How do I clean my grill? And when do I replace a burner?

When it comes to cleaning, a top-down philosophy is usually best. Cleaning a grill is no different. And at the top of every grill are your grill grates. Don’t clean your grates immediately after grilling. Leave the cooking residue on them to protect the cast iron. Right before you grill the next time, turn the heat up and burn those residues into charcoal, then brush them off with a steel – not a brass – brush. Don’t forget to scrape your flavorizer bars, too, if your grill has them – they are the bars that sit over your burners. But use your brass brush on those. Occasionally, you’ll want to clean the grates with soapy water and a wire scouring pad. Avoid lemon- or citrus-based soap cleaner, because the acids can eat away at the cast iron. When you’re done, towel dry them. Air drying could cause rust. Continuing with the top-down process, regularly clean off the area over the burners. This might include lava rocks, briquettes or a metal plate. Use hot soapy water to clean off grease and particles from these, and then rinse them in clean water. Use a towel on the bottom of your sink while you’re cleaning the briquettes, so that they don’t scratch your sink’s finish. Eventually, they’ll get too encrusted with food particles and grease to clean. When this happens, replace them so that they don’t affect the taste of your food. While everything’s out of the grill, check your burners. If they’re clogged, try cleaning them with a water and vinegar solution and a scrub brush. If they still don’t work, it’s time for a replacement. Your local Westlake Hardware carries a variety of burners. Give us a call to see if we have your part in stock or bring the burner in and we will match the correct one for you. Or for any other questions, stop into your local Westlake Hardware store. We’re always here to help.