Spring has finally arrived, and the season of outdoor cooking is here. But before we get to cooking, we’re sure the dreaded ‘spring cleaning’ is on your priority list. Your outdoor kitchen is your culinary oasis, so you need a clean kitchen where you can cook the yummiest of dishes for your family and friends. Here, we will help you with five spring cleaning tips for your outdoor kitchen.
Cleaning the grillÂ
Even though you might have cleaned the grill after your last cookout, it should still get a good, deep clean before summer. This is an essential spring cleaning tip.
Since you likely used your grill this winter, you need to first start by cleaning the grates. You need to grind these grates with a stiff brush. Vinegar is also a great natural cleaning product for cleaning the grates.
Along with the grill grates, you also need to clean the burners, valves, and hoses of your grill. This is to ensure that the burners aren’t full of gunk. Often gunk builds up in the winter months and closes your burners’ valves. You can use a stiff brush to clean those too.
Your burner should let off a blue flame with yellow on the tip. If you don’t see this, then it’s time you clean your burner. Check the valve if there’s been a deposit of dirt which could suppress the fuel valve pressure.
Hoses also accumulate dirt, and especially the oily grime over them. Though it doesn’t directly alter your cooking, the sight of gunk-filled is a massive turnoff for everyone, including your guests. So, it’s time you clean your hose too.
Tidying your outdoor oven and fireplace for spring cleaning
The fireplace is one of the most popular and valuable features of an outdoor kitchen (Check out the Alfa Pizza Oven). Make sure you check this on our site. Be it authentic firewood pizza or smoked potatoes, the taste is unique and rich when foods are cooked in a fireplace. So, cleaning a fireplace should also be on your priority list when you look for spring cleaning tips.Â
Start by removing the leftover debris and ashes from the place with a metal scoop. Take out the woods and charcoals if you have left them in the fireplace during the winter. There isn’t much use of these moisture-filled charcoals in such a state. Take them out and dry them in a place with ample sunlight. Once dried and the moisture is all gone, you can reuse them.
Use a simple cloth to clean the area where your food is cooked in the fireplace.
Cleaning a chimney can be a daunting task. But the good news is that you can clean it once a year. So, using this cleaning opportunity in the spring, clean them using a wire brush and chimney cleaner. And if you want your chimney spotless, then call out for local chimney cleaning services.Â
Make Sure to Cover your outdoor appliances
The natural materials used in outdoor kitchens, such as granite and stone, change color when exposed to extreme environments. This is because the porous holes in them often go unnoticed, but they are there. They have these tiny gaps in the stones and granites where dust and deposits accumulate; thus, cleaning is necessary.
Covering your fireplace chimney is also necessary. You can get cover for both the internal and external area of your chimney in the supermarket. Using such covers will shorten your cleaning process as you will only need to clean the cover instead of the whole chimney.
Even when your outdoor kitchen is used often, you need to cover them so dust and pollutants won’t collect on them and decrease their lifespan, especially of the grills.
Cleaning the outdoor furniture (spring cleaning tips)
You might have brought all the outdoor furniture indoors during the winter, and now it’s time you put them back in place. But first, clean them wipes to dust them down.Â
Use an all-purpose-cleaner for the drapes and fabrics of your furniture. If you haven’t dried out even for once during the winter, then there are chances that these fabrics might have developed mold in them. Make sure you dry them both before and after cleaning.
While cleaning furniture, it isn’t advised that you use harsh bleach or ammonia-based cleaners. These chemicals wither the fabrics and mesh of your furniture’s clothing. So, a simple wash and drying in the sun will do the job.
You don’t need to be meticulous
No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to keep your outdoor kitchen perfectly spotless. So, rather than going nuts with cleaning every nook and cranny, be careful of some crucial things while cleaning an outdoor kitchen.
Outdoor kitchens are built to withstand the outdoor elements. Most of the appliances comprise stainless steel. Be careful when using a wire brush and clean deliberately because stainless steel can get corrosive and will no longer be fit for use if you brush too hard.
The same goes for using stainless steel as a work surface. It would be best if you didn’t cut directly into a steel surface. Instead, use a chopping board so you won’t be damaging the properties of your stainless steel.
While cleaning these appliances, you don’t need chemicals like bleach. You can rinse them using soap and water to clean the dirt off these appliances. This way, they will remain stainless and purposeful in the outdoor kitchen.
An outdoor kitchen is an investment. So, just like every other investment, you need to protect them to elongate their life. Regular cleaning and maintenance will protect them and make them ready for use anytime.
If you have any further queries on the outdoor kitchen, we at Bay Area BBQ Islands are happy to help you. You can live chat with us on our website or reach us through mail or call.
Start visualizing the right outdoor kitchen at our Pinterest page; if you have a smaller space we have ideas for that too.
