So you’ve heard? Metal bristle grill brushes are not safe. They can come loose and accidentally end up in your food. Needless to say, this is a painful issue and requires surgery. We researched the best safe grill brush that wouldn’t accidentally lose bristles. We found that the Brushtech Double Helix was the best alternative to a metal bristle brush. It works similarly to a traditional metal bristle brush but is designed so that it isn’t possible for it to shed any metal that could end up in your food. Continue reading to learn more about the Brushtech Double Helix and some of our other recommendations for alternatives to metal bristle brushes.
Our Number One Pick:
Brushtech Double Helix Bristle Free BBQ Brush
The Brustech Double Helix is a cleverly designed grill brush. It uses a single spring that is wound around and positioned in such a way that it makes it an ideal alternative to a traditional metal bristle brush. The spring design allows it to better conform to the unique shape of your grill grate and better get into those hard to scrub areas. It should be pointed out that it’s tough to beat a metal bristle grill brush in performance and while this one does a commendable job, it will require more effort than a traditional metal bristle brush. For your extra effort you will get peace of mind knowing that there won’t be any rogue metal bristle needles secretly wedged in your food.
Runner Up:
Grillstone Soft Grill Brick
The Grillstone Soft Grill Brick is a great alternative to brushes for cleaning a grill. The abrasive brick is fairly soft and contours itself to the shape of your grill grate as it cleans. This allows it to do a very good job of getting down in-between the slats. The main downside to this product is that it is consumable, meaning that it will get used up eventually. So you may want to purchase a few of these to have on hand when you need one.
Worth Considering:
CharGon "The Grill Pro's Cleaner"
The CarGon is a very effective tool but does require you to hit each grill slat one at a time. Also, it may not be the best fit depending on the design of your grill grate. If your grill grate has rounded rods or a rounded top then this tool may be the perfect fit for your needs. If you have a more uniquely shaped grill grate then the Brustech Double Helix or the Grillstone Block will be better choices.
Additional Information:
Things To Keep In Mind
Can you use oven cleaner on a grill?
Sure. The durable grates are just as capable of holding up to the caustic cleaner. The cleaner does a very good job of breaking down the burnt on buildup. You may still need to use an alternative grill brush like the ones above to get the more stubborn bits off the grill grates.
What should be used to clean a grill?
Some great grill cleaners other than oven cleaner are baking soda, vinegar, or grill cleaning solution. If you decide to use baking soda you’ll want to combine it with 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water to make a paste. This works very well for breaking down burnt on buildup. Vinegar can be sprayed on without diluting it or mixing it. a grill cleaning solution will work equally well to oven cleaners since they are very similar products.
How do you clean the outside of a grill?
Soap and water is the safest bet although you may want to use a little white vinegar as a degreaser to help remove any greasy buildup on the outside of the grill.
Other Resources:
Helpful Links
Wrapping Up:
The Best Safe Grill Brush
Grills need to be cleaned regularly to remove the buildup of baked on food. If the buildup isn’t removed it can stick to your food and that can be unpleasant. Sadly the most effective tool that has been designed up to this point is the venerable metal bristle grill brush. Metal bristle grill brushes can lose their bristles and they can work their way into your food accidentally. The last thing you would want is for a loved one or friend to end up swallowing a metal bristle. If a bristle is swallowed chances are it won’t make its way out and will pierce your throat, stomach, or intestines. An extremely painful and potentially life threatening situation. The Brushtech Double Helix is the safest grill brush that we were able to find that also proved effective. The Grillstone soft grill brick is a great alternative to a grill brush as it molds itself well to the grill grate slats. The CharGon grill cleaning tool is a great option if your grill slats are round. If they’re square or irregular in shape you probably should go with a different option.