A charcoal grill gets dirtier than a gas grill: ash, grease, and smoke coat everything after every cook. Cleaning is mostly ash management — the ash is the mess, the grease is the smell, and the grate is the part your food touches. Clean it after every cook and it takes five minutes; leave it for a month and it takes an hour.
Ashes stay hot for days. Never dump hot ashes in the trash, in a plastic bag, or on the ground — they start fires in trash cans days later. Let the ashes cool completely, overnight if you can, then dump them in a metal can and wet them down. Cold ash goes in the trash; hot ash goes nowhere but the can.
Let it cool completely. Let the grill cool overnight. A grill that is warm to the touch is still hot enough to burn — and hot enough to start a fire in the trash can. Patience is the safety step.
Dump the ashes. Dump the cold ashes into a metal can and wet them down. Scrape the ash out of the bottom vents too — ash clogs the vents, and the fire needs air through them. A gas grill has no ash at all — the gas grill cleaning guide covers the other kind.
Scrub the grate. Scrub the grate with a wire brush while it is still slightly warm, or with hot soapy water after it cools. A brush on a warm grate takes the grease off in seconds; a brush on a cold grate takes minutes.
Wash the bowl. Wash the bowl with hot soapy water and a brush. For baked-on grease, use a degreaser and let it sit for ten minutes. Rinse it and let it dry — a wet bowl rusts from the inside.
Clean the vents. Clear the ash out of the top and bottom vents with a brush. The vents control the fire: clogged vents mean a fire that will not get hot, and a fire that will not get hot means raw food.
Oil the grate. Wipe a light coat of cooking oil on the grate and heat the grill briefly to season it. An oiled grate does not rust, and food does not stick to it. Gas or charcoal is the first choice — the gas vs charcoal comparison covers the honest answer after 200 backyard cookouts.
Once a season, take the grill apart: grate out, ash catcher out, bowl washed, vents cleared, and the outside wiped down. Check for rust — surface rust sands off and gets a coat of high-heat paint; rust through the bowl means the grill is done. Outdoor furniture needs the same rhythm — the outdoor furniture cleaning guide covers keeping it from fading.
Never dump hot ashes. Never use oven cleaner on the grate — it is too harsh and it leaves residue on the cooking surface. Never hose the grill while it is hot — the metal warps. And never store a grill with the ashes in it: wet ash turns caustic and eats the bowl from the inside.
After every cook: dump the ashes, brush the grate, and wipe the bowl. Deep clean once a season — take it apart, wash everything, and check for rust.
No. Oven cleaner is too harsh for the cooking grate and it leaves residue on the food surface. Hot soapy water and a wire brush do the job.
Let them cool completely — overnight — then dump them in a metal can, wet them down, and put them in the trash. Never dump hot ashes in the trash or on the ground.
Wet ash and a wet bowl. Ash left in the bowl turns caustic when it gets wet and eats the metal. Dump the ashes after every cook and keep the grill dry and covered.