With summer in full swing, people are spending a lot of time using their gas grill. Keeping a grill clean is the key to great tasting barbecue. By cleaning it often and properly, your grill should stay as good as new for several years to come.

What is needed to properly clean a grill?

All that is needed is a rag, brass wire grill brush and some cooking oil.

What is the routine maintenance for cleaning a gas grill?

Use your grill brush regularly to clean off food and buildup that forms on the grates. This prevents bacteria from forming. After each use, wash and soak your brush in soapy water. Hang the brush to dry and keep indoors away from the elements.

After the grill has cooled down and the grates have been cleaned, pour some cooking oil on a rag and rub down the grates to prevent it from rusting.

Scrub the burners with a wire brush to clean the grease and food that can accumulate. Cleaning out grease traps is also important to prevent a grease fire.

Is there any other maintenance that should be done?

Twice a year you should dismantle your grill and give it an extensive cleaning. Make sure you disconnect the propane tank before you begin the cleaning process. Soak the grates in soapy, hot water and then scrub after the grates have soaked for several minutes. The racks can be cleaned with a steel wool pad. Once the grill has been thoroughly cleaned, turn the grill on and let it heat up for about 10 minutes. This will allow any residual cleaning solution to burn off.

Once a year, do a complete check of the parts of the grill. Look at the chassis, joints, connectors, fasteners and hinges. Make sure none of these parts have rust on them or are corroding. Tighten up any lose parts and make sure wheels, knobs and handles are still in good shape.

With the right maintenance, you can enjoy years of great family memories barbecuing on the grill.