How do you winterize an outdoor kitchen?
Now that you’ve enjoyed several warm months of barbecue and outdoor activities with friends and family, it’s time to prepare your outdoor kitchen for winter. If you want your outdoor kitchen to last for years to come, you must winterize it every year.
Winterizing your outdoor kitchen may seem daunting at first, but I’m here to show you 11 things you can do today to start and finish that process. These tips will make it incredibly easy for you to get your outdoor kitchen ready for the spring and summer seasons next year when the warm weather returns.
Here’s what you need to do:
Drain your outdoor faucet(s).
You don’t want the water lines to freeze over, and damage your faucet, so it’s important to winterize it as soon as possible.
First, turn off the water valves. These are most often located under the sink.
Then, add some soft insulation to the pipes to reduce the risk of freezing and breaking over the winter. This pipe insulation from Amazon works great to prevent the cold from breaking your pipes.
Third, turn the faucet on to drain the water. This will push out any stagnant water that’s in your pipes.
Finally, unscrew the faucet. You might find some sitting water where the faucet connects to the sink. If so, mop it up with a sponge or towel and reattach the faucet.
Tip: Pour some antifreeze down the drain to keep the pipes from freezing during the winter months.
Drain sprinklers.
In addition to your outdoor faucet, it’s vital that you drain your sprinkler system as well. If you turn off your sprinklers a few weeks before cold weather hits, you might not even need to drain them, because all of the water may evaporate.
But to be safe, it’s a good idea to drain your sprinkler system. Check out the video below to learn more.
Clean and polish your stainless steel grill.
After you’ve dealt with the water, clean your stainless steel grill. Chances are you won’t be using it often over the course of the winter, so you’ll want it to be nice and clean for summer.
Try out one of our eight best kitchen degreasers – check out the full review here.
Once your grill is clean, make it shine with a stainless steel polish from Amazon.
Turn off your gas line.
If your grill is a natural gas grill, turn off your gas line. You likely won’t need to use your grill and it will be much safer.
Polish your cabinetry.
With stainless steel cabinets, you can use the same polish from Amazon that you used to clean your grill. Or, if you own wooden cabinets in your outdoor kitchen, try this one out.
Store all your outdoor furniture.
It’s time to pack up the pool noodles, lawn chairs, tables, and cover up your trampoline and other outdoor upholstery. Tuck these away in your shed, basement, or another storage area. You won’t need the furniture for a few months, but it’s a good idea to store it all in a place that is easily accessible. You’ll be glad you did when next summer comes around.
Empty your refrigerator and freezer.
Any perishable food and drink in your refrigerator and freezer should be moved to your indoor fridge and freezer. After you’ve cleared them out, wipe them down and unplug them. If necessary, let your freezer thaw for a few hours before you clean it. There may be some chunks of ice in the back depending on the temperature of your freezer.
Clean out your ice maker.
After you’ve cleaned out your fridge and freezer, do the same with your ice maker. Unplug it, let it thaw out, and then wipe it down with a towel and some cleaner. Ice makers are useful outdoors since you don’t have easy access to an ice machine. But, you probably have an ice machine inside; if so, store this away with your outdoor furniture and break it out again next year.
Cover your grill with a grill cover.
Now that you’ve finished all the cleaning, cover your grill with a grill cover. This will protect your grill from dust, leaves, and strong weather. With a grill cover from Amazon, you can make sure that your grill will be in fantastic condition year after year. It covers the grill from head to toe for maximum protection.
Get your fire pit ready!
The final thing to do to winterize your outdoor kitchen is to prepare your fire pit. Yes, this time you’re not putting anything away. Fall and winter are great times to break out the fire pit, socialize, and enjoy the warmth with friends and family – maybe not when snow’s on the ground, but otherwise, it can be a fun activity!
Clean out the ash and debris from inside your fire pit and bring some firewood over to your outdoor patio area as well. You could set up a little station with your lighter, some newspaper, and firewood so that it’s ready to go when you want to enjoy a campfire.
Recap
That wraps up our 10 tips to help you winterize your outdoor kitchen. If you take anything away from this article, remember to drain your water supply lines, take the food and drink out of your fridge and freezer so it doesn’t go bad, and unplug your fridge, freezer, ice maker, and other electric appliances so you can save as much as possible on your power bill.
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this content, check out more of our articles on outdoor kitchens and home maintenance below.