What is Grill Brush Safety?
A hot topic in recent years, when it comes to grilling season, is question of grill brush safety. The most important thing to know is grill brush wires can come off your grill brush and they can get onto you food. Therefore, it is important to always visually inspect your cooking grids and wipe them down before placing food onto them!
Are Grill Brushes Safe?
Typical grill cleaning brushes use a metal bristle to clean the grids. Most brushes use brass. However, as grill companies move to stainless steel cooking grids, they also now make steel-bristled brushes. Over time, the wires deteriorate and break off. These small, sharp pieces of metal are what poses a threat, if consumed. The CDC provides an article about ER visits resulting from ingestion of grill brush wires.
So I Never Use a Grill Brush Again?
It’s not necessary to throw out all your wire-bristled cleaning brushes to achieve grill brush safety. However, we do recommend doing a visual check of your cooking area anytime you put food on it. For an extra measure of safety, wipe down your grid with a damp cloth before cooking. If your grill brush is old and losing a lot of wires, throw it out.
What Other Cleaning Options Do I Have?
Due to the fact that you can avoid hazards by following the above recommendations, we still offer some brass-bristled and steel-bristled brush options. In response to the concern of some of our customers, we added multiple “wireless” cleaning options.
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Scrubbing Pad
One option is a scrubbing pad. These work great, but have some issues getting between the grids. They also wear out quickly, but are very inexpensive! Buy 3-4 at once, just like you would for kitchen sponges. -
Bristle-less Wire Brush
We also offer a “bristle-less” wire brush. The wires are a continuous spiral which removes the risk of small pieces of metal breaking off. The brush performed very well in a trial by the Grill Girl. Since it is still made of metal, but sure to replace it when it begins to deteriorate.
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Wooden Grill Scraper
You may have seen the wooden grill scrapers and wondered how they work. Grill Girl has used one on her grill for a few year now. The instructions say to use the wooden scraper when your grid is still hot. After a few uses,the heat will burn away parts of the wood. This will create a custom-shaped scraper, based on your grid. Grill Girl agrees that this occurs and the scraper only gets better with time! -
Nylon Grid Brush
Everyone at GrillPartsSearch.com was interested to try out the nylon grid brush. Nylon bristles remove much of the hazard posed by the metal wires. However, would they be strong enough to actually clean the grill grid? After a test on her personal grids, Grill Girl was impressed by the strength of the bristles. They did a great job cleaning the grids, but it’s important to wait until the grids are cool enough or clean before you turn the grill on.
Whatever your choice of brush, remember that your food will taste best if your grids are cleaned of old food residue and always inspect your cooking grids before you put food on them! Happy Grilling!
-Grill Girl
