Chances are that you already know a little bit about keeping your grill clean. You probably own a handful of grilling utensils that make your time in front of the grill a little bit easier. As a matter of fact, most grilling utensil kits contain a pair of tongs, a large spatula, and a wire brush at bare minimum. Keeping your grates clean is something that you do each time you grill–or at least something that you should be doing–by allowing the grill to preheat and then using your brush to scrape off anything that’s stuck to the grates.

For many people, that’s where it begins and ends. Fortunately for you though, the team at Mighty Flame Propane Cylinder Exchange has a few more tips for keeping your grill in great condition for longer. You paid good money for your grill and you already get a lot of use out of it, but if you want to maximize the amount of time your grill will be in good shape, we have a few tips to help make things just a bit easier. With a little bit of time and some elbow grease, you’ll be enjoying your grill for many years to come.

Here Are the Basics

Use a Grill Cover

One of the absolute best ways you can keep your grill looking great for many years is by investing in a grill cover. You don’t necessarily have to get anything fancy. As a matter of fact, even a simple canvas grill cover does the trick. They are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes so you can ensure that no matter what type of grill you have, you should be able to find something that fits just right. The hardest part, of course, is actually remembering to put your grill cover back on after your grill has cooled down.

Oil Your Grates

Another thing you can do to extend the life of your grill is to take good care of the grates. As we mentioned above, using a wire brush to knock off bits of burned food and grease will go a long way towards keeping your grill useable for quite some time. One thing you can do to keep your grates in good shape is to just lightly oil them before each use. This can be as simple as adding a bit of vegetable oil to a paper towel and brushing it over the grates or you can get an actual brush and give them a good once over.

Keep The Outside Shiny

It’s very easy to neglect the exterior of your grill, but you should give it some special attention every now and then. You don’t have to do this often, but just using some household cleaners and a soft cloth to give your grill a once over every so often can keep it looking great for quite some time.

Deep Clean Your Grates

Regardless of how thorough you are with keeping your grates scraped and oiled, the time will come when they just need something more thorough than a quick once over. You should make it a practice at least once or twice a year, depending on how much you use your grill and how dirty it gets, to take your grates all the way off and give them a nice deep clean with a bit of soapy water. Really get in there and scrape all of the accumulated gunk off and be sure to get in between each grate. Trust us when we say that if you’re done grilling for the year, now is the time to do it rather than waiting for next summer to roll around. Future you will thank us!

Take Your Grill Apart

This is a really great opportunity to confront your owner’s manual. (You still have your owner’s manual, right? If not, you may be able to find a copy online.) At this point, now that your grates are out, you can clean a few of the harder to reach places of your grill. Be sure to follow your manual’s instructions on doing this to keep yourself safe in the process, but a good rule of thumb is to disconnect your propane tank before you start cleaning.

The next step involves you taking a deep dive into your grill. Really get into the main box of your grill and start scraping off gunk and debris. Depending on how long it’s been since you’ve done this, it could be a bit of a challenge, but your hard work and persistence in this area will pay off. I many instances, your grill will have a removable tray at the bottom that allows you to really get in there. Take advantage of this time to break out the degreaser and make everything look as good as new.

Be sure to take off your burner protectors and clean them up nicely to ensure many years of use out of your grill. You’ll also want to remove the bottom tray and clean it up nicely. You can either use a sponge and some soapy water or your wire brush depending on how much work needs to be done.

Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor

Once your grill is once again nice and shiny (and it’s all put back together), you will likely feel that it’s as good as new! That means that you can fire it up again and enjoy making something to reward yourself for all of the hard work you just did. Or it means that you could throw your grill cover on and let it sit until next summer, but let’s be honest here–grilling is clearly the superior way to enjoy your food and you might as well enjoy it for as long as you can.

Whether that means a few burgers and brats or you want to go all out and try something new on your freshly cleaned grill is up to you entirely, but we think that you deserve to enjoy eating something that makes you happy. You’ll be making it with you own two hands, so how could it not make you happy, after all?

Now might also be the right time for a propane cylinder exchange to make sure you’re always prepared. If you’re wondering where to get a propane tank refilled, look no further. With propane tank exchange locations across the country and more locations being added all the time, Mighty Flame is here to handle all of your propane needs. Now get that grill back together, fire it up, and start cooking something you’ll love! Until next time, friends and neighbors.