Decking materials don’t come cheap. If your deck looks in bad repair, don’t run out to buy new planks just yet. Climb underneath your deck of patio and see how the underside of the planks looks. More than likely, the bottom side of the wood not exposed to the beating rain and scorching sun probably still looks in good shape.

This can lead to a long day, but prying up the boards and turning them so that the weathered side is down and the under side is up can give you years more service out of the same old decking. You’ll be out some hours of hard work and—depending on the size of the deck—around $40-50 for new deck screws and some deck stain.

Your gas or charcoal grill will get a lot of build up on the rack with extended use. A good cleaning from time to time will help cut down on flare ups and make your grill more appealing during those summer cook outs.

Here is a couple of ways to get your grill rack looking like new again.

The First Way Is The Easiest But Not The Most Effective.

1. Lay the grill rack on sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil with the shiny side toward the rack.
2. Fold the foil around the grill rack tight covering it completely.
3. Put the rack on a hot grill for 20 minutes or 30 minutes if the rack is very dirty. This will toast the food and grease right off.
4. After the rack has cooled down, remove the aluminum foil and shake the residue into the trash.

The Second Method For Cleaning The Grill Can Be Done After The First Or Alone.

You will need these materials :

A Spray bottle
Paper Towels
Ammonia
A Large Garbage Bag

1. Wrap paper towels completely around your grill rack.
2. Slip the towel covered rack into the garbage bag, make sure the bag is big enough to completely cover the rack.
3. Pore the ammonia into a spray bottle. Hold the bag open and spray the ammonia onto the paper towels completely soaking them.
4. Close the bag up tight around the rack and let it set out of the way overnight.
5. In the morning when you open the bag the ammonia fumes will be strong so keep your head back.
6. Pull the grill rack from the plastic bag and remove the paper towels.
7. You can now wash the grill rack off with some warm soapy water then rinse clean.
8. Note : Dawn brand dishwashing liquid seams to work best.