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5.
July
2018.
Garden Living - but how do I store my barbecue in winter?

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Garden Living - but how do I store my barbecue in winter?

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A brand new website -www.garden-living.co.uk- is designed to make sure you find the very best products for your garden or patio; they are all members of LOFA (Leisure and Outdoor Furniture Association) so you know you are buying the very best.

The website is split into sections by product - and one details the world of barbecues. But what happens in winter - if you don't use it of course? 

During the warmer months, barbecues become an integral part of afternoons and evenings. If you're not one of the braver souls who will be bracing the cold to cook winter meals on your grill, you should make sure that you properly store your barbecue for winter. You don't want to risk ruining the first party in spring by opening up your grill to find mould and rust because it has not been cleaned or stored properly.

Winter barbecue preparation

Depending on the style of barbecue that you have, there will be slight variations in the way that you need to prepare and store it. But most importantly, always refer to the manual to check the exact requirements for your particular barbecue.

Cook off the excess

Firing up your barbecue on a high heat for around 15 to 20 minutes will make your grill much easier to clean. It will burn off excess food leftover from cooking and make remnants easier to scrape off during cleaning.

Cleaning the inside of your barbecue

Cleaning the inside of your barbecue thoroughly will ensure it's in perfect condition. Do this after the barbecue has cooled down to a warm, rather than hot, temperature - after the previous step - as you'll find that the debris is easier to remove. A wire brush is one of the best ways to clean your barbecue grill. Next, you can let your barbecue become cool and clean it with simple soap water and rinse it thoroughly to ensure no soap residue lingers.

Cleaning the outside of your barbecue

As with the inside of your barbecue, warm soapy water is often the best option for cleaning the outside of your barbecue. If your barbecue exterior is metal, you can buff it with a dry cloth to give it a shine; you may want to do this again when taking the barbecue out again in Spring.

Barbecue cover

It's so important to cover your barbecue when it is not in use. For the cost of a good barbecue cover, you're making sure that you don't have to replace the whole barbecue in just a year or two! You can either purchase a generic barbecue cover that is suitable for most models, or you can check whether your barbecue manufacturer provides a specific barbecue cover for your model.

Store your barbecue

Ideally, you should store your barbecue indoors (but never store propane inside) as you are protecting it from the elements and ensuring it doesn't rust or mould. If that's not possible, however, a garden shed would also be a good option. If you must keep your barbecue outside, try to keep it sheltered from strong winds and keep it as covered as possible. When storing your barbecue, make sure that both the barbecue and cover are completely dry in order to avoid any rust accumulating through the winter.

Outdoor kitchen

If your barbecue lives in an outdoor kitchen with good shelter, you will find that your preparation is fairly minimal. You may even find that you can use your barbecue all year round! However, if you do think it will be unused for a few months, you should take some steps to make sure it stays in good working order.

You should thoroughly clean your barbecue as described above, as this will make sure that any food and ash is removed and your barbecue is ready to go when it gets warmer. And cover it!

Charcoal barbecue

When you prepare your charcoal barbecue for winter, your main focus will be on scrubbing the cooking grill clean and thoroughly cleaning out all of the ash. If you leave ash and charcoal in your barbecue, water can seep in and cause the ash to firm into an almost-cement which may become stuck.

Gas barbecue

For storing a gas barbecue, the cleaning process needs to be a little more thorough, as there are more components to consider and maintain. You should remove all cooking grids and burners, as well as any other components that you can remove with your particular model. These should be soaked in soapy water to remove all residue from cooking. A wire brush can also be used to scrub them with. You should never store your propane inside.

Visitwww.garden-living.co.ukfor everything outside - where; who; what to look for; tips; buy from a LOFA member.

ends-

With compliments:-

Taylor Alden Ltd
247 The Broadway
London, SW19 1SD
Tel: 020 8543 3866
email:margaret@tayloralden.co.uk