Who doesn't love the taste and smell of a barbecue on a sunny day? There's nothing quite like the chargrilled quality you get from this method of cooking, but once it's over, there's always some mess to deal with afterwards. No matter what sort of BBQ you use, cleaning will be required, so it's good to have a specialist cleaner and some tools at the ready.
There are many options out there for tackling the grease, grime and soot you find on a barbecue. For a chemical solution that dislodges dirt, look for a liquid spray, or if you'd prefer something more hands-on, look for a natural yet heavy duty scrubbing brush. Whatever you want, the likes of Cif and Weber will have solutions to get your grill sparkling again.
Quick List - Top BBQ Cleaners
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Don't let the thought of having to clean your barbecue put you off the idea of doing one in the first place. With the right cleaning products, getting your barbecue looking as good as new again won't be an issue. We're going to help you choose which products are right for your barbecue and your style of cleaning.
Different people are going to want different things from their barbecue cleaners. Some might prefer an option that you can apply and leave to work its magic, whereas others might be more inclined to go for something that's a bit more hands-on. Below, we'll break down both options to help you decide.
For a cleaning option that eats through dirt and makes it easy to wipe or wash off, look for a liquid spray. These specialist sprays are easy to apply and help to reduce the amount of wiping and scrubbing you need to do to get your barbecue looking good.
The drawback of cleaners like these is that they do rely on chemicals, something you might want to avoid, especially if you're using it in a natural area like your garden. Some are stronger than others, though, and while these strong chemicals will work wonders when it comes to cleaning, you may want to opt for a less potent option.
After you've use a chemical cleaner, it is vital that you wash it off thoroughly to avoid any residue ending up contaminating your tasty barbecued food.
If you'd like to avoid the use of harsh chemicals and don't mind using a bit of elbow grease, then look into getting a manual cleaning option. These include brushes with tough bristles that can really get to the bottom of the cooked-on muck and pumice stones that offer a more natural, but no less effective, approach.
You do have to accept that if you're just going to use one of these tools, you will need to put a lot of work into getting things sparkling clean. For those who feel like they could do with some help, some are compatible with other chemical cleaning methods, and you can use a very gentle soapy water to avoid any chemical food contamination.
The last thing you want to do is to get your hands on a cleaner only to find that it isn't suitable for your barbecue. The first thing to do to avoid being in this situation is to check what material your barbecue is made from.
Most are made from metals like steel, and most cleaners – both manual and chemical – will be designed with this in mind. You may also find that a cleaner can be used on other things like indoor ovens and hobs.
With both manual and chemical cleaners, there will be some materials they are unsuitable for. Brushes with metal bristles, for example, shouldn't be used on non-metallic surfaces where there is any chance of scratching anything off. Similarly, with chemical cleaners, it is often stated that they shouldn't be sprayed on the exterior of a BBQ as this is not where they're designed for.
Not all barbecue cleaners will come with comprehensive instructions on how to use them, and this is especially true of brushes, the use of which is fairly self-explanatory.
With spray cleaners, however, these instructions are needed. They'll tell you how long you should leave a spray on for to allow it to work its magic, and any additional notes that might be useful, such as how to get a cleaner off. Sussing these out before you buy will ensure that you get a cleaner that works for you and your schedule.
Barbecue cleaners tend to come just as they are, with you needing to provide any extra cleaning kit like sponges and cloths that you might require. However, this isn't always the case, and some are kind enough to come with a few very useful additions.
These could include a scraper that comes with a brush to offer a different technique for dirt removal, or a brush that comes with a cloth to offer a softer approach. Either way, they're worth looking out for!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Argos Home BBQ Cleaning Set | ![]() | Reach Every Corner With This Set of Handy Brushes | |
2 | Grillaholics BBQ Grill Brush Steel | ![]() | A Heavy-Duty Tool for Devoted Barbecuers | |
3 | HG Barbecue Cleaner | ![]() | A Simple Spray From the Outdoor Experts | |
4 | Invero Metal Wire Cleaning Brush & Scraper | ![]() | A Brush and Scraper Rolled Into One Handy Tool | |
5 | CleanAid Wonderstone | ![]() | A Practical Modern Spin on a Natural Cleaner | |
6 | Weber BBQ Grate Cleaner | ![]() | Gets to Work Fast on Stainless Steel Grills | |
7 | Maryton Grill Cleaner Stone|Pack of 3 | ![]() | A Stone That Has Endless Possibilities | |
8 | Cif Outdoor Barbecue Spray | ![]() | Packed With Grease-Fighting Agents | |
9 | Tesco BBQ Grill Cleaner | ![]() | An Affordable Spray for All Barbecues | |
10 | Waitrose Home Barbecue Cleaning Brush | ![]() | For When You Want a Softer Touch |
Without a range of brushes, you won't be able to tailor your cleaning to the particular area of the barbecue that you're working on, a problem that this complete set has solved. It is comprised of three brushes of different sizes that all come with different strengths.
You'll be able to scrape, scrub and wipe away to your heart's content until your barbecue is up to your standards, however exacting they are. Even the difficult-to-reach areas are made easy to get to with the tiny brush designed to fit into any space. The set gives you the opportunity to experiment with brush combinations to find a grill-cleaning technique that works.
All of the brushes on this list will go some way in helping you remove the dirt from your barbecue, but none of them will do it as quickly or as thoroughly as this one. It is built from heavy-duty stainless steel and has been triple machine tested to make it as safe as possible.
The brush head is very large, which means you can work faster and get grilling sooner, and the handle is long enough that you don't have to get anywhere near the heat. And, if you want something a bit more gentle, there are other softer brush heads in the same collection also available to buy.
HG are specialists in creating cleaning solutions for your outdoor areas and equipment. The spray, designed for barbecues, is best used on slightly warm elements as this helps to dislodge the dirt and lets the solution get to work on old soot and grease.
This spray works very fast and you shouldn't need to leave it on for very long before you start to notice a difference. You might need to use a sponge or brush to help get rid of any stains, but the cleaner should do most of the work for you!
When a brush by itself just won't do, this is what you need. With a scraper attached to to tackle that food grease in areas that demand a bit more elbow grease, you'll be able to clean every part of your barbecue, no matter how much is burnt on.
The square brush head gives you a good surface area of bristles to work with, saving on the time you need to spend cleaning. And, because of how the bristles are configured, this brush will be easy to clean.
This Wonderstone from CleanAid really lives up to its name. It is great at removing stubborn dirt from all sorts of areas, whether that's your toilet or your barbecue (be careful not to use the same stone for both, though!)
It comes without chemicals so is therefore non-toxic, and it gives you a more delicate way of cleaning than a brush. What makes this pumice cleaner stand out from the rest is the fact that the stones have handles, meaning you're able to reach those difficult spots with ease.
Specifically formulated for grills and cookbox components, this product gets to work quickly. In fact, you only need to leave it on for 30 seconds – it works that fast. The application of this spray is made even speedier by the fact that it comes out in a fine mist, covering a larger area in one go.
This spray works excellently at loosening grease and food residue on the grates and grills, but it is less adept at cleaning the barbecue as a whole, so you might need to think about investing in other products if you want to scrub the entire thing.
This product describes itself as a magic stone, which might sound like a bold claim, but it is one that is earned. Pumice has an endless list of uses, from cleaning your feet to your bathroom, and scrubbing your barbecue is just one more of these.
Because of the stone's nature, only light pressure is needed, even with caked-on carbon. It also doesn't have any bristles which run the risk of breaking off and falling into your barbecue – or worse, your food. The only thing that lets this stone down is that it doesn't have a handle or anything that would make it easier to wield.
Blast through burnt-on dirt with this formula from Cif. It has been made specifically to attack grease, and its powerful degreasing ingredients make sure it does just that.
This spray will have no trouble removing even the most difficult food stains, but you'll have to be prepared ahead of time as this cleaner does require some time to work and, because it is made from chemicals, you will have to be careful that you wash it off thoroughly after use.
Suitable for all types of barbecue, this is an easy-to-use cleaner with a price tag that is also easy on the wallet. The spray applicator is powerful and disperses the liquid solution well, allowing you to leave it to do its thing.
Once you've left it for the allotted time, it does need to be rubbed vigorously with a stiff brush or scouring pad, so it's not a completely hands-off option. The process may also have to be repeated, taking up even more of your precious time.
Here we have a very simple barbecue brush from Waitrose, but one that still has a lot to offer. It has a softer approach than lots of other brush cleaners thanks to the fact that its bristles are not made from metal. This makes it good for working on less hard-wearing surfaces.
This brush, however, is in many ways limited by its softer bristles and the small amount of coverage the head offers. It won't be as tough or long-lasting as some of the others on this list, and it doesn't come with much information on how to use it, either.
No. 1: Argos Home|BBQ Cleaning Set
No. 2: Grillaholics|BBQ Grill Brush Steel
No. 3: HG|Barbecue Cleaner
No. 4: Invero|Metal Wire Cleaning Brush & Scraper
No. 5: CleanAid|Wonderstone
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