Looking for advice regarding fire box cleanliness


 
A

AnthonyD-Denver

New member
I found this grill free on craigslist and have tried to clean it up the best I could. Some of the black buildup wont come off. At first I was going to try to get it down to bare aluminum but my hands cannot handle scraping anymore. Is it ok to leave it like this? I want to make sure I wont have to worry about bacteria or anything. Thank you.

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AnthonyD-Denver said:
I found this grill free on craigslist and have tried to clean it up the best I could. Some of the black buildup wont come off. At first I was going to try to get it down to bare aluminum but my hands cannot handle scraping anymore. Is it ok to leave it like this? I want to make sure I wont have to worry about bacteria or anything. Thank you.

Click here for picture
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Anthony,

I'm sure everyone else will agree if it's a personal grill for your use and if you scraped it out really good. Then it's fine, after a few cooks it will be covered anyway. As for any left over residue from the former owner, it should not be an issue. Post some pics we all like to see rehabs.

Bobby
 
Yah, it is going to get gunked up after a few cooks anyways. Just scrape out what you can and start grilling. If you are worried about bacteria or anything, then just fire it up on high until it gets up to 500 or so and there is NO nasties that can survive that. I think COVID-19 would drop out at about 150.
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I do like to clean the inside of the firebox at and above the grilling surface. I use it as a backstop when trying to scoop a burger up with the spatula.

It doesn't have to be bare aluminum in my opinion. Just scrap away the loose stuff and give the grill a good burn off
 
It is called "Seasoning".
I seriously don't understand why people want to clean their grills to look like new. For flipping grills, it definitely helps, but it doesn't make the grill cook better than if you just did a good scrape out. If you watch any of the competition BBQ's or cook offs or watch any of the big time grillers in action, their grills are as black as can be.
 
I agree. It is one of those ironies that what makes a grill sell more easily is the opposite of what makes one cook well:coolkettle:.

I have said before, "Someone else's seasoning is crud, while your crud is seasoning!"

Really, you don't want old chunks of food, but that dark black seasoning is just like Bruce says, the adornment of a well loved, well used grill!
 
Thank you everyone for the replies. At first I wanted to take it all down to bare aluminum but then reality hit and after hours of scrubbing I am done. haha. When you guys painted the end caps did you paint the inside lip that will be laying over the enamel top? I was not planning on painting any of the inside of the caps but then I realized part of it will not be showing on the inside of the cooking space. I hope I am describing the area I am talking about properly. It is the piece that hangs over the lid and were the bolts go to secure it to the lid.
 
I just paint the very edge, if a little gets in the underside of the part that fits over the lid, that is fine.
 
Thanks Bruce I have them all taped up now and ready for painting. I used simple green to clean them up before I taped them. I was thinking about wiping them down with acetone or mineral spirits before I paint them. Would that be a good move and if yes which one would be best for the end caps and the firebox?
 
I wipe my stuff down with 91% or higher rubbing alcohol. I know Xylol (Xylene) is good too. I don't know about acetone or mineral spirits however.
 
AnthonyD-Denver said:
Thanks Bruce I have them all taped up now and ready for painting. I used simple green to clean them up before I taped them. I was thinking about wiping them down with acetone or mineral spirits before I paint them. Would that be a good move and if yes which one would be best for the end caps and the firebox?
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First off don't use mineral spirits. Mineral spirits is only Kerosene that "knows somebody" IOW it's a light fuel oil. Important thing here "oil". It will leave a residue and paint will not stick. Acetone is fine, but honestly lacquer thinner is best or another product called "prep sol" (or something like that). As for 91% rubbing alcohol meh besides that is more valuable right now than gold. Another decent thing easy to find is denatured alcohol. All of the solvents I mentioned are pretty easy to come by and work better than anything especially rubbing alcohol because it contains water.
 
LOL, Yah, I paid $90 for it. The wife needed some alcohol to make wipes and such and there was nothing in the stores or Amazon. I lucked into finding the stuff on Menards.com and really figured it would never ship, but it did. Since I like to use it for paint prep on my grills, I figured what the heck. It will take a while to go through that much, but now there is no worry about any residue when it dries off. And the wife gets to make her wipes and stuff.

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John, your first mistake was "playing" with it. Your second mistake was leaving the lid off. Your third mistake was leaving it in the house. Probably should be out in the garage with all the other noxious chemicals. LOL
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