How to Properly Clean Your BBQ
Today, I’m revealing all my secrets, tips and tricks to help keep your BBQ super clean. That’s right – I’m going to tell you everything you need to do to make your BBQ, no matter how old it is, look brand new.
Generally, people clean their BBQ every season. Cleaning your BBQ is critical because you cook your food on it, you (maybe) eat next to it and, most importantly, because if it’s not properly cared for, fire could literally catch inside. In fact, the fire could start at the bottom of the BBQ, where the grease collects, and the intense heat that emerges from it could be problematic. Not only that, but marinades, spices, salt and/or grease in your BBQ could slowly start to eat away at the stainless steel or metal. Maintenance is therefore necessary, especially if you are unsure of the quality of the stainless steel.
The very first thing you should do when you’re about to clean your BBQ is to move your appliance onto grass or rocks. You don’t want to damage your patio, your flagstone or your favorite slab of concrete (because yes, the products I’m about to tell you about are super powerful!). I also suggest you set yourself up somewhere with no direct sunlight, especially if your BBQ has a baked coating or stainless steel parts, because one of the products (House of BBQ Experts Degreaser) could stain them because it’s that effective (if it is sunny where you set up, make sure to leave the product on for less time).
If your BBQ has a propane tank, remove it. Completely “close” the tank, pull it out and unscrew the regulator. Then, to make sure you are working safely, burn off the remaining gas in your BBQ. If you see a flame emerge, let it “burn” until it goes out completely. Watch the flame carefully because if it’s uneven or of a different color (blue on one side and yellow on the other, for example), you may need to unclog or replace the burners on your BBQ.
Next, remove the grates, heat deflectors and grease pan (after quickly cleaning them) from your BBQ to access the bottom of your unit. Fill half a large bucket with hot water and soak your grates, deflectors and pan. When the water starts to turn brown, empty out the bucket and fill it with clean hot water. Pour about half a bottle of The Degreaser into the water and let the product do its job for about 4 to 5 minutes. If necessary, scrub the parts in the water to help the product work even better. When time is up, be sure to rinse everything thoroughly.
The Degreaser can be used to clean many things. You can clean your entire BBQ with it, the mags on your car, your shower, your bathtub, the stains on your floor. It’s really very effective! Just be careful not to inhale the product or get it on your skin (it’s important to use gloves when handling it!). With The Degreaser, any grease stains on your surfaces will disappear; and they will look brand new! 👌
In fact, at House of BBQ Experts, we carry 2 types of brushes that are perfect for different types of grates. We have some with brass bristles, which are ideal for cast-iron grills, and others with stainless steel bristles that work wonders on stainless steel grills or anywhere else on a BBQ.
While the grates, heat deflectors and grease pan are soaking, use the Napoleon Gas Grill Cleaning Toolset to scrape and scrub the inside of your unit. I recommend this set, but we also sell the tools separately to allow you to get just what you need. This set also works equally well on Napoleon, Blaze and Weber BBQs. Naturally, we also carry other accessories for other BBQ models 😉.
Use the grate scraper to thoroughly scrape off all the chunks and grease stuck to your BBQ’s fire box and burners (and of course, your grates and heat deflectors first). You can say goodbye to all that dirt on the surface in a matter of seconds. (When it comes to cleaning the fire box, I recommend working with plastic or composite tools; they work great.)
And to really get your burners clean, you can use the angled grid cleaning brush to remove any small bits (whether fat or carbon) that have built up and clogged their holes. This brush also does a great job of cleaning the sides of the burners and the channels (the channels carry gas from one burner to another). It is really designed to fit the shape of the burners.
And if you really want to unclog each and every hole in your burners, you can use the Port Hole Cleaner (the tool with the “little needle”), which is designed to do just that.
After all this, if your burners are still clogged, remove them from your BBQ and clean them with the venturi brush, which will allow you to clean them on the inside. Whether your burners are staggered or in a straight line, this tool will work great.
Once your BBQ is “clean”, it’s time to spray it with the House of BBQ Experts Degreaser. Prepare yourself, there will be some brown/orange liquid dripping from your BBQ. That’s normal—your BBQ has already been used and the product removes grease from the surface. If your BBQ changes color a little after applying The Degreaser, don’t worry. That’s normal too.
Now, when I said you could put the Degreaser on everything, I wasn’t kidding. You can put it on the burners, heat deflectors, grates, shelves, tank, handles, knobs, on the cart and on the inside the lid (you can spare your regulator though). Allow the product to work slowly but surely for 4 to 5 minutes, then rinse everything well afterwards (you can even use a pressure hose or a brush at the same time, if you want), until you no longer see any little bubbles in the water.
The Degreaser has 2 settings: jet and spray. Personally, I like to use the spray mode when I clean the outside of the BBQ because it gets everywhere and because the outside is less greasy.
Once everything is well rinsed, put on your sunglasses and take out the House of BBQ Experts Shine Restorer. Mind your eyes, your BBQ will shine like never before! ✨
Using The Shine Restorer is simple: grab a mic
rofiber towel, place it in front of the bottle’s nozzle, squeeze the Restorer’s trigger 2-3 times (you can choose the jet or spray mode), then use it to wipe down all the parts/surfaces of your BBQ. You’ll see, all the blemishes, fingerprints and anything unattractive will disappear, and your BBQ will look like it came straight from the store! 🤩
After cleaning your BBQ, if you suspect that one or more of its parts is defective or causing problems, do not hesitate to contact our advisors in-store or through the chat at bbq-experts.com. It will be our pleasure to help you.
Happy cleaning and happy grilling!
