for clean BBQ

12 clever cleaning hacks for clean BBQ

The sun’s out and you’re about to dust off your BBQ from last year for a feast in the garden, or alternatively, you’ve spent all day and evening barbecuing (and rustling up some tasty BBQ lamb burgers with beetroot relish), but now the night is over and all that remains is a dirty barbecue.

Whatever scenario you find yourself in, we all want to know the best way to clean a barbecue, and remove all the grease and grime in the process? Luckily for you, many items in your kitchen and around the home will act as the perfect cleaning agents (including onion and coffee). Whether you have a freestanding BBQ or a mini portable one, follow these clever cleaning hacks from Garden Buildings Direct and Buster, and you’ll have a sparkling grill and clean BBQ in no time.

1. STEAM CLEAN

If you’ve been using your BBQ for the day, once it has started to cool down, cover the grill with water-soaked newspaper and close the lid. Leave it shut for 30 minutes to give it a good steam clean. – Garden Buildings Direct

2. USE THE DISHWASHER

Unless your BBQ is huge, the hotplates should fit nicely into the dishwasher. Set it to a pot wash cycle and they should come out as new. Again, try to clean them whilst warm to get the best results. – Buster

3. USE AN ONION

While there’s still some heat in your grill, attach an onion to a fork and rub over the hot bars. The water in the onion steam cleans them and removes any stuck-on food. – Garden Buildings Direct

Mix 500ml of vinegar and the same amount of water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto the grill and leave for 10 minutes. Empty the bottle, refill with vinegar, spray on and then scrub to clean the grill and its interior. – Garden Buildings Direct Try soaking your grill and utensils in coffee for hardto-remove food remains. The acid in the coffee loosens up the caked-on dirt. – Garden Buildings Direct

6. BAKING SODA

Sprinkle baking soda on the grill and dissolve some in water. Use a sponge with a scourer to scrub until all the baking soda is gone and the grill is sparkling. – Garden Buildings Direct

7. BEER

Pour half a bottle of beer onto a warm grill and scrub with some newspaper or a wire brush. In no time, your grill will be sparkling. – Garden Buildings Direct

If there are still remains on your grill, scrub them in hot, soapy water. If you don’t have a BBQ grill brush, scrunch up some foil and use that instead. – Garden Buildings Direct It’s important to remove old ash and coals before you start cooking again. Tip them into a bucket and use damp kitchen towels to pick up any remains. Then give it a good wash down with warm, soapy water. – Garden Buildings Direct

10. DISPOSE OF FAT AND OIL CORRECTLY

Scrape fats, oils and grease that have cooled into a container or newspaper before binning them. It’s a good idea to keep a ‘fat trap’ or container in the kitchen to collect waste fats, oils and grease. Many water companies will provide you with a free fat trap. Mix cooking oil with absorbent material such as cat litter or coffee grounds, and then throw it away in the bin. – Buster

Once the inside of your BBQ is sparkling, don’t forget to give the outside a good wash down. Hot soapy water and plenty of elbow grease is all you will need for this. – Garden Buildings Direct

12. HEAT IT UP REMEMBER

When you’re finished cleaning make sure you heat the BBQ for at least 15 minutes. This will ensure any residual cleaning agents are burnt off and won’t compromise food taste when next used for cooking. – Buster It’s important to remove old ash and coals before you start cooking again. Tip them into a bucket and use damp kitchen towels to pick up any remains. Then give it a good wash down with warm, soapy water. – Garden Buildings Direct