Barbecuing is one of the world’s favourite backyard summer activities. It’s so well loved that many people fire up their grills well past the end of summer and well into the cold of winter. Throughout many Canadian provinces, people fire up their grills for a delicious and hot meal that feels like a summer day.
But, to keep using your grill year-round, you’ll need to take the time needed to clean and maintain the grill. Just like how your stove needs maintenance to keep working efficiently, your grill needs the same care. Cleaning it regularly is just one step in the process of proper grill care.
So to help out, we’ve detailed just how to properly maintain your grill and what the steps are to clean your Napoleon grill. These steps work just as well for any other propane grill, so try them out!
Maintaining your gas barbecue
Propane grill maintenance is a simple task but one that’s just as important as cleaning your grill. Proper care ensures that not only will your grill last for many years but also remains as risk-free as it can be. Thankfully, there aren’t too many things to do, so doing a quick check before or after grilling is quite easy!
Cover the grill
One of the most important steps in maintaining your grill is keeping the grill covered, even during the summer months when you often grill. The weather can be incredibly unpredictable during the summer and while most days are warm and dry, rain can happen at any time.
In addition to the weather, humidity plays a big role in why you should always cover the grill when it isn’t being used. Essentially, humidity is the amount of moisture in the air. That moisture – and rain, included – is what causes your grill to rust. Investing in a proper grill that can be tied around your grill ensures that it stays dry and rust-free. It even makes sure that no dust and dirt can land on your grill!
Check for leaks
In addition to covering your grill, checking the propane tank and its connections is just as important. While covering the grill prevents potential damage to the grill itself, checking for any leaks helps protect you, your friends and your family every time you fire up the grill. When propane isn’t carefully controlled with the grill’s valves and lines, fires can easily become a dangerous reality.
Preventing these dangers is quite easy to do, though. And what makes it better is that you only really need to check the lines at least once a month. All you need is a half-and-half mix of dish soap and water! Spray or drip a little of the solution onto your lines and connections and keep an eye out for any bubbles. If you find any, it’s a sign you need to tighten or even replace the parts.
Clean the grill frequently
Covering your grill is only really effective if you keep the entire grill clean. The cover itself can stop dirt from landing on the surfaces but the inside can still get damaged if you don’t regularly clean it. The caked-on burnt food and grease can cause damage to the grates over time, and can even cause more food to stick to it and burn without cleaning.
Preventing damage to the grill’s grates is as simple as just scrubbing away the grease and burnt food after every grilling session. Even if that seems too often, once every other session works just as well. The main goal is to remove the charred bits and any excess grease. Leaving a thin layer of it can help protect the grates, but only for a short amount of time!
Cleaning the grill
Now that you know what you need to do to check to maintain your gas grill, all that’s left is knowing how to clean it well. As mentioned, it’s highly recommended to clean the grill’s grates after every session, but completely cleaning the grates or even cleaning off the other parts of your grill can use a bit more effort.
Cleaning the grates
When it comes to cleaning your grill grates after every cooking session, you don’t need many items to do so. The process is far easier than expected and only needs a grill brush. Some slightly more costly grill brushes also have a scraper attachment in case you need to remove more stubborn residue. Though it may cost a few more dollars, it’ll be a massive help!
Doing a quick clean of the grate is as simple as brushing or scraping the residue off, but deeper cleaning will need more work. Many barbecue experts recommend deep cleaning your grate at least once a month to properly remove the excess grease. Fortunately, deep cleaning is simple too, despite the extra steps.
After getting a large enough tub or bucket, soak your grate in hot soapy water. You clean out the grill’s bowl and the burner plates while the grate soaks for about 15 to 30 minutes. Then simply take them out, scrub off any lingering residue and then dry the grate off with a rag or tissues. Once you’ve put them back, cover the grill until you’re ready to fire it up again!
Cleaning the rest of the grill
Cleaning off the rest of your grill – if you’ve left it uncovered for two or three days – only needs a few items. After turning off the tank’s flow valve, you can mix a 1:1 ratio of warm water and soap in a spray bottle and spray it over the lid and any other surface. Then, just scrub it away to get rid of the grease and dry the surface with a rag.
Takeaway
Doing proper maintenance and regularly cleaning it makes sure that your grill stays in top quality for a long time. It prevents rust from forming and also ensures that you stay safe while you grill. However, if you do find damage, you will need to replace the part. Rust can be removed with homemade solutions or commercial products, but it’s crucial to prevent any from forming and damaging the metal underneath.
