Club Benefits
Welcome to Get Grillin' Week 2026 here at Tom's Guide. We're celebrating everything about the perfect backyard cookout. We want to help you choose the best grill (and the gear to go with it) as well as learn new tips and tricks when it comes to maintenance and best practices. Because now summer is here, it's time to get outside and get grillin'.
As sunnier, longer days arrive, so too does the season's first barbecue. The smell of sizzling food, the sound of ice clinking in a cold drink, the easy laughter of friends and family gathered in the backyard — these are the simple pleasures that make summer worth waiting for.
But before any of that can happen, there's one unavoidable rite of passage standing between you and grilling glory: confronting the grill you hastily covered up and pushed to the corner of the patio last fall.
As you get ready for the event, you may discover you left the grill less clean than you remember, maybe even looking caked with grime and rust. Ready to roll up your sleeves and get those grates shining like new? Read on to learn how.
Choose your cleaning method:
The cleaning method you choose depends on how dirty your grates actually are. For heavy rust and caked-on grime, a vinegar soak is your best bet.
For a moderate amount of buildup, a paste made from baking soda and vinegar will do the trick. And if you're dealing with only light residue, a simple blast of heat is all you need.
1. Vinegar soak for heavy rust and grime
Place the grates in a large container, a plastic storage tub or even a large sink works well, and submerge them in a solution of two parts vinegar to one part water.
Because vinegar has a strong odour, do this outside if possible. Leave the grates to soak for at least eight hours — overnight is ideal. Once the soak is done, put on your gloves and scrub away the loosened rust and grime using a non-metallic scouring pad or a stiff brush.
After a good long soak, you should find that most of the buildup comes away with relatively little effort.
2. Baking soda paste for moderate grime
Remove the grates from the grill and place them on a flat, protected surface — a tarp or patio works well.
Make a paste by combining one cup of baking soda with one cup of white vinegar. With your gloves on, apply the paste generously to any rusty or grimy spots, making sure they are fully covered, then leave the grates to sit for an hour.
Once the hour is up, scrub off the rust and grime with a wire brush if you have cast-iron grates, or a non-metallic stiff brush if yours are stainless steel.
3. Heat treatment for light rust and grime
If you're only dealing with light rust and grime, sometimes all it takes is a good blast of heat.
Turn the grill on high and let it run for 10 to 15 minutes, which will burn off much of the residue. Then turn off the grill and allow it to cool until the grates are warm to the touch but not hot, then scrape or scrub away any remaining rust.
Now re-season the grates
Once you've removed the rust, your grates are bare metal and vulnerable to rusting again. Start by washing them thoroughly with warm, soapy water, then dry them with a kitchen towel or in a low-temperature oven for twenty minutes.
With your gloves on, use a paper towel to rub a thin layer of high smoke-point oil — canola, vegetable, or avocado all work well — over the grates.
Then finally place them back on the grill, turn it on high, and leave it to run for 30 to 45 minutes until the oil begins to smoke and a dark, protective coating forms. And that's it, your grates are ready to go.
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