How to Clean a Gas Grill? [Detail Guide]

A gas grill is your best friend if you love the grilling season. And also, if you like to hold out parties in the barbecue season, a gas grill is a must. We tell you gas grills because they are way more economic than charcoal grills. Also, they are pretty easy to use and can do lots of grilling within a short amount of time. If you love grilling, but haven’t bought a gas grill, we say you go for it. Because a gas grill lets you enjoy the grilling without worrying much. For any help regarding gas grills, you can check our article on the best gas grills under $1000. As this lists the best performing gas grills under your budget.

Although a gas grill gives you the absolute best results, but it gets dirty. And there is carbon and residue buildup on almost all parts of the grills. And these grease residues, if not cleaned, can harbor even bacteria. So before you take your grill out for the summers, you ought to do a deep cleaning if you haven’t.

According to us, clean it before you put it away for the winters. And when we say clean, we are not talking about the simple wiping down of grates. It includes the deep cleaning of the entire unit paying equal attention to every part.

If you want your gas grill to last long, you will need to clean and maintain it properly. So here in this article, we tell you how to clean a gas grill.

How to clean a gas grill?

Furthermore, we will discuss the entire cleaning process here.

Materials needed:

Wired long handle brush
Scrubbing Pad
Steel wool
Liquid dish soap (specifically grease-cutting)
A wire bottle brush cleaner
A spray bottle
A scraping tool
Paper towels
Warm water
Bucket
A homemade non-toxic solution
Stainless steel cleaner (Optional)

The homemade toxic solution contains:

1 ½ cups white vinegar
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ tsps baking soda

Combine these and fill them in a spray bottle.

Light Cleaning:

So you can do this type of cleaning after every use. As you do not need to do the deep cleaning every time you use your grill. After every cooking session, take your long handled wire brush. And then scrub the grilling grates. So that the residue on the grates comes off. And provides you with a somewhat clear slate before your next grilling session. Also, remove the loose wire bristles from the brush if they are stuck on the grates.

Deep Cleaning

Now we shall discuss the whole deep cleaning process for a grill. And we advise you to clean it before every grilling season. To make it much easier for you, we have divided the cleaning of parts into different sections. And we advise you to do it in the following order.

Cleaning Grates

So first, we will discuss the steps of how to clean the cooking grates of the gas grill:

Before cleaning, preheat the grill. So you need to turn up the temperature of the gas grill to the highest point. And keep it at that temperature for 15 minutes.

This procedure singes the hardened grease stuck on the grates. And loosens the residue left on it.

While your grill is preheating, take half a bucket of warm water and add the liquid soap. Also, be liberal in adding the liquid soap to the water.
After you have preheated the grill, turn the grill off. And also turn off the knob of the gas tank. You should also completely remove the propane gas tank for safety purposes.
Then dip the long handled wire brush in the bucket and start scrubbing the grates. With the hot grates, it can create steam to further loosen the residue.
If the grates have way more stubborn grease stuck on them, you can spray it with the solution. And give it a bit of time, so that it foams up and further loosens the residue stuck. Then brush it with the help of the brush.
Further, after the grates have cooled down, remove them. And you will have to wipe down the grates with a damp paper towel.
Towel dry the grates

Heat Deflectors

Then comes the cleaning of heat deflectors or the heat tents which prevent flare-ups in the grill:

First, remove the heat deflectors from the grill.
Then dip the deflectors in the bucket of soap water.
After that, dip your brush in the bucket and scrub the deflector.
When you are satisfied with it, wash it with clean water.
And after that you can towel dry them.

Burners

Next you will have to clean the burners. With time, rust, residue and grease buildup in the burners. When they accumulate, it causes the burners to heat unevenly as the residues block the gas ports. You can clean it in the following steps:

First, remove the burners from the grill and soak them in soap water.
Then take your wired brush and brush it across the burner, width wise. And do not brush it lengthwise, as it may further clog the ports.
After that, you can take a bottle cleaner brush and clean the inside of the burners.
Next, wash the burner. And run the water through the burner pipe.
Then towel dry them.

Grease Dispenser Tray

Another important thing you need to clean is grease dispenser tray. If your grill has a tray, you need to clean it diligently or else it can cause grease fires.:

Take the grease dispenser tray and soak it in a tub filled with warm soap water. Let it stay there for a few minutes.
If the grease is more stubborn, use the homemade solution. Spray the entire tray and let it sit for a while.
After that, scrub it with the brush.
Then wash it with clean water and dry.

Inside of the Lid and Cook Box

After all the elements of the gas grill, you will need to clean the lid and the cook box themselves. And the steps include:

First, scrape off the lid and the bottom of the gas grill. As this removes more solid parts of stubborn char and residue.
Then take the brush dipped in soap water and scrub the whole grill.
If you cannot reach the nook and crannies of the cook box, use a steel wool to scrub them
When the stains and residues are very stubborn, you can use your homemade solution on it. Scrub them after a few minutes.
After all the scrubbing, wash all of it with running water.
You can also put a bucket under the cook box to catch the dirty water to avoid the mess.

The Exterior

If you have a porcelain or cast iron exterior, you can:

Dip your sponge pad in soap-water.
Then scrub the whole exterior.
After that, wash the whole outside with clean water.

If you have a stainless steel exterior, then you can:

First, spray the stainless steel cleanser on the exterior of the grill.
Then, take a paper towel and wipe the exterior which is dampened with the cleanser.

After going through cleaning all the parts, you can reassemble your gas grill. And always cover the grill if you are not using it at the moment.

FAQs

Why should I clean a gas grill?

So obviously, you use the gas grill for cooking and consuming. When you do not clean the grill, there is a build-up of carbon, food residue and grease. And if this buildup is not cleaned and treated properly at the right time, it may foster bacteria. These bacteria can enter your body through the food you cook on the grill. Hence, it can harm your health.

Besides that, when not cleaned properly, the grill gives up way faster than it should.

How often should I clean a gas grill?

You can give the grill a light cleaning after every use. This includes only brushing the grates with a wired brush.

But you don’t have to deep clean a grill after every use. If you are a frequent user of the grill, deep clean it once in two months.

However, if you use the grill rarely, once in 4 months is good enough.

Should I clean the burner valves of the gas grill?

Yes, we recommend you clean the burner valves of a gas grill. But you do not have to do it regularly, only once in a while.

As the burner valves have gas ports, which can accumulate with residue or grease. When these block the gas ports, the burners burn unevenly. And give out uneven heat, which can mess up your grilling.

Can I use the usual cleaner fluids to clean the grates and other parts of the grill?

We strongly recommend not using the cleaner fluids. As they have a lot of chemicals in them. When you clean the grates or other with this, it leaves back the chemicals in some form. And when you cook food in it, it imparts those chemicals to it. So when you consume it, not only does the food taste like it but also chemicals can enter your body.

What is the most important equipment for cleaning a gas grill?

According to us, the most important you will need is a long handled wire brush. Because you will need it for scrubbing the whole of the grill. So this is like a magic wand for you when cleaning a gas grill.

Conclusion

Finally, we think you are now very well known with the cleaning of a gas grill. And we hope you will follow our instructions very well. Cleanliness is a must for your gas grill to function well.

But if you haven’t got a gas grill yet, check our article on the best gas grills under $1000.

And for recipes including a gas grill, check our article on steak, ribeye steaks, chicken, burgers, etc.

How to Clean a Gas Grill? [Detail Guide]