If you love your grill as much as I do, you want to keep it looking as pretty as possible. Keeping your grill clean serves another purpose, other than looking great, it ensures that your Napoleon barbecue is in top working order and remains that way for its entire life. It’s easy to take care of the outside of the grill, just
follow the instructions found in our article What is Stainless Steel & How to Care For It. However, since your cooking grids bear the brunt of barbecue life, you want to know how to clean them, and how to get your stainless steel grill grates looking like new again. The best way to clean stainless steel BBQ grates is to clean them after each use. Give your stainless steel cooking grids a scrub with your stainless steel grill brush, or our bristle
free grill brush. Doing this while the grill is still hot will mean you don’t have to do it when you go to cook next time, and goes a long way to ensuring your stainless steel cooking grates remain looking like new. Clean your grids while the grill is hot after you are done barbecuing. It’s a great way to pass the time while your meat is resting. If you forgot, preheat your grill to 500°F+ (high) for 10 to 15 minutes
before you begin cooking. Once the grill has gotten nice and hot, use the brush to clear away any debris from your last grilling session.How to Clean BBQ Grates
Two Simple Steps To Keeping Grids Clean:
Stubborn Stains on Your Grids
Unfortunately, from time to time, something stubborn sticks to your cooking surface, don’t fret. Try these tips instead.
A sheet of foil, shiny side down, over the offending area while the grill is heating up to 500°F (high) should loosen the problem. When the grill is hot just brush the offending detritus away with your grill brush. **Please consider wearing Heat Resistant Barbecue Gloves when doing this as the grill will be very hot.**
As a last resort, soaking your filthy stainless steel grids in hot water, then scrubbing gently will help get your grids squeaky clean. Just remember that in doing this, you are stripping off the seasoning you have built up and the grids will need to be re-seasoned. Don’t worry you can reapply that seasoning by following our instructions on how to season your stainless steel cooking grates.
Why does the tinfoil trick work? The tinfoil will form a concentrated convection (like when you grill with the lid down) over the offending area. This also traps steam if there is moisture present. It will break down the baked on gunk so that it is easier to remove with a grill brush, very similar to when you turn on the self cleaning in your oven.
How To Get Your Stainless Grill Grates Looking Like New
To get those grids looking brand new… well, you can’t. Once used, your cooking grids will begin developing what is called a patina. It’s a combination of discoloration from heat, and a buildup of oils on your barbecue cooking grates that will protect the stainless steel from corrosion and create a non-stick surface for you to cook on. That isn’t to say that you can’t have some nice looking grids. As outlined in the video, if you use a great, high-temperature oil like Crisco, palm oil, or lard to season your grids every few uses, and keep those grills clean, the grids will remain in great condition.
As always, we recommend that you exercise caution when using a grill brush and remember to perform proper grill brush maintenance to ensure that you aren’t losing bristles.
Do you love to grill? Is it hard to imagine a world without grilling? If so, you might want to take a little time to give it a quick clean. Especially if you’re grilling every day, you’d be surprised at how greasy and dirty the outside of a gas grill can get.
Here’s our quick and easy strategy to keep the outside of your gas grill clean and fresh.
If you want to deep clean your grill inside and out, check out the video below.
- 1. Make a baking soda paste with three parts baking soda and one part water.
- 2. Coat the outside of your grill with the baking soda paste.
- 3. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- 4. Use a damp cloth to wipe the area clean.
- 5. Spray the grill with stainless steel polish to give it a nice shine and protect it from rust.
- 6. Dry it with a microfiber cloth.
- How do I clean the sides of my grill?
- What can I use to clean the outside of my BBQ?
- What is the best grill cleaner?
- How often do I clean the outside of my grill?
- Do you need to clean a BBQ after every use?
- How to Maintain a Gas Grill (5 Maintenance Tips)
- Related Articles
1. Make a baking soda paste with three parts baking soda and one part water.
Baking soda paste is one of the most effective ways to clean a grill. If you don’t have baking soda, the next best solution is to mix warm water and grease-cutting dish soap.
2. Coat the outside of your grill with the baking soda paste.
You won’t need to coat every inch of the gas grill. Just coat the most greasy parts that are difficult to break down.
3. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
Depending on how greasy the grill is, you may need to wait longer before wiping it clean. Wipe off a small area to see if the grill comes clean. If not, just reapply the paste and wait a little longer.
4. Use a damp cloth to wipe the area clean.
Make sure to wipe off all the baking soda residue before proceeding to Step 5.
5. Spray the grill with stainless steel polish to give it a nice shine and protect it from rust.
Now that your grill is clean, you will get the most out of spraying it with stainless steel polish. The Weiman Stainless Steel Cooktop Cleaner and Polish is a great option. Find it here on Amazon.
6. Dry it with a microfiber cloth.
How do I clean the sides of my grill?
Use a sponge to scrub the side of your grill with dish soap and water. If the stains won’t come off, mix a paste with three parts baking soda and one part water. Coat the paste on the side of your grill and wait about 15 minutes. Then, wipe the grill clean. With stubborn stains, apply vinegar to the baking soda paste before letting it sit. It will help break down the tough grease and baked-on food.
What can I use to clean the outside of my BBQ?
You have a lot of different options to clean the outside of your BBQ. Here are some of our favorites:
- Dish soap and warm water
- Baking soda paste (three parts baking soda, one part water)
- Baking soda and vinegar
- Stainless steel cleaner (available on Amazon)
What is the best grill cleaner?
The best grill cleaner is the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner. It cuts grease with ease on any part of your grill. You can use it for the outside, inside, the grates, burner plates, bottom…you name it!
It will save you so much time that you would otherwise spend scrubbing your grill.
Check out the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner on Amazon here.
Another popular grill cleaner is the Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish, which you can find on Amazon here.
To browse more effective cleaners for your kitchen, click on the links below.
8 Best Kitchen Degreasers
11 Best Stove Top Cleaners
How often do I clean the outside of my grill?
If you use your grill daily, clean the outside every one to two weeks. If you use the grill three to four times a week, clean it every two to four weeks. If you don’t grill often, clean it every couple of months. Maybe once when you pull it out in the spring and right before you put it away for the fall. If the outside starts to look grimy and greasy, it’s time to clean your grill.
Do you need to clean a BBQ after every use?
No, but it’s best to brush your grill thoroughly after each use. If you do heavy grilling at a cookout or use your grill for hours at a time, you should clean it after each use. If you use your grill daily, clean it every one to two weeks. Otherwise, give it a thorough cleaning about every month.
How to Maintain a Gas Grill (5 Maintenance Tips)
- Before grilling, let the grill preheat for 15 minutes to burn off the baked-on food and grease.
It’s best practice before every use to burn off all the excess food on your grill. This also makes it easier to clean. Most of the baked-on food will be ash so you won’t have to worry about scrubbing the grates vigorously.
- Invest in a grill cover.
For the cold winter seasons, you probably won’t be using your gas grill too often. Invest in a grill cover to protect it from the elements and keep it in good condition for the next summer.
- Brush your grill grates off before grilling.
A grill brush is a must. Brush off your grill thoroughly before every use before putting meat on the grill.
Looking for a durable grill brush? Check out the Cuisinart grill brush on Amazon.
- Use a stainless steel polish to protect the gas grill from rust.
When you clean your grill, you might as well apply a polish as well. It keeps your grill shiny and beautiful for years to come. Many grill cleaners double as a cleaner and polish, like this one from Weiman, available on Amazon.
- Empty your drip tray every couple of weeks.
Most gas grills have a drip pan or drip tray that catches grease and oil that drips off your grill grates. If you neglect this, you’ll have to deal with a nasty grease-coated tray that will be difficult to clean.
While you’re cleaning your gas grill, remove this tray, dump the excess grease into the trash, and soak it in some warm water and dish soap.
Hopefully you found this guide on how to clean the outside of your gas grill helpful. For more grill cleaning tips, check out the articles below.
Related Articles
How to Clean a Gas Grill with Minimal Effort
How to Clean Black Appliances
How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances with Baking Soda
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How do I clean the sides of my grill?
Use a sponge to scrub the side of your grill with dish soap and water. If the stains won’t come off, mix a paste with three parts baking soda and one part water. Coat the paste on the side of your grill and wait about 15 minutes. Then, wipe the grill clean. With stubborn stains, apply vinegar to the baking soda paste before letting it sit. It will help break down the tough grease and baked-on food.
What can I use to clean the outside of my BBQ?
Dish soap and warm water
Baking soda paste (three parts baking soda, one part water)
Baking soda and vinegar
Stainless steel cleaner
(available on Amazon)
What is the best grill cleaner?
The best grill cleaner is the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner. It cuts grease with ease on any part of your grill. You can use it for the outside, inside, the grates, burner plates, bottom…you name it!
It will save you so much time that you would otherwise spend scrubbing your grill.
Check out the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner on Amazon here.
How often do I clean the outside of my grill?
If you use your grill daily, clean the outside every one to two weeks. If you use the grill three to four times a week, clean it every two to four weeks. If you don’t grill often, clean it every couple of months. Maybe once when you pull it out in the spring and right before you put it away for the fall. If the outside starts to look grimy and greasy, it’s time to clean your grill.
Do you need to clean a BBQ after every use?
No, but it’s best to brush your grill thoroughly after each use. If you do heavy grilling at a cookout or use your grill for hours at a time, you should clean it after each use. If you use your grill daily, clean it every one to two weeks. Otherwise, give it a thorough cleaning about every month.