easy. Not only that, but it’s easily repeatable. So, if you have hard-to-remove stains, no need to worry. Just swap out the water and soap and soak the grates again.
You might also consider using half vinegar and half water to soak your grill grates and burner covers. The acidic nature of vinegar helps cut through the grease with ease.
Always use diluted vinegar for safety reasons – or dilute concentrated vinegar with water. Concentrated vinegar is corrosive and can be dangerous to your health. You don’t want it to come into contact with your face or eyes.
How do you clean a neglected grill?
If you have neglected cleaning your grill for years, you probably don’t want to spend hours scrubbing away at your grill making no progress. Instead, try mixing baking soda and water to make a strong paste. It will break down grease and baked-on food with ease. If you’re going to clean your whole grill, you might need a lot of paste. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Mix 3 parts baking soda and one part water.
The paste should not be runny. It should be thicker than water, like glue.
2. Coat your grill with the baking soda paste. Start with a small area of your grill.
If you go section by section on your grill, it will help you clean it more thoroughly. It will take some time to clean a neglected grill. You don’t want to get lazy because there’s a lot to clean. So, just go section by section and do your best to make that part of the grill look like new.
3. Spray the baking soda paste with vinegar.
Baking soda and water is a reliable mixture, but when added with vinegar, it’s even stronger.
4. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
If your grill is truly neglected, it will likely take at least 30 minutes for the chemicals to do their job. But the time you let the paste soak is up to you. Let the paste sit for at least 15 minutes for the best results.
5. Wipe the grill or grill grates clean with a rag.
Make sure to use a raggedy, torn towel to clean your grill. It won’t look pretty after you’re done cleaning.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 until your whole grill is clean.
Again, you can start with just a small part if you feel like your grill is a lot of work. Or, if you don’t have much time, just do one part of the grill at a time. But, you can also clean the entire grill all at once, if you make enough paste.
If one round of baking soda paste and vinegar isn’t enough, just repeat the process until your gas grill is squeaky clean.
What household items can you use to clean a grill?
You can clean your grill with many different household cleaning products. They are just as reliable as a kitchen degreaser or grill cleaner that you can buy in a store or online.
Here are some grease-cutting combinations that will clean your grill with ease.
- Baking soda and water
- Vinegar and water
- Ammonia
- Dish soap and water
- Dish soap and baking soda
What do you clean the outside of a grill with?
Clean the outside of a gas grill with a powerful kitchen degreaser like Goo Gone, Krud Kutter, or Fantastik. Soap and water works well. You can also make a paste with three parts baking soda and one part water. Let it sit on your grill for about 30 minutes to break down the grease and grime.
How do you clean a gas grill without chemicals?
Dish soap and water is the most reliable way to clean a gas grill without chemicals. You can always reapply dish soap and water to break down the tough grease. Using chemicals like baking soda and water or vinegar and water is the more efficient way to clean your gas grill.
Do I need to clean my gas grill after each use?
You do not need to clean your gas grill after each use. If you use your gas grill every day, clean it every one to two weeks. If you use it a couple of times a week, clean it every month. If you spend a whole day barbecuing for a large group, you may want to clean your gas grill after you’re done grilling.
What happens if you don’t clean your grill?
If you don’t clean your grill, it will continue to accumulate grease, baked-on food, and charcoal. Your food will start to taste like the inside of your grill, which is not pleasant. Also, with enough baked-on food in your grill, it may catch fire. It will also start to smell of old food if you don’t clean it consistently.
That wraps up our guide on how to clean your gas grill with minimal effort. Hopefully one of these strategies works well for you. Have fun barbecuing!
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