Here's How Often You Should Be Replacing Your Grill Brush

Whether you are making pulled pork on the grill, barbecuing hot dogs and burgers, or just listening to Louis Armstrong's "Struttin with Some Barbecue" in your backyard as you fire up your Weber to grill vegetables grown in your garden, you will want to start with a clean grill, free of gunk and burnt on, stuck on, charred food. Per BBQ Island Inc, a clean grill is vital for your health and for your food, after all. 

Burnt pieces of yesterday's steak or last weekend's chicken left on the grill can be a cancer causing health hazard waiting to happen. Not to mention grease build up can destroy your food. No one wants that. That's why it is important to keep your grates clean and in tip top shape. And, of course, that all starts with a good grill brush.

But like everything in this world, grill brushes don't last forever, so before you search for the one you used to scrape and scrub your grill last season, you might want to consider whether or not the grill brush needs replacing. Yep, a grill brush is similar to a toothbrush in that every so often you need to toss the old and start anew. So how often do you need to replace your grill brush? 

According to Weber.com, if you are someone who finds yourself spending most of your summer evenings laboring over your grill to prepare dinner, you will want to replace your grill brush at least once during the summer, possibly more. The site shares that it is important to frequently examine your grill brush to ensure the bristles are not loose or damaged from using before the grill has had time to sufficiently cool off before cleaning. Melted grill brush bristles are not good for you or your grill. 

Not to mention Consumer Reports found that, while grill brushes with wire bristles work the best when it comes to removing all those charred, greasy bits of food, the bristles can "shed," getting stuck on your grill grates and finding their way into the meats and vegetables you are grilling. So, you definitely want to inspect after each use and replace accordingly because this can be a real hazard.

Per Today, from 2002 to 2014, approximately 1,698 people visited the emergency room after ingesting bristles from a grill brush that found their way into the grilled food. And if you want to forego the dangers of cleaing the grill with a wire brush all together, consider using nylon brushes, pumice stones, or even tin foil and tongs.