Most grills you will clean have electronic components like lights and electronic igniters. Pressure washing can damage these components causing you time and money replacing them.
When it comes to cleaning the grill EVERYONE has an opinion and almost all of them are WRONG! Type “BBQ cleaning” into Google and you will find a multitude of blog posts telling you which way is the best way clean the grill. I’ve seen people use grass clippings and dirt, tin foil to various gizmos and gadgets to clean their grill and honestly, not a single one made the grill look any cleaner than before they started.
Like I’ve mentioned previously, cleaning grills sounds easy but if you ever tackled your own grill you know it’s a dirty and labor intensive job. Because it can be a tough job everyone looks for the best tools they can think of to get the job done as easily and as quickly as possible. Typically, when all the chemicals, scrubbers and gadgets fail to clean the grill properly the first piece of equipment one might reach for is a pressure washer.
Most, if not all manufacturers have a section in their user’s manual dedicated to proper recommended cleaning procedures. Essentially, their recommendations for the exterior are pretty generic – “Use a non-abrasive or mild detergent with warm water or a stainless steel cleaner. Wipe with a soft cloth or sponge.” And for the grates “Soak in warm water and a mild detergent. For stubborn spots, scrub with a stainless or brass bristle BBQ brush.” – Very generic information that does not put a lot of effort into getting the grill clean. Most gas grill manufacturers do not recommend pressure washing the interior of the grills because it can damage some of the internal wiring or components.
