As the weather turns cold and the grilling season comes to an end, some will bid farewell to grilling equipment until spring. This will keep it protected from the harsh winter elements and ensure it remains in good working order until you are ready to use it again.

While it might be tempting to simply throw a cover over your grill and call it a day, it’s important to take the right steps to properly prepare your grill for storage.

Proper clean up and storage helps to ensure a quick and easy return to the grilling season.

Here are a few steps you should follow to properly prepare your grill for storage.

Give it a Good Cleaning

The most important, and often overlooked, step in preparing your grill for storage is to clean it. Leaving bits of food on your grates can attract unwanted pests and will also make for quite a mess come spring.

It is a good idea to invest in a wire cleaning brush, a Scotch Brite pad, and some grill cleaning spray to get the job done right.

Cleaning a Ceramic Grill

Ceramic grills are very easy to clean because the grill does most of the work for you.

Start by heating the grill to 700-750 degrees and let it run at that temperature for about two hours. This is very similar to a self-cleaning oven method. Doing so will reduce any leftover food to ash, which can then easily be wiped away with a damp cloth once the grill is cool.

After the grill has cooled, simply wipe it down and then vacuum out any remaining ash in the bottom of the grill. You can then wipe down all metal surfaces with a thin layer of vegetable oil and your grill is good to go.

Cleaning a Charcoal or Gas Grill

Since these types of grills are more susceptible to damage from the winter weather, they require a few extra steps to get them ready for storage.

Start by removing all metal parts including the cooking grates, charcoal grates, heat deflectors and anything else out of the grill. Spray them down with grill cleaning spray and let them sit for an hour. You can also spray the inside of the grill including the lid. Use your Scotch Brite pad to wipe down all of these parts and use your wire cleaning brush for stubborn debris. Once they have all been wiped down, give all of these parts a good rinse and dry them thoroughly.

Finally, coat these parts with a thin layer of vegetable oil to prevent rusting.

Cover Your Grill

Once your grill is good and clean you will want to maintain that sparkling shine by investing in a quality weatherproof cover.

Make sure your grill is completely dry before placing a cover on top. For gas grills, you will also want to be sure and remove the propane tank before putting the cover on.

Place it in Storage

Ideally, it’s best to keep your grill indoors during the winter months in a cool, dry place where it is sheltered from the rain and snow. This could include a garage, shed, basement, or even a storage unit. This will reduce the chances of it getting damaged from extreme temperatures, ice, snow, or pests.

If you have a gas grill, however, your propane tank should be removed and left outdoors for safety reasons. Propane tanks can safely withstand temperatures up to -50 degrees so they should not be affected by the winter elements. Once your grill is safely stored away, be sure to check on it occasionally during the winter to make sure no pests have made their home in your grill cover.

Taking these extra precautions to properly store your grill will protect it from the outdoor elements and prolong the life of your grill.