Nexgrill is recalling 10.2 million metal wire bristle grill brushes due to ingestion hazards. The small metal wires can detach from the brushes and stick to your grill, which then sticks to food.
As noted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC), swallowing the wires can cause internal injuries that could result in needing surgery.
The recall affects six different Nexgrill brushes with either black plastic or wooden handles with these model numbers:
- 530-0024
- 530-0024G
- 530-0034,
- 530-0039,
- 530-0041
- 530-0042
The brushes were sold at Home Depot between 2015 and 2026.
According to a CSPC notice, Nexgrill received at least 68 reports of wires detaching from the brushes, five of which included people who sought medical treatment after swallowing a wire.
If you have one of these brushes it's recommended you immediately stop using them and contact Nexgrill for a full refund. The refund will be issued as a gift card.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we made the proactive decision to voluntarily recall these brushes based on our leadership in the BBQ industry and our partnership with the CPSC," Nexgrill said in a statement provided to Tom's Guide.
You will be given a registration code and asked to upload a photograph of your brush with that code and your initials to the recall website, mktpoint.com or nexgrill.com and clicking Product Recalls. Once done, you will receive instructions on how to discard the brush.
Nexgrill says that you shouldn't discard the brush until your registration has been successfully processed.
It follows a similar recall of 3.2 million Weber metal wire bristle grill brushes in February for similar hazards.
Should you use a metal wire grill brush?
According to this Food Network report, no. It's especially dangerous when cooking things like hamburgers where the wire can sink into the beef, where meat like chicken or hot dogs are less likely to snag it.
Fortunately, there are alternatives like the Grill Rescue, which sells for $75. There are cheaper versions like the GRILLART Grill Brush. Both feature sponges and scrapers to help you clean your grates. The GRILLART is currently on sale.
If you insist on using a metal wire grill brush you should follow up a scraping with soap and water to make sure you get everything off the grates.
And if you're looking to upgrade your setup before summer kicks in, why not check out our guide to the best grills — including gas and charcoal grills and smokers.
