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How to Clean a Barbecue Grill Without Harsh Chemicals

Steam clean your grill to get it ready for the summer cooking season

Materials Needed:

  • SteamMachine Elite
  • Simple Green BBQ Cleaner
  • Heavy duty rubber gloves
  • Plastic or other non-pourous drop cloth
  • Metal paint scraper
  • Clean disposable rags
  • Safety googles
  • Soap and water
  • Wire brush or heavy duty scrubbing sponge

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Project Steps:

Hi friends, it’s Wendi with H2OBugalow. Today I’m sharing how to clean an outdoor barbecue grill and give it a good makeover. I took our almost 10 year old grill, gave it a good cleaning and makeover. It looks almost new! Take a peek at the close-ups to see what I started with. As soon as the weather starts warming up, our outdoor grill gets put to good use. This year I’m getting ready for outdoor time early and starting our season off with a clean grill. Cleaning an outdoor grill isn’t hard, in fact it’s pretty easy when you use the SteamMachine Elite.

STEP 1:

Disconnect and remove the propane tank. If you have a propane or natural gas grill, disconnect the gas. Remove the interior grate and lava rocks. If you have a charcoal grill remove any leftover briquettes and ashes.

STEP 2:

Prepare the SteamMachine Add water to the SteamMachine and let it heat up. While the water is heating, put the short handle attachment and wire brush attachment together.

STEP 3:

Spray the Simple Green Cleaner into the basin of the grill. Take off the grill grates and spray the inside of the grill generously with the Simple Green BBQ cleaner. Spray both sides of the grates and lay them on top of the grill.

STEP 4:

Begin Cleaning the Grates Begin cleaning each grate by moving the wire attachment back and forth along the wire slates of the grate. Here's a handy tip, you can depress and lock the "steam on" button so you don't have to manually hold the button down to keep the steam flowing. While you’re cleaning the grate, the steam will also penetrate and work with the Simple Green to loosen caked on grease in the basin of the outdoor grill. As you finish each grate, soak it in a tub of hot soapy water and use a wire brush or heavy duty sponge to remove the residual grease and dirt. Rinse well and put aside.

STEP 5:

Clean the basin of the grill Remove the grates and spray more cleaner into the basin of the grill. Steam clean the grill basin with the wire brush attachment and running it along the walls. Use the scrapper tool to scrape up and dispose of clumps of grease and debris.

STEP 6:

Wipe out the grill basin Wipe the inside of the grill with rags until there is no more debris or grease. Dispose of rags.

STEP 7:

Clean the interior of the grill top Once the grill basin and grates are clean, steam clean the grill top edges as well as inside the top where needed.

STEP 8:

Steam clean the grill exterior Change the cleaning tool to the soft brush and steam clean the outside of the grill where needed.

STEP 9:

Wipe Dry Use a clean soft rag to wipe the outside of the grill dry.

STEP 10:

Reassemble the grill or continue on with a grill makeover If all your grill needed was a good cleaning then you're almost done! Go ahead and reassemble the grill, replacing any parts that may need to be assembled. If the exterior of your grill looks like mine did, you may want to go one step further and give the outside of your grill a makeover. You can see how I transformed my old rusty grill into one that looks anything but 10 years old in my post, How to Makeover a Barbecue Grill on my blog.

STEP 11:

Either way, you'll be ready for outdoor fun and great times grilling with family and friends!
More about Wendi...
Hi There! I'm Wendi with H2OBungalow. My job is to inspire you to create a style in your home that's true to you. I'm a DIY'er through and through. I share hundreds of tutorials in home improvement and home décor on my blog that will help you create a home you love without breaking the bank.