A barbecue in Iowa’s backyard is grosser than a toilet

Ahh, summer! The time of year when we don’t have to wear eight layers of clothing to get the mail. The time of year when we can stay up late and not have to turn on every light in the house. I love summer. Yes, there are bugs. Yes, it’s scorching hot.

Do you know what it not have? There are no snowy roads and icy driveways. It’s the easiest of the four seasons and mowing the lawn is infinitely better than shoveling because freshly cut grass smells wonderful and it feels great to hang out in your yard. Bring it on!

My favorite summer activity is grilling. Of course, you can grill in the winter, but it’s not the same. You can’t stay outside and enjoy the smell of grilling. You certainly can’t sit outside and enjoy your hard, charred work. However, there is something we often overlook when grilling: the cleanliness of our grills.

Yo, your grill is gross

There are many people who are for gas grilling and many who are for charcoal grilling. No matter which side you are on, it is impossible to deny that charcoal grilling is both amazing and smells like summer. However… it is not the cleanest Way to grill.

When it comes to dirt and bacteria, both gas and charcoal grills can get gross. Like, really gross. In fact, the average grill can harbor 1.7 million bacterial microbes per square inch. Yuck. That’s actually more than you’d find on the average toilet seat. Of course, you don’t eat off your toilet seat, so it’s far less annoying if it’s gross, right?

You may think that lighting the charcoal and heating up the grill is a good way to kill harmful bacteria, but it’s not enough to get the surface free of dirt. Yes, it’s an important step, but it’s the only one you should take before putting burgers, brats and corn on your grill.

So how do we clean our grill? It is common knowledge that you not Because of the risks involved, you shouldn’t use a wire grill brush to clean the grates. Find a safe alternative, like a nylon grill brush or a heat-resistant fiber brush, and use it between each lunch or dinner you throw on the grill.

Cleaning the grill is the best method, and even though I’m super lazy, I’d rather spend 5 minutes cleaning the grill grates than get sick from eating something otherwise delicious.

What else can you do in summer? How about a panoramic tour?