Whether you’re the type of barbecuer who religiously wipes down the grill after every use, cleanses with fire in between cookouts, or waits until the season ends before doing a thorough clean-up, keeping your BBQ in good nick is the sure-fire way to ensure it stays in action for longer.
But when you're stuffed full from your BBQ feast, there's barely enough energy left to do anything besides roll around on the sofa and wait for your body to digest, let alone bounce up to get the grill back to a decent state.
Yet omit this chore at your peril. The grill is easiest to clean when it's warm, with charred bits and grease coming away with minimal elbow grease. Allowing it to cool down gives the dirt a chance to harden, making it much more challenging to chisel off.
The good news is that plenty of cleaning tools help you do the job, from grill brushes and cleaning robots to good old-fashioned grill scrapers.
The cleaning tools you need will depend on the model of the grill sitting in your garden, along with the type of BBQ: charcoal, gas or electric.
That said, most stainless steel grates can put up with a lot, namely the business end of a stainless steel scraper being run over the rails. Even after you've scraped your grill back to new again (or as close to), it's a good idea to wash what you can with soap and water, or use a specialist BBQ cleaner to get rid of any lingering grease residue, which can lead to flare-ups during your next cookout.
A deep clean at the end of the summer season is the final step before your BBQ returns to its garden shed hibernation. Doing this gives your grill the best possible chance of functioning like it should the next time you fancy a BBQ.
If you're looking for a new grill scraper to help keep your BBQ in top-notch condition, we've rounded up the best options below.
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Sizzle Buddy - the ultimate BBQ cleaner
The laws of nature state that pleasure and pain are both sides of the same coin. In barbecue terms, that means once you’ve fully feasted on flame-grilled morsels, the torture of waddling over to clean the thing begins.
This gadget features a stainless steel brush head that you can use to clean off the charred and stuck-on remains of your BBQ feast while the grill is still hot. The heat-resistant body holds a 300ml water reservoir which you can use to help remove the grease without any toxins, and the other end features a curved and flat scraping tool to chisel off built-up grease.
Using this tool directly on the BBQ means you can avoid messing up the house by bringing any parts of the grill indoors.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
Mountain Grillers Bristle Free Grill Brush with Sharp Scraper
This multipurpose brush is your first line of defence against getting rid of built-up crust on your BBQ grates. The bristle-free design uses tight coils to get to every inch of the grill while a scraper sits on the opposite side to send stubborn spots packing. It can be used across gas and charcoal grills and after or before cooking, which means your food won't have any leftover ingredients piggybacking on it.
Buy now £19.79, Amazon
Ninja Woodfire Grill Cleaning Brush
It may be designed to clean Ninja's BBQ grill and smoker, but with angled bristles that will reach awkward spots, this cleaning brush can be used on practically all grills. The bristles are made from nylon to ensure they don't scratch the non-stick finish on grill plates, cleaning without damage. The head of the brush sports a jagged edge, which can be used to shift stubborn, burned-on spots. A hanging loop makes it easy to keep close to the grill, ready to use when needed.
Buy now £7.00, Amazon
Kyraton Rainbow Grill Accessories Kit 4 Piece
Who says cleaning can’t be fabulous? Make the chore less of a bore with rainbow-coloured BBQ accessories which double up as cleaning devices. This four-piece includes tongs, a marinade brush, prongs and a burger patty flipper with serrated edges that to used to force grime and grease off the grates when done. The dishwasher-safe set also comes in stainless steel and gold options.
Buy now £25.99, Amazon
John Lewis BBQ Cleaning Set, 2 Piece
This bestselling bundle keeps things simple with two tools to help get your dirty grills back to new again. The first is a bristled brush designed to be used against rods while they're warm with a scraper on the other side to shift harder burned-on bits. The other spiral tool helps to eliminate small pieces of food debris.
Buy now £12.99, John Lewis
Broil King Wooden grill scraper
Not all grates are created equal. If you're dealing with something with a porcelain enamel coating, a softer material like wood can help shift grease without damaging the finish.
This solid timber tool can be used across cast iron, cast stainless or stainless rod grids, but is most effective when the surface is still hot.
Buy now £21.94, Amazon
Kingfisher BBQ BRUSH BBQ Bristle Cleaner
If you're a fan of burgers or cooking heavily marinaded joints, the residue can get stuck on grate rods. Shift them once you've finished flipping the last patty with Kingfisher's brass bristle brush which also comes with a metal scraper for really stubborn areas.
Buy now £5.33, Amazon
BBQ Moments BBQ Cleaning Tools
For simple cleaning without chemicals, a pumice stone - or three - can help return your grate it optimum cooking condition. This set comprises compressed towel tablets, a BBQ scrubber, and three pieces of pumice stone to work over the grill and cooking utensils, keeping them in great condition. Fuss-free and effective.
Buy now £13.14, Amazon
Weber BBQ T-Brush, 30cm
True grill masters know that a good wire brush is your first port of call in the battle against caked-on BBQ grease. Weber’s BBQ brush is super strong thanks to the robust triangular design which sports stainless steel wire on one end to attack the worst of food debris clinging onto both charcoal and electric BBQ grates. The ergonomic handle is easy to hold and can be hung on a BBQ hook - if your machine has one - to keep it close to hand.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon
Tramontina Plastic Handle Grill Brush
If you’re using a BBQ brush, the handle is almost as important as the bristles. It needs to be comfortable to hold while you’re eliminating tough grease from the grate. Tramontina’s Brazil version boasts an ergonomic handle and is crafted from polypropylene plastic making it a pleasure to hold. The business end, the brush head, features strong stainless steel bristles coated with black oxide for extra resilience and there are flat and curved edges for scraping your wire racks clean.
Buy now £15.00, Dunelm
