This post is sponsored by Grill Daddy. Save 10% with code: JF10

If it can be eaten, I’ve likely tossed it on the hot grates of my grill.  Grilling lean proteins like beef, chicken and fish along with a rainbow of fruits and veggies is the fuel for my active lifestyle. Plus, it gets me out of the hot kitchen and into the fresh air, sparking my creative side and serving up tasty benefits!   Talk about a win-win-win!

Despite all this happiness making and eating my grilled recipes, I’ve never felt like a winner when cleaning a grill afterward.  It’s nasty, messy, stinky and requires more elbow grease than I care to give when the backyard “party” is over. And, honestly, I never felt my grill-cleaning skills were up to par.  I’m embarrassed to say, I often just ignored cleaning my grill in the past.   

However, as they say, “when you know better, you do better.” Check out these reasons why you should make a quick clean of your grill grates after EVERY use and discover a tool from Grill Daddy that makes it safe, speedy and super effective! (Use discount code JF10 to save 10-percent)

Why Should I Clean My Grill Grates? 

Flavor Saver: Burned food crusted to the grates courtesy of the previous grilling sessions could end up on your current meal, lending an unwanted flavor profile. Nobody wants old fish flavor on their grilled corn cobs.  

Bacteria & Fungus Buster: Cleaning your grill also helps reduce the chance bacteria will colonize on the grates. Fungi like mold also grow on organic matter, and that’s pretty gross to be around food. Leftover meat of food bits stuck the grill and abandoned to fester are just open invitations to getting sick.

Pest Protection: Ensuring a clean grill, free of food and grease, will also keep unwanted pests from calling your grill their new home and dining establishment – the Roach & Rodent Motel. Trust me, word gets out in the pest population when you have accommodations “ripe” for the picking. Heck, I think a racoon could even lift up the handle and climb in to scavenge.   

Long-term Health: Not trying to use scare tactics here. But studies have indicated that cooking meats at a high temperature creates polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are carcinogenic. PAHs are created when meat juice drips onto coals, grates and other hot surfaces causing flames and smoke – then they stick you’re your food and are left behind as burned bits on the grates. You can minimize your risks by cleaning your grill, avoiding flare-ups, not burning food, and using a gas grill rather than charcoal.  Also, marinade meats for 30 minutes prior to grilling helps create a barrier.  

Easier Deep Clean Later: When you clean your grill grates on a regular basis, it makes your end-of-season grill clean-up overhaul much easier. In terms of the grill grates, they can be removed and soaked in a vinegar-baking soda-water solution and then scrubbed down again — if you’ve been taking care of the grates from the start, the process will be so much easier because not much will be left to scrub down.

What is the Best Grill Brush?

I’ve used quite a few grill brushes and even the “onion’ method where a halved onion is rubbed across the hot grates to clean. I’ve never used a sponge, that’s just a nasty way to move bacteria around.  Most of my previous grill cleaning tactics yielded lackluster results. Stubborn areas on the grates still remained gross, bristles fell off with the potential of ending up in my food (so unsafe), or I just gave up early because my hands were to close to the heat and arms getting fatigued.

But, the Grill Daddy brushes are my new favorite grill tool.  This innovative grill brush cleans the grill with the power steam. It’s really a simple concept, but one that is so clever and unique it’s been patented. There are no chemicals or batteries needed for the grill brushes and the two brush heads feature “bristle lock” technology, stainless-steel bristles that are highly secured in place, to help ensure food safety for your family.  When the brushes show signs of wear, you can order new brush replacement parts.

How Do Grill Daddy Grill Brushes Work?

Simply pour water into the reservoir of your steam grill brush, heat up the grill and then use the ON/OFF lever to release the water a bit at a time. When that water hits the hot grates, it creates steam which helps loosen the food particles, grease and burned on gunk. While the steam is doing its job, use the wider side in a crosswise direction to eliminate grill residue or, for mor stubborn areas, flip the brush around and unleash to power of the three-row, crud-buster scraper.  Other nice features I appreciated in the Grill Daddy Pro model I have is the large size – 22-inches keeps my hands from getting too close to the searing heat. Also, the larger reservoir holds up to 16-ounces of water, making it last long enough without refilling to clean a large, nasty grill.

Grill Daddy brushes are also made in the USA and offer a satisfaction guarantee.  If you are fired up to try one (pun intended), then use my Grill Daddy discount code to save 10% — Go to BuyGrillDaddy.com Grill Daddy coupon code JF10 at checkout. — So perfect for upcoming backyard barbeques, Father’s Day gifts, gifts for women and men who grill, and gifts for grillers.