How to Deep Clean a Grill and Make It Shine Like New

It’s the season for the great outdoors—and is there anything better than grilling and chilling? I don’t think so. But trying to barbecue on a dirty grill can really take the fun out of it.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to clean your grill to make it look brand new again. I’ll also share some helpful cleaning tips and tricks to make the process quick and easy.

As you can see, my grill is really dirty. I’ve been getting a lot of flare-ups while cooking, so it’s time to clean it up. We’re going to shine this grill up in about 30 minutes. Let’s get started.

• First, grab some gloves—you’re going to get dirty.
• Place your grill in an area like the grass or dirt to avoid staining your patio or driveway.
• Remove the top grates and the heat shields underneath. We’ll scrub these later.

So when is the best time to clean your grill? Typically, it’s best at the beginning or end of the grilling season. But if you grill weekly, clean it every couple of months.

This Dyna-Glo grill also has a smoker box, which we’ll clean too. And don’t forget the grease tray—it’s filthy. I’ll show you a tip later to help you avoid cleaning it again in the future.

Use a trash can to dump all debris. Here’s my first tip: never throw away old grill brushes. Save them for deep cleaning. Use your good brush only on the grates during regular use.

An old grill scraper works wonders on the grease tray. Don’t forget the grease trap underneath—it’s smelly and nasty. After wiping it with paper towels, we’ll line it with foil, along with the tray itself.

Now it’s time to wash all the parts thoroughly with water. The hose pressure will loosen debris, then you can scrape off what’s left.

When cleaning the heat shields, I found that water alone cleaned most of the grime. For the grates, scrub them well and rinse. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect. Once we fire up the grill to 500°F, it’ll burn off the rest.

Fun fact: the most popular barbecue food in the U.S. isn’t meat—it’s watermelon! I’ve never grilled watermelon myself, but now I’m curious.

Now that everything’s scrubbed, reassemble the grill:

• Line the grease tray and trap with foil.
• Reinstall the heat shields and smoker box.
• Place the grates back on the grill.

To finish up, let’s polish the exterior using WD-40. Just spray a little and wipe with paper towels. It cleans incredibly well and leaves a great shine. Bonus tip: WD-40 works on metal patio furniture too!

Now everything’s assembled, and the grill looks brand new. The grates aren’t perfect, but once I heat the grill to 500°F, it’ll burn off any remaining residue. I wish I had lined the trays with foil when I first bought this grill—it would’ve saved so much cleanup time.

So if you just bought a new grill, line everything with foil before your first use. It’s a huge timesaver.

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