EWW: the average BBQ contains twice as many bacteria as a toilet seat

Yesss, the sun is shining again, which automatically means a BBQ evening for us. Not just for us, either; all over the country, BBQs are glowing again with cheeseburgers and pork belly. But, well, BBQs often aren’t cleaned properly. Some are even dirtier than the average toilet seat… EWW!

Uhm yes, pretty shocking. Because if you thought quickly running the brush over the grate was enough, you’re mistaken. “Around 94% of Dutch barbecues aren’t cleaned well enough, which can have enormous negative consequences,” says Diederik Warmelink, whose company BBQ-SPA specializes in cleaning BBQs.

Dirty

Food remnants, mold, accumulated carbon residue and, in some cases, even pests such as maggots can cause a barbecue to be full of bacteria and carcinogenic substances. An average barbecue even contains more than twice as many (!!) bacteria as the average toilet seat. Definitely not hygienic. Light the barbecue? Then the fumes will automatically end up in your food.

Fresh grate

The vast majority of Dutch people also consider cleaning the most annoying part of a BBQ evening. Still, it’s best to scrub the grates with a brush as soon as you’ve finished eating, then leave them to soak overnight in soapy water with, for example, washing soda. That way, you start every BBQ with a fresh grate and at least won’t end up with food poisoning.

And don’t want to do all that yourself? Then you can turn to BBQ Spa, which will clean the whole thing for you.

Also read:

• Making pizza on the BBQ? Do it! But avoid these common mistakes
• 12 tips for the perfect BBQ sausage
• Choosing wine for your BBQ: here’s how (plus buying tips)