When your afternoon at the grill has come to an end, the best thing you can do is clean it in preparation for next time. Leaving it too long can leave you with what looks like an impossible task. This job can be made a lot easier with a quality grill cleaner but it can be difficult to find the right one.
With so many products on the market, all promising to leave your grill sparkling, it can be hard to tell which ones are safe to use and those that will stop you from having to do all the hard work. We have identified the best grill cleaners around so you don’t have to spend hours researching the best one for your needs.
Quick Summary of Best Grill Cleaners
Carbona 320 Carbona 2-In 1 Oven Rack And Barbeque Cleaner 500ml
One of the easiest grill cleaners to use and it does everything in 3 steps. For the racks, you simply place them inside the included bags and pour the solution in so it gives an even clean around the various angles. After leaving them to soak for while you remove them and rinse.
This is one of the easiest ways of cleaning an awkward grill and for a neglected BBQ grill, it only takes a minimal amount of scrubbing to remove the burnt-on dirt. It comes with everything you need to get started so you get the solution, cleaning bag, as well as disposable gloves. With 500 ml included they are good for more than a few uses and are ideal for use on stainless steel or enamel grill grates.
- Easy 3 step operation
- Makes a tough job simple
- Minimal scrubbing required
- Includes bags and disposable gloves
Therapy Premium Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish
A popular and high-quality product that s great for cleaning up the outer surfaces of your grill as it provides a nice polish that lasts. It is versatile so it can be used on any stainless steel surface so you can use the included microfiber cloth to leave your fridge or oven top looking its sparkling best.
Anyone concerned about the toxicity of a grill cleaner will like what the see on the label of this product as it is made from plant-based ingredients. For the grill itself, the best approach is to let it soak for a while to it can attack the dirt and left on grease, this also makes it easier to wipe off later. Because it uses plant-based ingredients, you might find yourself having to re-apply.
- Leaves stainless steel with a shiny polish
- Made from plant-based ingredients
- Comes with microfibre cloth
- Not as tough on grease as other brands
Easy Off Professional Oven & Grill Cleaner, 24 oz Can
One of those go-to brands for all types of oven cleaner and this one impresses as much as their other products. Easy Off has created this effective and affordable grill cleaner made with heavy-duty ingredients to ensure you only need to give the grill a light scrub after.
The downside is that it does contain a long list of chemicals so you need to read the safety precautions before using and those who are sensitive to these types of products should probably best avoid it. However, those who want their grill to clean in the easiest way possible should still consider this product as it is one of the best and fastest to work. It can also be used for spot cleaning, lifting stains within 5 minutes.
- Very effective and easy to use spray
- Good value
- Doubles up as a spot cleaner
- Contains a lot of chemicals so use it carefully
TriNova Grill Cleaner Spray for BBQ
This brand often pops up on oven cleaner lists but their grill cleaner spray is up there with the best as well. The non-stick formula lifts residue from the grill and can be used alongside whatever scrubbing accessory you prefer. The phosphate-free formula cuts through grease and can be sprayed onto any part of the BBQ to make sure everything is clean.
For those who worry about grill cleaner ingredients, this is odor-free and kinder on the skin than most brands in the grill cleaning industry. Because of the lack of harsh chemicals, you might find yourself having to apply the spray twice which seems like a good compromise for not having to consume overbearing and harmful fumes.
- Can be used on any part of the BBQ
- Odor-free
- Easy to use
- Makes hard work of tougher grease
Parker Bailey Cleaning Product BBQ Grill Cleaner and Degreaser
As close to an all-in-one solution that you can find for a BBQ as it targets the grill as well as the outside to leave the whole unit looking its best. Any baked-on grease and grime will be removed from any surface and it is fine for use on anything that comes into contact with food.
It loosens the dirt which makes it easy to scrub off with a brush before rinsing. When using on the outside of the grill, the results are impressive as when it has been wiped off, there is no oily residue that some of the cheaper brands can sometimes leave. Use it on your grilling tools and countertops to make them sparkle.
- Can be used on a variety of surfaces
- Makes scrubbing the grease off of grills easy
- Streak free
- Need to apply quite a lot
Better Grilling’Â’s Magic-Stone Grill Cleaner Scrub
This neat product offers you the chance to clean your grill with a different approach. Most products will leave you having to use a bit of elbow grease to lift the burnt-on food and debris so why not get straight into it? The scrubber itself is non-toxic and completely fine to hold in your hand and completely odorless.
It is anti-bacterial so it makes the grill more hygienic and only requires a light pressure to lift stubborn grease and dirt. It’s actually made from 100% heated glass and wears down in the same way a pumice stone does. With no chemicals in sight, it is one of the safest for you and the environment, not to mention it provides impressive results.
- Odorless and non-toxic
- Works fast to lift grease
- Easy to use
- Requires a bit of manual work
Grill Cleaner Guide
Although it’s never a good idea to leave the cleaning of your grill until the end of Summer, there are some products that are tough on even the most neglected of BBQ grills. Even if you want to use a product regularly to keep everything clean, it is important to find the right one for your needs.
There are some that are more natural than others and those that contain more chemicals so it is important to do your research to make sure you get an effective grill cleaner, but one that is safe. To help you make sure you know what a quality product should be capable of, we have created the following guide.
What To Look For In A Grill Cleaner
Quality Ingredients
Of course, an effective grill cleaner is only able to do its job when it includes the right ingredients. Because of the tough task a grill cleaner has to undertake, they are often full of harsh chemicals that lift the grease and burnt-on grime so you don’t have to do as much scrubbing. However, there are some great alternatives that use a natural formula so you can choose between the two to eliminate the stains off your grill.
No Toxic Fumes
This is easier said than done as a lot of great cleaners have quite a pungent, chemical smell. This isn’t always the case though so you don’t have to settle if this is an issue. Some grill cleaners are odor-free whilst others contain natural ingredients so the odor is not going to be harmful.
Most of the time a grill cleaner is going to be used outdoors anyway so you will be spraying in a well-ventilated area. Whatever product you like the sound of, check for toxic fumes first.
Applications
The tougher grill cleaners only take one application to work and this will often result in a light scrubbing. This is more common with the harsher formulas so if you want something more natural, then you might have to deal with repeating the spraying process more than once.
Another thing to consider is how you administer the formula. Some products are spray-on grill cleaners which are easy to apply but can be messy. Some are designed to be used within a bag where you can leave the grill to soak and is one of the easiest ways to get an awkward grill clean.
Then, there are the scrubbing stones that require you to do the work but if you find the right one, they can be completely safe to use and handle without gloves.
Versatility
Because grill cleaners contain a unique blend of ingredients, they are often capable of cleaning different surfaces. This is great as you often end up having a lot of the bottle left over and don’t need to clean your grill too frequently.
Look for a grill cleaner that can be used on a multitude of surfaces including the outsider of the grill, the oven top, or just one that can be used as a spot cleaner.
Fast Working
You either want your grill cleaner of choice to work fast or be easy to use. Anything you have to soak overnight should be ease to scrub or just require a rinse the next day.
Alternatively, some products are fast working and only require a few minutes of your patience before you can scrub. This leaves you to with more time on your hands to light up that grill again.
Heavy-Duty Vs Gentle Grill Cleaners
You might be considering two very different products and need to know a little more to help you decide. The following are the benefits and major differences of both heavy-duty and gentle grill cleaners.
Heavy-Duty
If you want a job done fast, and don’t like the sound of having to scrub a lot, then a heavy-duty grill cleaner can be appealing. The downside is the harsh chemicals that are often used and if you have kids and pets around, you need to take extra care.
As with any product, check if it omits toxic fumes and if it is safe to handle so you can adhere to the safety precautions and wear the correct protective clothing.
Gentle
Anyone who feels their eyes start to water or their skin itching around certain cleaning products will probably want to find an effective but gentle grill cleaner. They are kinder on the senses and can often be handled without protective gloves.
The downside is that they might be less effective at lifting grease so expect to have to reapply and scrub a little harder but if you are putting your health first, then these are the better products to use to clean your grill.
Are Grill Cleaners Safe?
A lot will depend on what type of product you use but as long as you follow the safety guidelines, a grill cleaner should still be safe to use. Certain products have an all-natural formula making them completely safe to use and without toxic fumes.
Any product that starts to cause breathing difficulties or irritation of any sort should be avoided.
What Is The Best Grill Cleaner?
A lot of people will say that the best grill cleaner is the one that gets the job done quickly but this isn’t the only approach to consider. We like the convenience of being able to soak the grill in a bag as scrubbing at a grill can be a time-consuming process.
This is why we believe Carbona 320 Carbona 2-In 1 Oven Rack And Barbeque Cleaner 500ml is the best grill cleaner going. It only requires you to follow 3 simple steps and although you have to soak it for a while, it does a lot of the hard work for you so the minimal amount of scrubbing required feels even better.
It is also the best we reviewed because it is effective and makes an awkward job more bearable and comes with everything you need to make sure your grill looks as good as ever.