You’ve waited for the weather to warm up to open up your grill, but there are a few steps you should follow before getting started. It’s important that you play it safe while grilling which means doing some maintenance inspections, cleaning, and testing before busting out your summer grilling skills.

1. Check the Hose

We know you want to start grilling, and we get it. You’ve waited SO LONG. But, we prefer you play it safe and don't blow yourself up starting a possibly hazardous grill. So, before popping open the grill hood and igniting it, it’s worth it to give the hose (if you have a gas grill) a proper inspection. You wouldn’t want any gas leaks, now would ya?

The easiest way to go about this is by giving your hose the simple soap test. To do this, you simply rub a dime-sized amount of soap all over the hose with a dab of water to help the liquid lather. Very carefully turn on your gas/propane and observe the gas line to make sure there are no bubbles rising from the hose. If you see that there are little bubbles, you’ll want to replace the hose before continuing, but if there are none, go ahead to the next step!

2. Clean it

You knew it was coming to this, right? It’s been months since you’ve probably even touched your grill, so we can imagine there is dirt that needs to be washed off, grates that need to be scrubbed, and spiders that need to be evicted. Eek!

First, scrub the grates with a wire grill brush, making sure there is no debris left over. Remember, the cleaner the grates, the more perfect the grill marks! And when it comes to creating a cleaning solution for your grill, you don’t need anything too special: filling a bucket with water and a dash of dish soap will do the job. Make sure to use a rag that you don’t mind getting dirty for washing the interior and exterior of the grill with.

After sudsing your grill, rinse it off with water and wipe it dry with a clean washcloth. Now that it’s got that new-grill sheen, on to the last step before getting your grill on.

 

3.  Test It Out

Turn on the burners and light it up! You’ve already checked for gas leaks in the hose and cleaned the gunk out of your grill, but now is a good time to observe your grill all over since it’s better to be safe than sorry. Watch for a couple minutes to make sure everything is working properly. Check to see if each burner is firing up, and if everything looks in tip-top shape, then the wait is over! Summer grilling is in session! What will you grill up first?

While grilling is a fun hobby, if not handled properly, it can be dangerous. We hope you take these tips into consideration before starting your summer grilling up, and if your current grill didn’t survive the winter, give us a call at one of our locations and we’ll be happy to help you find a new one!