Garbage picking? What? Heather, you’ve gone too far this time!
Yeah? Well take a look at this piece of “garbage!”
This ”unsightly” piece of trash was outside of my neighbor’s house, waiting for the garbage man to take it away.
Here’s the catch…my neighbor lives in the home directly behind my house, so I had to beg my husband to walk all the way around the block and drag this grill through the neighborhood back to our house.
Embarassing? You bet! What’s worse? Two days later, I was in my backyard and my neighbor says, “I thought I got rid of that thing, then I look out my window and it’s staring at me from your yard!” Oy! A little embarassing!
Nevermind, though, because this grill still has many more summers in it and I am just the person to be it’s new caretaker. First, the icky part:
Not looking so great now, is it? A little “used” and filthy. Well, that’s what cleaners and elbow grease is for! I could only do two treatments of that caustic Easy-Off for Grills before I started getting a little dizzy, so I’ll have to come back to it again in a week, but here’s the result of my first round of scrubbing:
Two more applications of Easy-Off and I bet it will be sparking! The outside already looked pretty good, but I had some Stainless Steel Polish on hand and gave the exterior a good buff (by the way, Stainless Steel Polish also does wonders on a stainless steel sink – it’ll make it look brand new).
I do love a high shine!
My hubby got to work hooking up a new propane tank and testing all of the knobs. Everything works great except the starter button. No worries, because a long grill lighter does the trick! I picked up a cheap grill cover from Walmart for $8.00 and now it is protected from deteriorating any further. We’ll be using this grill for years to come and my neighbor will be wondering why he threw away such a nice grill!
The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:
Stainless Steel “Garbage” Grill (Free Grill, $5.00 Easy-Off Grill Cleaner, $8.00 Grill Cover, $50.00 Refillable Propane Tank)
Fake-It Yourself Cost: $63.00
Front Avenue Char-Broil Grill ($349.00), plus you’d still need the Propane Tank ($50.00) and the Cover ($8.00)
Total Fake-It Yourself Savings: $344.00
You are my type of woman! I love getting stuff from the trash! Just because someone else doesn't want something, doesn't mean it doesn't have plenty of life left in it, right? Just yesterday I picked some dresser drawers up from the side of the road. I intend to use them as planters because they are all wooden. Yea, I love other people's castoffs. Glad to see someone else does, too. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda! My parents were antiques dealers for a while, so I grew up picking through trash looking for treasures! So fun!!!
ReplyDeleteTake your pressure washer to it and THEN do the heavy cleaning. We pressure wash ours several times a year (burners, inside cover, all of it) ... just be careful around the knobs as it will take the black paint off (speaking from experience) ... congrats on a great FIND!
ReplyDeleteyes i love trash pickin too.
ReplyDeleteI love reading through your blog, I wanted to leave a little comment to support you and wish you a good continuation. Wishing you the best of luck for all your blogging efforts.
ReplyDeleteCooking Equipment
Here's another hint, toss the grill and any other parts into your overn and put it on the Clean Oven cycle. WOrks like a charm!
ReplyDeleteCheck and see if the igniter is removable. Sometimes there is a battery inside. Replace battery and, presto, just-like-new grill!
ReplyDeletesave on the grill lighter, use a spaghetti noodle. :)
ReplyDeleteI use a spaghetti noodle for all of my candles that are in glass jars!
DeleteI use a spaghetti noodle for all of my candles that are in glass jars!
DeleteI just had to comment...I have been reading your blog for the last 30 minutes and when i came across this one...I DIED!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Heather too, and my HUBBY is the one who does what you just did! However, he IS a garbage man! He brought home a grill just one upgrade from the one you found ($549 retail at Lowes) and it cost $8 to repair one broken hose. He has yet to clean the outside like you did because he has been busy using it nearly evreyday since! I laughed so hard reading your post, the "embarrasment" LOL
My friends say, "better not throw it away, Corbs will take it home!"
Happy Frugalness to you and thanks for a great read! Your blog ROCKS!
Haha! Love it! There's no shame in free stuff (well, maybe a little - LOL)!!!
DeleteHey lady,
ReplyDeleteGreat find! To clean those grills, stick them in a large trash bag, pour in a cup or two of pure ammonia, tie it up and let it set overnight. Next day, take out of bag and hose it off. You may have to use a little wire brush for a really good job but it works. Used the idea myself!!
Rita
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