Probably before you are ready, it will be time to store your outdoor grill until the next grilling season. You want to be careful to clean and store your grill so that, come Spring, you will not have to replace parts due to water or other damage.
Clean it well
Grease splatters on your grill are inevitable, no matter how careful you were or how well you cleaned your grill after each use all season long. Give your grill a good scrub before putting it away. This means not just the grilling surface, but any surfaces where there may be grease, dirt, or dried food. For a charcoal grill, remove and throw away all briquettes and ash. Scrub the entire surface of the grill (including the inside of the lid) with soapy water and a stiff brush. If you have a porcelain covered steel grill, you may want to use a cleaner specifically designed to avoid scratching. The manufacturer may have some specific cleaning recommendations, so check those either online or in the information that came with your purchase. However you clean the grill, be sure that you let it dry thoroughly before you put it away.
Store it appropriately
If you have a garage or storage shed, that’s the ideal place to store your grill. Electric grills should certainly be stored out of the weather. Storing a grill in a covered location means you can put it out of the weather and not have to worry about it. If you are not able to store your grill in an enclosed space, use a tight-fitting grill cover. Wind, rain, snow, and ice can cause a cover to come off, so you may want to periodically check on the tightness of the cover during the off season. Weather can seriously damage a grill, and you want it to be ready to go when the weather warms up enough for your next outdoor barbeque.
Store it safely
Charcoal or electric grills don’t require anything special in terms of fuel safety. Gas grills are a different story. Unless you take good care of the propane tank, you can create a significant safety hazard. Be certain the valve is completely turned off and then unscrew the tank from the grill. Store the tank in a well ventilated area, which means outdoors, not in the garage or shed.
Take some extra time and care at the end of the grilling season so that you don’t have to invest extra time, energy, and money on that first perfect grilling day of the next season.