It is the middle of the barbecue season, and you are probably going to have to clean the grill at least once, especially if you leave the grill sit too long and bugs, flies and other pests decide to check out the drippings left behind. If you open your grill and you are faced with dirty racks and a few spider webs, you definitely need to clean this warm weather appliance. Thankfully, grill cleaning brushes with their wire bristles will make short work of this mess, but do you know how to clean the brushes afterward? Here are a few helpful tips on cleaning the grill brushes and why you will want the brushes every bit as clean as the grill itself.
First, Dunk the Brushes in Degreaser
You should have two empty coffee cans for this process. The first coffee can you will need is for the degreaser. Fill the can halfway with a commercial degreasing product and drop the grill cleaning brushes in it. Leave the brushes steep and soak for a few minutes. Then move on to the next step.
Second, Rinse in Hot Water
The grill brushes, after sitting in a degreaser, should be rinsed thoroughly with the hottest of hot water from your tap. If your hot tap water is lukewarm, boil a large pot of hot water on the stove. Then set the pot of boiled water in the sink. Finally, swirl the grill brushes in the boiling water, taking care not to splash yourself with this hot water. Swirling the brushes around will loosen up any degreaser and meat drippings from the grill that are still sticking to the brushes. Finally, rinse the brushes under the tap, preferably at a tepid or cooler temperature to rinse anything else off the brushes before moving to the final step.
Third, Sanitize the Brushes
These brushes have come into contact with all kinds of bacteria, insects, and arachnids. Regardless of the numerous steps you have taken to clean them, it does not mean that the brushes are clean and healthy. This is why your final step needs to be sanitation. Use a professional kitchen sanitizer to ensure that these brushes are definitely clean.
Finally, Understand Why It Matters
Your grill brushes remove a lot of the nasty stuff on your grill and under the grates that could otherwise make you and your family sick. All of that material sticks sticks deep inside the wire bristles. If you are not thoroughly cleaning your grill brushes after every grill cleaning, you are putting all of that nasty stuff (bacteria included) back onto your grill grates.
If you're interested in learning more about grill cleaning tools, check out companies like Grillbots LLC.
