Cleaning and storing the barbecue grill for winter: the tank stays outside
The garage is the wrong answer to half of this job. A grill can spend the winter in a garage or shed without harm. Its propane tank cannot. Cylinders are stored outdoors all year round, upright, with the valve closed, and that one rule decides the whole storage plan before any cleaning starts. Sort the grill and the tank as two separate decisions, then clean in the order that keeps grease, moisture, and mice from spending the winter inside the firebox.
Job summary
Difficulty: easy, no special skills. Time: about an hour of active work, plus drying time before anything gets covered or moved. Hire a pro line: gas leaks, cracked hoses, and damaged fittings are not storage tasks. A leak found with soapy water, or a hose that is cracked even without leaking, goes to an authorized service visit or gets replaced before the grill is used again.
Sort by fuel and storage spot
| Unit | Store the grill | Fuel handling | Cover? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Propane grill | Indoors or outdoors, either works | Shut off and disconnect the tank. The tank stays outside, upright, cleaned and covered, never in a garage, shed, or any enclosed area | Required outdoors, optional indoors |
| Natural gas grill | Outdoors in place, it is plumbed in | Close the supply valve after use, as with any outdoor gas appliance | Required, it lives outside |
| Charcoal grill | Indoors or outdoors | Ash out and catcher emptied. Charcoal must cool completely before disposal, which can take several hours | Required outdoors |
The reasoning behind the tank rule is simple. Propane is heavier than air, so gas from a small leak settles low and pools instead of dispersing. Rona puts the warning plainly: never store a propane tank indoors or in any enclosed area, because even a small leak can lead to a fire or an explosion. Quebec's building authority adds the storage details: cylinders upright on a solid base, protected from impacts, away from heat and ignition sources, and a cylinder more than 10 years old goes back to a propane distributor or an approved depot, never into the garbage, even when it seems empty.
Tools and materials
- Putty knife or scraper, for interior surfaces
- Grill brush in sound condition, or a bristle free alternative (see the brush section below before choosing)
- Warm soapy water, a bucket, and a sponge or cloth
- Spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of dish soap and water, for the leak check
- Replacement drip pan, if the current one is full or rusted
- Weather resistant grill cover, sized to the grill, for any unit stored outdoors
- Protective covering such as a plastic tarp, to wrap burners against nesting pests
The clean and store procedure, step by step
- Burn off the residue. Run the grill on high with the lid closed for about 20 minutes to burn away leftover food. Check: the grate surface shows charred residue that brushes off, not soft grease. Then shut off the gas valve, let the gas left in the hose burn off, close the burner controls, and let everything cool before handling parts.
- Scrape the inside down to metal. For gas and electric models, brush the grates, flavourizer bars, and burners clean, scrape every interior surface with a putty knife, and push the loose debris into the grease tray and drip pan. Empty the drip pan. For charcoal models, brush both grates, scrape the bowl, and empty the ash catcher. Check: no standing grease pools remain anywhere inside.
- Wash, rinse, and dry completely. Soak stubborn parts in warm soapy water, brush them clean, rinse the soap away, and let every part dry fully. Check: a hand run over the grates and firebox comes back dry. Nothing gets covered or moved indoors while it still holds moisture.
- Inspect while it is apart. Look over the grates, control knobs, gas line, and fittings for cracking and dents. Replace a cracked or damaged hose even if it is not leaking yet, and note any worn part to replace now rather than in April. Check: every part that failed inspection is on a written list or already replaced.
- Disconnect the tank on a propane grill. Shut the tank valve, disconnect the cylinder, and set it upright outdoors on a solid base, away from heat and ignition sources. Clean it and cover it where it stands. Check: the tank is outside the building line, upright, and stable when nudged.
- Block the nesting spots. Rodents and insects look for winter shelter in grills, and leftover food is the invitation. With the inside clean, wrap the burners in a protective covering to keep mice from settling in. Check: burner openings are covered and the lid closes over a clean, empty firebox.
- Move or cover the grill. A grill going indoors goes in without its tank, full stop. A grill staying outdoors gets its cover on, snug enough that snow load does not pool on it. Check: the cover reaches the ground on all sides and the exterior stays dry under it on the next wet day.
The brush problem
One tool on the list above carries a warning most winter guides skip. Health Canada states that the metal bristles on a grill brush loosen over time, stick to the grill, and can transfer to food. A swallowed bristle can cause serious throat or digestive injuries. The federal guidance is specific: inspect the brush and the grill before each use, replace the brush regularly, and throw it away immediately if bristles come loose or stick to the grill. Bristle free alternatives are available for anyone who would rather retire the question entirely. A brush with loose bristles is not a storage item, it is garbage, and fall cleanup is the right moment to check it, because the next time it touches the grate is the first cook of spring.
What success looks like, plus the spring recovery
Success on the day is a short checklist. Firebox scraped and empty, drip pan emptied or replaced, every part dry, tank upright outdoors with its valve closed, burners wrapped, and the grill either indoors without a tank or covered where it stands. Why the cleaning matters shows up over winter: leftover grease and food residue trap moisture, and trapped moisture promotes corrosion and oxidation on the components. The same residue feeds mould, which grows on organic matter in the mild weeks at the edges of winter, and it attracts mice looking for a roofed winter home with food on site.
If spring still brings a surprise, the recovery is documented and short. For critters, clean out whatever they left behind, light the grill, and run it on high for at least 15 minutes before cooking. For mould, scrape it off the surfaces it grew on, then run the grill on high for at least 15 minutes before food goes on. Rona's spring sequence adds the rest: check the hose for leaks, give the grill a full clean, oil the grates, check for damage and for nests, and make a test run of 15 to 20 minutes before the first meal. Health Canada's version of the leak check uses soapy water on the fittings and hoses and watches for bubbles; bubbles mean the barbecue gets serviced by an authorized professional and checked again before use.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the grill into the garage with the tank attached. The single most consequential mistake in this job. The grill may go in, the cylinder never does.
- Covering a damp grill. A cover over moisture recreates the corrosion problem the cleaning just solved. Dry first, cover second.
- Leaving the drip pan full. A full pan is grease, food, and odour stored all winter, an open invitation to mice and a head start for mould.
- Keeping a tired wire brush for one more season. If bristles are loose, the brush is done. Health Canada's instruction is to discard it immediately, not to nurse it along.
- Tossing an old cylinder in the garbage. Cylinders over 10 years old, or defective ones, go to a distributor or approved depot. Even an apparently empty cylinder can hold enough gas to cause an explosion.
, Tom Reilly, Home & DIY Writer