Summer is undeniably the season for grilling. But during the fall, winter and even spring, your grill tends to sit around and rust. It’s sad, we know. So when you open your grill to start the grilling season, you’ve probably found what we found: dirty, disgusting, deposit-covered grills.
Your first course of action is probably to clean your grates with steel wool or a bristle brush. But after 10 minutes with a wire brush, you probably realized you needed another approach to get your grills shiny again. Well, we’re here to tell you that people on the internet have had the most success with the method below.
All you need is some household ammonia, a trash bag and a rubber band or tie of some sort to hold it all together. This is a quick and effective method that doesn’t require elbow grease!
Supplies
Ammonia
Garbage bag
Rubber band or other type of fastener
Procedure
- Pour one cup of ammonia into a garbage bag.
- Place the barbecue grills in the garbage bag and seal it tightly with a string, rubber band or some type of tie. Make sure the bag is tightly closed for two reasons: A. Ammonia fumes clean your grill and B. It is better for the environment if the ammonia does not seep into the lawn or soil.
- Place your bag in the sun and let it sit overnight. The heat from the sun will speed up the process of removing the ammonia.
- The next day, take your grills out and rinse them with water in the garage sink if you have one or in any other sink, provided the windows are open and the area is well ventilated.
Safety precautions
When working with ammonia, always use gloves and eye protection. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area so that the fumes do not cause dizziness or other adverse health conditions. For disposal, you can wash down the sink with plenty of water. You can also check with your local poison control center for disposal options.
Don’t worry about covering the entire grill with ammonia, there is no need to waste the product! As long as the garbage bag is tightly sealed, the vapors from the chemical will be enough to rid the grill of all the grime and food that has settled on it. That said, be sure to follow the safety guidelines above, as ammonia is an extremely powerful product that can be dangerous if used incorrectly.
Do you know of any other solutions for cleaning barbecue grills? Share them in the comments
