Six household items that will leave your barbecue sparkling

From old newspapers to coffee and onions, here are some on-hand items that will easily remove deep-set dirt

These natural and on hand ingredients will have your barbecue shining. Picture: iStock.

As the sun continues to shine, barbecue season is officially back in action. Outdoor grills are notoriously hard to clean, however, and with the good weather set to stretch until Friday, the last thing we want to do is labour over greasy racks. 

Before you fire up this evening, why not try out these household items that can be used to do the job quickly? Here are Helpling's top natural barbecue cleaning tips. 

Vinegar

To get your barbecue shining, simply mix together 500ml of vinegar and 500ml of water and pour into an empty spray bottle. Spray onto cold grates and leave for 10 minutes, followed by another spritz of straight vinegar, and scrub to your heart's content.

Onions

The water in onions makes them great for steam cleaning the grill. Picture: iStock.

Apparently, onions are the go-to for many cleaners looking to remove charred food from their grills, as the water in the onion helps to steam clean and remove strong residues. 

To try, just cut an onion in half and attach to a fork or metal skewer, heat up the barbecue, and rub across the hot bars. 

Baking soda

Like its trusty partner vinegar, baking soda is a star cleaning ingredient - especially when it comes to deep cleaning the barbecue. 

While the barbecue is shut off, brush the grill bars with a paste made from baking soda (about half of a cup) and the same amount of water. Leave to sit for a few minutes and scrub using a steel scourer. 

Coffee

Barbecuing dinner for the family can leave a lot of food remnants. Try soaking the rack in coffee after it cools.

If you can remove the grill rack from your barbecue, you can soak it in coffee to remove the metal's deep-set dirt when it's cool. 

Simply brew a large pot of coffee and pour it into a basin until it covers the rack and any other utensils you also want to deep clean. Leave to soak for about an hour and after the acid in the coffee has loosened up any hard-to-remove food remnants, give the rack a scrub and rinse under warm water. 

Newspaper

If you have any old newspapers around, they can be great for steam cleaning the barbecue after use. Simply leave the grill to cool and then cover the rack with water-soaked sheets (make sure they're thoroughly soaked) and close the lid for around 30 minutes before removing.

Beer 

We don't like to waste beer here in Ireland but if you do have an extra can lying around, it can do wonders for breaking down barbecue grease. Pour half a bottle of beer over a warm grill and scrub with either a wire brush or some newspaper.