How to Clean a Grill with Bar Keepers Friend

June 26, 2025

How to clean a grill with Bar Keepers Friend is great news. In many backyards, barbecue season is never-ending. If you use your grill a lot, then deep cleaning is essential. A great BBQ begins with removing that sticky buildup on grates that can cause food to cook unevenly and then cleaning the exterior to remove flash rust spots and grime. Bill West, the founder of Barbecue Tricks, said, “Many people think they can go for days and let char and burnt bits linger on the grill top.” Some believe the misconception that doing so seasons the grill grate. But that’s not the case, according to West. “Funk is not flavor”, he said.

Deep-cleaning your grill isn’t only about cooking. It’s about upkeep. If you want your grill to operate at its best and last as long as it should (or longer), it’s critical to keep it sparkling clean. Food and carbon allowed to build up on your grill can and will eventually damage it, leading to its failure. Grills have become quite an investment. Have you priced any lately?

How Often Should You Clean It? 

“How often to do a deeper cleaning of your grill depends entirely on how often you use the thing. If you’re a frequent griller, you may want to deep clean the unit every 10-20 uses. But for the average griller, a once-or-twice-a-year deep clean will be sufficient. It’s a very good idea for you to check your user’s manual for instructions on how to deep clean the model you have because different grills have different needs, hopes, dreams, desires, etc.” — Esquire. 

Are you ready to learn how to clean a grill with BKF? Let’s get started!

Gather Your Supplies

To deep-clean your grill, you’ll need:

• A grill brush or wad of aluminum foil
• Newspaper or a plastic drop cloth
• A nylon brush or scrub pad
• Household gloves (recommended)
• Bar Keepers Friend (read on to learn which products are best for your grill)

Cleaning the Grates

To clean a grill, you’ll first need to fire it up. Let the heat do some of the work for you – it’ll soften greasy food debris on stainless steel or enamel-coated cast-iron grates. After a few minutes, turn off the grill and allow the grates to cool slightly. Use a grill brush or a wad of aluminum foil to scrape the grates.  Once the grates are cool,  place them on a drop cloth on the ground, moisten them, and sprinkle BKF Cleanser across the surface.

We recommend you wear household gloves and clean the grates with a nylon brush or damp scrub pad. Rinse thoroughly (a “jet” setting on a garden hose works well for this task), and dry thoroughly. After replacing the grates, turn on the grill to burn off any residue. 

Cleaning the Exterior  

Stainless steel is durable, but it’s not indestructible – without regular cleaning, it may rust. Use BKF MORE Spray + Foam to clean your grill’s exterior, and then put on the finishing touch with BKF Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish in a convenient trigger spray bottle. Whichever BKF product you use to clean your grill exterior, remember to wipe lightly in the direction of the steel grain with a damp sponge or nylon scrub pad. Rinse thoroughly within a minute of application, and wipe dry.

Then, should you desire, it’s ready to add a sparkling gloss with Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish. One popular blogger, Katelyn Fagan, recently learned how to clean a grill. As demonstrated in her video here, Bar Keepers Friend Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish removes moderate grease and grime and restores a beautiful shine to stainless steel (both inside the home and outside). This product is specially formulated to clean both coated and uncoated stainless steel without damaging the surface.

“Bar Keepers Friend is a safe and effective product you can use to protect the outside of your stainless steel grill against rust buildup, says Lyman. In addition, the product’s bleach-free formula can remove tarnish, mineral deposits and stains from surfaces.” — NBC News.com

Spot Test   

Bar Keepers Friend MORE Spray + Foam is safe to use on most stainless steel grill exteriors. However, before you clean a grill, always test it on a small, inconspicuous area first. You may also use Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser, Soft Cleanser, or BKF Cookware Cleanser on heavily soiled exteriors – spot test any product you use. 

What the Experts Have to Say 

“Bar Keepers Friend will be your best friend when it comes to hard-to-clean grills. Bar Keepers Friend, which is particularly tough on rust, is available as either a powder or liquid that can be scrubbed on your components and inside the grill itself.” — BBQGuys 

“If you need to remove a stain or rust that other cleaners can’t handle, BKF is the way to go. Test first in an inconspicuous spot to see how it works. Use a small amount of powder on a wet sponge. Use plenty of water to wet the product. Scrub very gently with the direction of the “grain” in the stainless steel. Rinse thoroughly after use. If you’ve got sensitive skin, wear rubber gloves when working with BKF. By the way, BKF is great at removing those rainbow stains in the bottom of your stainless steel pots and pans!” — Weber Grill

“The grill of your barbeque can get pretty grimy when covered in caked-on food particles. But even the dirtiest grill is no match for Bar Keepers Friend.” — Bob Vila  

A Clean Grill Is a Happy Grill 

A clean grill is safer than a dirty grill. Did you know mold can grow on a grill? Yuck! A clean grill makes the food taste better, your grill will last longer, and it looks a lot better than a dirty grill. Is it time to deep-clean your grill? 

We always welcome before-and-after photos. If you want to showcase your grill-cleaning efforts, you can upload your photos here. Have a great summer of grilling!