Everyone loves a barbecue. To keep yours running smoothly, you will have to give it a clean from time to time. Here are some tips to get you started. 

Clean grates with foil 

The easiest way to keep your barbeque grate clean is to do it straight after using it. Let the grate cool down a little bit, so you don’t burn yourself, and then scrub it before the food and grease have time to harden.  

Take a large piece of aluminum foil and scrunch it into a ball. Then use the ball to scrub the grate free of any debris, making sure to do both sides. That’s it. 

If you do this every time you use your barbeque, the grate will stay clean and ready for use. It should only take you five minutes. As long as you do it quickly, it will be an easy job as the foil can remove any burnt meat or bits of charcoal while they are still fresh. 

This video shows you how to clean a grate with foil:

Clean grates with baking soda 

If you haven’t cleaned your grate for a while, you will need to give it a good scrub. Mix about a 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of water to make a paste, and then apply it to the grate. Let it sit for half an hour, then scrub it off with a wire grill brush. Repeat the process if you need to, but you shouldn’t have to do it more than twice. 

If you have a very dirty grate, then use oven cleaner and let it sit overnight. 

Clean the exterior 

To clean the outside of the barbeque you can use dishwashing liquid from the kitchen and some warm water. Use a sponge to wipe down the exterior, making sure to remove any clumps of grease that might form on the underside.

You may be tempted to use an abrasive agent, but this can ruin the stainless steel exterior on your barbeque. Stick with the dishwashing liquid, it works fine. 

Don’t polish 

Once the exterior is clean, don’t use any polish or stainless steel cleaner on the barbeque. The metal parts will get hot while it’s in use and that will spoil any polish leaving the barbeque with a strange coating that looks terrible. 

As long as you keep the exterior clean and free of rust, it will look great. There is no need for polish. 

Clean the interior, flame tamers, burners, venturi tubes 

Food can build up on the flame tamers so clean them off with a dry wire brush. Once you have removed any bits of food, wipe them off with a cloth or paper towel. 

The burners should also be cleaned with a wire brush as food can sometimes get stuck on them. If you have ceramic burners, don’t use a brush. Instead, turn the flame on for ten minutes to burn off and food build-up. Allow them to cool, then use tweezers to pick off any remaining pieces of food. 

The venturi tubes should be cleaned with warm soapy water and a cloth. To make sure there is no grease clogging them, remove them from the barbeque and run a hose through them. Make sure water comes out from all the holes. Allow them to fully dry before replacing them in the barbeque.