While it’s certainly not as fun (or rewarding) as cooking on the damn thing, cleaning your grill is crucial to having a successful future as a grill master. It’s fairly straightforward for the most part, until you get to the grates. Being that they’re the actual food surface of your grill, the grates take a bit of special consideration -- or rather, special tooling. Luckily, we’ve got grill brushes for any application, any grill, and any Grillaholic out there. Today, we’re going to take you through the ins-and-outs of responsible grill brush ownership, and do a little round-up of the brushes we’ve got on offer.

Got Rust? 

Using a grill brush is pretty straightforward. If you can brush your teeth, you can brush a grill. But, what happens when that beloved brush of yours gets grimy, dirty, and covered in gunk? It’s cleaning time. But if that grime, dirt, and gunk includes rust...you’re in for some bad news. If you’ve got a rusty grill brush, there’s only one solution: THROW IT AWAY.

Don’t even try cleaning it. Rust buildup on a grill brush comes from using the wrong kind of brush with your grill, and there’s basically nothing you can do once the rust sets in. Despite what the next guy might tell you, a grill brush should never be rusty. Again: if you’ve got rust on your brush, you’re using the wrong brush entirely. 

Cheaply-made grill brushes are often made with aluminum or other rust-prone metals. When you combine that with a few days left hanging off the side of your grill...you’ve got a surefire recipe for rust. As for finding a new brush… don’t worry -- we’ll help you sort that out in just a bit.

Now, say you’ve just got typical crust and grime built up on your brush. That’s more acceptable, and a more solvable problem. You’ll want to find a bucket of soapy water and another grill brush (yes, you should always have a spare). If you try to use a sponge or rag, you’re just going to ruin it, hence the need for another brush. Use the soapy water to scrub your dirty brush with your clean brush, until you’ve cleared off all the grime and gunk. Rinse both under hot water, and let them air dry. 

How to Maintain a Grill Brush

Always try to brush your grill grate when it’s still hot. When hot, the food and gunk will scrape right off, giving your brush less work, and thus lengthening its lifespan. The same can be said for the brush itself -- right after using it, bang it around on a hard surface to knock the char and gunk off. 

As we mentioned before, getting a second brush is actually huge in maintaining your first. Use the second brush to clean your ‘main’ brush by rubbing the bristles against one another. 

All in all, you should be sure to regularly wash your grill brush. By making a habit of giving the brush a quick wash, you’re going to have a like-new grill brush for years and years to come. Every third or fourth use, go ahead and pull out the soapy water. But between those thorough cleaning sessions, simply knock off the dirt and give it a scrape with your spare brush.

Also -- try to store your brush away from the elements. Although stainless steel doesn’t rust, you don’t want bugs and rainwater getting into the bristles of your grill brush. A little ‘storage hack’ for your grill brush is to keep it under the cover of your grill (of course, once the grill’s cooled down a bit). There, it’ll be safe from whatever the world throws at it.

Types of Brushes

When shopping for a grill brush, it’s important to buy the proper piece of equipment in the first place. No matter what material you buy (more on that below), there are a few good rules of thumb to follow when buying a new brush.

Choose a long brush -- If you’re using a short-handled brush, you’re putting yourself at danger. Grates are hot -- like, really hot. On top of that, a long-handled brush is going to give you more leverage and allow you to scrub your grates that much harder. Be sure that the handle is made of a sturdy, long-lasting material.

You get what you pay for -- You’re going to use the brush hundreds of times every summer. With that in mind, don’t skimp out on a quality brush. If you do, you’re just going to end up buying another one. 

How To Pick The Right Grill Brush For You

There are a few different types of grill brushes on offer at the Grillaholics web store. Picking out the right one for you (or your loved one) mostly comes down to the type of grill you’re working on.

Brass Grill Brushes (Grillaholics Pro Brass Grill Brush Shown)