The Best Flippin’ Way to Clean Your Gas Grill

Alright grillmasters, this ones for you. As our tried and true method, this is the most rewarding way to clean a barbeque EVER. Make no misteak, it takes a little elbow grease to get the job well done, but having a clean BBQ to cook on is as important as having clean pots and pans. If it’s been a minute since you’ve cleaned your gas grill, buckle up. 

Pro tip: Before you start taking everything apart, take pictures so that you know how it goes back together. And check your manual for model-specific instructions. You can thank us later. 

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The Grill

What You’ll Need:

• Dawn® Powerwash
• Dishwasher pods
• Scrub brush
• Sponge
• SOS pads (optional)
• Cloth
• Bristle free grill brush (USA) (Canada) or scraper (USA) (Canada)

If you have grills that haven’t been cleaned in ages it’s best to burn off any remaining food and grease before taking them out and cleaning them. Turn the BBQ on high and let it burn for 30 min. Then use a bristle free grill brush or scraper to clean away remaining debris. Let it cool down completely.

1. Remove the grills and flame covers and bring them to your sink. (or a rubbermaid bin if your sink is too small)
2. Spray liberally with Dawn® Powerwash on both sides and let sit for 3-5 minutes. 
3. Scrub the grills with a brush to remove the majority of the charred food.
4. Next, spray more Dawn® Powerwash and use the abrasive side of a sponge to really get the last of the crud off. Break out the SOS pads for extra scrubbing power, if needed. 
5. Let the grills dry as you continue cleaning the rest of your BBQ, then season them by rubbing food grade oil (like olive oil) onto them with a paper towel.

Plan B: If the Dawn® Powerwash didn’t quite cut it, try soaking your grills in your sink or  tupperware bin with HOT water and 4-6 dishwasher tabs for a few hours. Then scrub with a brush or abrasive sponge/SOS pad, rinse and let dry.
Plan C: If you still have rust spots on your grills, soak them in your tupperware bin again with clean hot water and a healthy sprinkle of Iron Out®. Then scrub/rinse/dry.

Under the Grates

If you’ve never looked, you likely have a lot of grime and burnt ashes under the grates and flame covers. Grab a shop vac and vacuum up (or scoop up using a spatula) any burnt char that has fallen and carefully remove and empty the grease trap. Get curious and take apart what you can. Spray Dawn® Powerwash on the inside and let it sit for a few minutes and get scrubbing. Rinse down the inside once everything is lifted (using a pressure washer is a game changer for rinsing the inside and outside).

The Exterior

• Dawn® Powerwash
• Mr. Clean®
• Weiman® Stainless Steel Spray or Windex®
• Cloths 

If your BBQ has knobs, remove them and spray them down in the sink with Mr. Clean® or Dawn®
Powerwash and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. While they soak, spray down the entire exterior with Dawn® Powerwash. If it’s hot out, you may have to move to a shadier area or work section by section as the sun may dry out the Powerwash quickly. If your grill has cupboards at the bottom, remove all items and spray inside there as well. Scrub with a cloth or sponge and rinse with water or a pressure washer if you have one. Let it dry fully, then polish with Weiman® Stainless Steel Spray or Windex® and paper towel. Wipe and dry the knobs and put them back into place.

Once everything is clean and dry, place your flame covers and grills back inside (refer back to your pictures if you need to). If your grills are cast iron don’t forget to season them to keep them in tip top shape. Now you are all set for the BBQ season. It’s time to grill n’ chill!

Up Keep

After all that hard work you are going to want to maintain your BBQ’s pristine condition. Don’t forget to scrape the grates after each use with a wooden scraper (USA) (CAN) or bristle free brush (USA) (CAN) to remove charred food debris. To protect it all year long, purchase a cover (USA) (Canada) to block out dirt and outdoor elements. 

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