The Best Grill Cleaning Brush

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Thurber
Published on
February 26th, 2019

Expert BioExpert Bio

Ben has over a decade of experience in cleaning projects of all types along the entire eastern seaboard of the United States. Ben’s formal training and certifications in cleaning include the AMRT (Applied Microbial Remediation Technician), WRT (Water restoration technician), CCT (Carpet Cleaning technician), as well as several other certifications from the IICRC. Ben has managed teams involved in cleaning projects around the United States. Ben’s passion for cleaning and leading teams goes back as far as he can remember.

The Cleaning Institute

There’s nothing like firing up the grill and cooking some great food on a nice warm day. Anyone who likes to grill knows the preparation and actual cooking are the fun parts, but cleaning a messy grill afterward isn’t very attractive. With the proper equipment, cleaning your grill can be a breeze, especially when you have the best grill cleaning brush.

When you’re shopping for a quality grill cleaning brush, you want to make sure it’s strong and durable enough to handle some force. Sometimes food particles can get stuck on the grate and requires some strength to get it off. Some of the best grill cleaning brushes may even have multiple purposes, like a brush on one side and a scraper on the other. Whether you’re a hardcore griller that cooks every day or just occasionally on the weekend, a good cleaning brush will save you some time.

In our years of evaluating and analyzing various cleaning products, including grill cleaning brushes, we’ve narrowed down our top choices. Based on various testing categories, we’ve assigned the GRILLART Grill Brush and Scraper as our Top Pick, the Best BBQ Grill Brush Stainless Steel as our Honorable Mention pick and the AshleyRiver Wooden Grill Scraper as our Green Pick.

Testing Categories

Understanding our criteria when evaluating these products will help you make a better purchasing decision. We used the following testing categories on every product we evaluated, which led us to our three top selections.

Strength: The head of the grill brush itself has to be strong enough to withstand some force applied on it. Grill grates have different patterns on them, and some require the brush to be moved at different angles to ensure every inch gets cleaned. When you apply some force to get the toughest food particles off of the grill, you need a brush that won’t bend or break.

Quality: Cheap grill brushes may only be good enough for one or two uses. It’s understandable that no grill brush is made to last forever, but even the avid griller should be able to get multiple uses out of a brush. This means the bristles should remain intact longer, the brush head won’t rust easily and the handle is thick enough to make you feel comfortable and confident when using it.

Durability: Grill cleaning brushes take a lot of abuse with every cleaning. If you don’t have a durable brush, the handle could snap, the head could pop off, the bristles could be left behind and more. Durability simply means the brush can handle this type of abuse repeatedly and still deliver great performance and easy cleaning.

Top Pick

GRILLART
Grill Brush
and Scraper

GRILLART has delivered a multi-purpose grill cleaning brush suitable for virtually any type of outdoor grill. Clean better, faster and more efficiently with this quality grill cleaning brush.

Price Check

Most notable upside: This grill brush and scraper earned our Top Pick and is the one you should buy because there’s virtually nothing it can’t do when it comes to cleaning your grill. It has an 18” handle to make it easy to reach all the way to the back of the grill and is strong enough for you to put some force on it when scraping stubborn areas. And with the innovative 360-degree rotation, you’ll be able to clean every square inch of your grill quickly and with ease.

Biggest downsides: There aren’t too many bad things to say about this brush. It can seem like it’s big and somewhat bulky if you only have a small grill, but it will still get the job done. As with any brush, you may need to keep a bucket of water handy to dip the brush in and clean it after a few scrubs. Otherwise, you may just be pushing around the grime rather than removing it completely.

Honorable Mention

Best BBQ
Grill Brush
Stainless Steel

This stainless steel grill cleaning brush is built to last with its durable construction. It’s perfect for cleaning any type of grill surface without fear of damaging the grill or the brush itself.

Price Check

Most notable upside: The heavy duty construction of this grill cleaning brush stands out immediately when you hold it. For this reason, you can feel confident applying a significant amount of force on the grill when you need to clean off stubborn grime. The 10” handle is plenty long enough to clean most grills with ease and you can use it on just about any grill surface. The stainless steel material means you can keep it outdoors right next to your grill without having fear of it rusting prematurely.

Biggest downsides: The Best BBQ stainless steel grill brush earned our Honorable Mention selection since it tends to wear down over time and lose its bristles. Depending on how often you use it, you may notice the bristles coming off as you’re cleaning, or even when you just run your fingers across it. This could create a dangerous situation if you don’t see the bristles come off, since they could end up in your food. Always take precautions and inspect the grill right before the food is placed on it.

Green Pick

AshleyRiver
Wooden
Grill Scraper

The AshleyRiver wooden grill scraper is made of natural red Oak wood and makes cleaning grills easy and safe. Never worry about leaving behind bristles on your grill again when you use this product.

Price Check

Most notable upside: You may not find a safer grill cleaning product anywhere else. No bristles are present on it, so you won’t have to worry about metal wires getting caught on your food during the cooking process. The 16” handle is plenty long enough for most grills and will slowly start developing grill lines on it the more you use it. This product is our Green Pick because it is made completely from non-toxic, 100% natural red Oak wood and is safe and easy for anyone to use.

Biggest downsides: Since this product doesn’t have bristles on it, some grills with diamond grates or other similar shaped grates may be a little tougher to clean thoroughly. It will still clean those top surfaces just fine, but it may require a little more time to get into some of the crevasses and clean them out.

All Our Picks

Tips for Effective Grill Cleaning

Cleaning a cold grill is difficult no matter how good of quality your grill brush is. You can approach cleaning your grill two ways. One is to clean it immediately after cooking your food, while the grill is still hot. The other way is to clean it as you’re pre-heating the grill before even started cooking. For best results, consider doing a combination of both to ensure nothing gets missed and you always have a clean grate to work with.

If possible, try not to clean your grill over a direct flame. When using a charcoal grill, allow the flames from the charcoal to go down before cleaning it. This way the flames may have already burned up the leftover food particles and all you need to do is lightly scrub the grill with your brush. The hotter your grill is, the higher the likelihood is that you’ll damage the brush, depending on how it is designed and constructed.

A Note About Safety and Storage

Grill cleaning brushes with stainless steel bristles should be used with caution. Even the strongest and most durable brushes can lose their bristles over time after many uses. These bristles could get left behind on the grill grate and potentially get into the food you cook. A good practice is to wipe the grill with an old rag after brushing it to ensure no metal bristles were left behind.

In order to keep your grill cleaning brush looking and functioning great for as long as possible, be sure to store it in a cool dry place. Sometimes the handle or metal bristles can rust and severely shorten its lifespan. Storing it in a garage or a box with your other barbecue tools is ideal.

How To Clean Your Grill Using Brushes

When you’re addicted to grilled food—anytime is the grilling season. Summer vacation is the best time for barbeque cookouts, but there’s no such thing as the “best time” when you’re craving burgers and steaks. All you have to do is get your outdoor grill set up, invite people over and throw a mini party at home!

You can savor the moment for eating and partying for hours, but after the party you can’t simply leave all your cookware and utensils anywhere. Instead, give your grill some cleaning time.

Smoked food induce carbon deposits that mess up your grill grates, and they’re not the type of mess that you can simply wipe away. These carbon deposits stick firmly and cause your grill to conduct less heat the next time you use it. You should get rid of the carbon buildup or the sticky burnt food pieces as soon as possible.

Aside from messing up your grill grates, these deposits can ruin your food. Sometimes, you can’t avoid burnt food, but you don’t want that bad taste to overpower your food’s original tasty flavor. Imagine grilling barbeque, only to find out that they all taste bitter, and burnt crusts are everywhere. That’s an awful predicament, but you can buy a cleaning brush for your grill.

Get your grill grates clean with these brushes:

Stainless Steel Grill Cleaning Brushes

This is one of the most popular cleaning brushes today. Stainless steel grill cleaning brushes have stiff bristles that remove tough grime and grease. They also last longer compared to other types. Before shopping, you have to remember that they don’t work with cast-iron grates as stainless steel cleaning brushes may be too harsh for them.

Brass Grill Cleaning Brushes

These brushes are the traditional ones and a brass grill brush can be your go-to brush if you have porcelain-coated grill grates. These brushes have softer bristles compared to stainless steel brushes. They’re safe to use on any grill, but sometimes a brass grill brush may not be enough to remove all the food residue on the grate.

Nylon Grill Cleaning Brushes

If you want to try something new on your cast iron grills, try this one. Nylon grill cleaning brushes are versatile. It doesn’t matter what type of grill are you using at home. These brushes have soft bristles but they still get the job done. Unlike stainless steel and brass cleaning brushes, you can’t use them when the grill is hot. Most nylon cleaning brushes have plastic handles that melt under high heat temperature, so make sure that everything is cooled down before you start cleaning!

Grill Cleaning Brush Essentials

A good grill brush is not enough. You have to know what’s best for your grill grates. Here are some factors to check before buying one.

Bristles

Bristles are an essential part of a grill cleaning tool. You should know what type of grill you’re using so that you can purchase the brush with the correct type of bristle for cleaning. Stainless steel grill grates work with any brush. For some grills that are coated with enamel or porcelain, choose between a nylon or brass brush to avoid chipping. Aside from this, the bristles of your brush should be tight and compact as well. Some bristles may fall off on the grill while cleaning. They can dry up and stick to your food! Bristles are not edible, and should not be ingested. After cleaning, take a look at your grill before cooking.

Handle

Buy a grill cleaning brush with a long handle. You need a long one, especially when the grill is scorching hot. Be careful when scrubbing off all the residue. You could end up getting your hands burned as well if you’re not careful and we don’t want that!

Hook and Holes For Storage

Your ideal grill cleaning brush should be stored properly. Choose a brush with a hook at the tip or a metal hole for easy storage. This will let you hang the brush on a wall-mounted rack so you grab it anytime you need it.

Price

You can get a decent cleaning brush that costs anywhere between $7-$23+, depending on the type, size, and branding. It might be too expensive for a brush, but a grill cleaning brush can last for years if maintained properly.

Grill Cleaning Technique

Do you already know what type of grill cleaning brush are you going to use? Now, let’s proceed to the next step—cleaning!

Do you know that it’s easier to clean when the grill is still hot? If you’ve only finished grilling, spare some time for washing. This will depend on what type of grill you are using.
You can leave gas or portable grills on while you scrape off all the leftovers using a wet cleaning brush. Make sure you soak your cleaning brush in soapy water before scrubbing.
For a charcoal grill, dispose of all the burned coals and start scrubbing.
For an electric, keep it off while cleaning as a wet cleaning brush can cause electric shocks.

2. After that, set the grill aside until it cools down.

3. When the grill is already cool, apply more soap and keep it that way for at least 10-15 minutes. This will make cleaning easier as the soap dissolves the burnt crisps. This will also make it easier for you to wipe the grease and grime later on.

4. After soaking, scrub the grates one more time. This time, make sure that your brush can reach all the corners and insides of the grill grates.

5. Washing comes after a few minutes of scrubbing. Wash the entire grill panel with water, then use microfiber washcloths for drying.

The Best Grill Cleaning Brush

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Thurber

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

GRILLART
Grill Brush
and Scraper

Best BBQ
Grill Brush
Stainless Steel

AshleyRiver
Wooden
Grill Scraper

All Our Picks

GRILLART
Grill Brush
and Scraper

Best BBQ
Grill Brush
Stainless Steel

AshleyRiver
Wooden
Grill Scraper

Tips for Effective Grill Cleaning

A Note About Safety and Storage

How To Clean Your Grill Using Brushes

Get your grill grates clean with these brushes:

Grill Cleaning Brush Essentials

Grill Cleaning Technique

Quick Links

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

The Best Grill Cleaning Brush

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Thurber

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

GRILLARTGrill Brush and Scraper

Best BBQ Grill Brush Stainless Steel

AshleyRiver Wooden Grill Scraper

All Our Picks

GRILLARTGrill Brush and Scraper

Best BBQ Grill Brush Stainless Steel

AshleyRiver Wooden Grill Scraper

Tips for Effective Grill Cleaning

A Note About Safety and Storage

How To Clean Your Grill Using Brushes

Get your grill grates clean with these brushes:

Grill Cleaning Brush Essentials

Grill Cleaning Technique

Quick Links

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

GRILLART
Grill Brush
and Scraper

Best BBQ
Grill Brush
Stainless Steel

AshleyRiver
Wooden
Grill Scraper

GRILLART
Grill Brush
and Scraper

Best BBQ
Grill Brush
Stainless Steel

AshleyRiver
Wooden
Grill Scraper