Top Tips For A Sparkling BBQ For Summer Fun

There’s nothing worse than when you’re prepping for a BBQ with friends and family, only to open the cover and realise you forgot to clean it after your last event. And of course, it’s not only covered in grease, but also pieces of old chicken and burger patties. Yuck! If you want to make life easier, clean your BBQ after each use with these handy tips.

What You’ll Need

• Gloves
• Bucket
• BBQ scraper
• Dishwashing liquid or Fabulosa antibacterial cleaner
• Sponge and scrubber (Scrub Mommy has the best of both)
• A Minky anti-bacterial cloth
• The Pink Stuff paste
• Paper towel
• Olive oil
• BBQ cover

Time To Get Cleaning

The best time to clean your BBQ is straight after you use it. After cooking, use your BBQ scraper to remove any remaining food from the grill and plate. Keep the burners on while you do so, then leave them on for another five minutes as well as this will help burn off any extra grease. Allow the grill to cool completely and then use hot, soapy water and scrub to get rid of any leftover sauces and so on. Finally use a paper towel or cloth to wipe down the grill so it’s nice and clean.

If you are cleaning a BBQ that hasn’t been touched in a while and still has residue from your last BBQ the previous spring, the Pink Stuff paste we mention above is ideal for removing tough stains. Use hot water and a hot sponge to wash it, then wipe it down with paper towels to finish it off.

Using hot, soapy water, remove the BBQ plates and grills from the surface of the grill. If there's any food or marinade left over, scrape it off with a scourer, brush, or even a grill stone. After washing with hot water, dry well.

While cleaning also make sure you clean out your drip tray. This will be full of grease and oil, old meat pieces, and so on, so you want to make sure it’s gone asap or it may attract pests and even flies and maggots. Once it’s clean, line the drip pan with aluminium foil and sprinkle some fat absorber on it. It kinda looks like kitty litter but it’s great for soaking up all the juices from your next clean.

Keeping It Clean For Future

Before you cover up the BBQ with the cover until your next event, you want to protect it from rust by taking care of the grill plates. Get some olive oil on a paper towel and wipe it across the plates so they are covered, but not soaking. Turn the BBQ on medium heat until the surface starts to appear a matte grey colour and there is no smoke. This could take up to 30 minutes. Once this is done, the metal has bonded with the oil and you can turn the BBQ off, add a final layer of oil and cover it up once it’s cool. This not only protects from rust, but it also gives your BBQ a non-stick coating for future use.

Stock up on your supplies with Clean HQ and enjoy your BBQ all year round!