A note on the recent wire-bristle grill brush recalls

The whole GrillGrate team was very sorry to hear about the recent grill brush recalls from other manufacturers, due to 3 people swallowing wire bristles that came loose from the affected brushes. These reported incidents add to the 54 other individuals who have swallowed bristles from these dangerous brushes. 

TLDR: The Stainless Steel Grate Valley Brush is not made of traditional wire bristles and is perfectly safe to use! Get yours today, or read on for other tips for safe grill cleaning.

But this recent recall is not isolated by any means. For years, doctors have warned against using any kind of wire-bristle brushes to clean your grill. It’s long been known that the bristles on a standard wire-bristle grill brush make swift work of scrubbing your grill but can also easily become dislodged and stuck in your throat or digestive tract.

Between 2002 and 2014, there were 1,700 cases of Americans needing an ER visit as a direct result of grill bristles in their food. This is especially common with brushes that are well-used, as the wire bristles are more likely to dislodge over time. If you ever experience a sharp pain after eating grilled food, go directly to the ER to be on the safe side.

So what’s the alternative? You could clean your grates with hot water and lemon or balled up aluminum foil; both methods are accessible to most grillers and much safer for you and your family. They’re also much less effective and still don’t solve for baked on food or debris. Our solution: The Stainless Steel Grate Valley Brush.

But wait! Didn’t we just say that all wire brushes are dangerous? All traditional wire-bristle brushes are potentially hazardous but luckily, our unique brush is not traditional.  

The Stainless Steel Grate Valley Brush is made using a wire wrapping process, rather than one where the bristles are inserted individually into the brush head. Our process means that the wire is one long continuous piece and cannot loosen or fall out of the brush head onto your grill. 100% safe AND 100% effective at cleaning up your grill. 

Our brush is especially designed to fit into the valleys of GrillGrates to loosen and remove baked on debris. We love on the grill cleaning – simply heat your grill, use your brush to clear the raised rails and then get to grilling! Use with our Grill & Grate Cleaner for best results against tough baked on debris. Less is more with GrillGrates. Every now and again, you can give your grates a deeper clean.  

If you take anything from this post, please throw away your traditional wire-bristle grill brushes! We want you to be safe and to enjoy grilling at home and on the go for many years to come.

Happy Grilling!

Team GrillGrate