In all the years we’ve been cleaning grills we’ve certainly seen our fair share of grills that have been down right disgusting and practically destroyed due to neglect. These grills are always harder to clean and in the end take a lot longer to clean. While they are cleaner than when we started, they are not the best cleaning. 

Let’s break the grill down to see what damage occurs.

Exterior:

1. Damage to stainless or painted surfaces – Grease and liquid stains left on the exterior, especially from acidic and sugary marinades and glazes will harden. If these are not wiped up it might require the use of scraping tools and/or heavy rubbing which might dull or remove a painted finish or cause damage to the stainless steel finish.
2. Hardened grease will begin to eat away at the finish and cause the surface to begin to rust.
3. Grease and juices from marinades, especially sugary marinades will be like a dinner bell to bugs, mice and other critters.

Interior:

1. Grates begin to break down and rust if grease and carbon are left on them. The acids and sugars in the marinades and glazes begin to eat away at the coating or surface of the grates and will begin to deteriorate them till they begin to rust.
2. Too much debris on the bottom of the grill will affect your burners. We’ve seen to many grills where we were called to clean them because the grill didn’t heat properly just to find the amount of debris built up was covering the holes in the burners and not allowing the flame to rise.
3. Like the grates, the acids and marinades will eat away at the burners eventually causing large holes. 
4. Heat plates, briquettes and flavorizer bars all will begin to rust and corrode.
5. Built up grease on flavorizer bars will cause flare-ups and grease fires.
6. Grilling your food on the left over carbon from who knows when and what is a known carcinogen you are transferring to your food.
7. Your food will begin to taste funny. 
8. Can’t tell you how many times we walk up to a grill, open the cabinet doors and the cabinet bottom is caked in grease that overflowed the drip tray and catch pan. This grease can and will ooze out onto your patio or deck and stain it. These stains are nearly impossible to remove once they’ve been sitting for a while.
9. Mold will begin to develop on the grates and grease catch pan.