How to Organize Grilling BBQ Tools

If you love grilling you’re bound to have more than a few tools lying around. You probably have enough that you don’t know how to do to organize these grilling tools. And if you’re like me you don’t even know where to put them all. You could say you have a grill tool storage emergency. Now, most people at this point would decide to sell off some of their tools. But let’s be real here – why would you do that? You bought these tools because you wanted to use them. So why would you go and sell them off now? You’ll probably just end up buying them again years later anyways. Instead of getting rid of things we need – let’s pick the better option and do some organizing. It can be tough to get started though, so let’s start off with something simple. Packing up your grill.

Grill Packing Up Preparations

1. Weed Out Old And Broken Pieces

After you’ve finished eating and the grill has cooled down, the first thing you should do is pick up any broken pieces that might have broken off. There are many reasons for this – it can be a health hazard first of all. But it can also make things harder to clean. They can get in the way – just a nuisance that you want to get rid of as soon as possible. Especially since it makes everything else easier to do.

2. Clean Your Grill By Removing Grease And Food

Clean your grill. I shouldn’t have to say it but the number of grills I’ve seen says otherwise. Grease and bits of food stuck to the metal – that isn’t a good thing. It’s gross too – do you really want to eat some of last week’s cookout this week? Yeah, didn’t think so. Wipe that grill down. Make it sparkle and look brand new. Well maybe not that far but at least make it look clean. Don’t miss the burners either. If you’re going to season, do it right.

3. Coat Your Grill Burners In Cooking Oil

Speaking of seasoning – make sure that when you finish grilling that you season your burners. A lot of people like to leave the leftover grease on but doing it like that means you have to deal with leftover food particles. Hence why you should clean the grates and burners thoroughly and then worry about seasoning. If you’ve never seasoned properly the process is easy. Just coat a paper towel in a high heat cooking oil like canola and coat the entire surface of the grates. Wipe off any excess and light up your grill. Then give it a half-hour or so to burn off all the oil and you’re done.

At least with preparing your grill for storage. Now comes the hard part – organizing the rest of your tools. Now, this is a topic that is a lot more complex to give you a step by step. Instead, here are 9 grill tool storage ideas to give you a starting block for organizing your tools.

9 Tips For Grilling/BBQ Tool Organization

1. Hang Items In A Nearby Panel

One of the easiest ways to make a little extra space is to use a nearby panel. Attach a few hooks to it and you now have a quick and easy makeshift storage area for your tools. When you need more space, you can add on a few more hooks, use a different panel or even hang a storage case from it.

2. Use A Magnetic Tool Holder

A magnetic tool holder acts just like a panel – only with the hooks built-in. Only this tool holder is a lot more versatile. Since it uses magnets to attach to a surface, you have a lot of leeway in deciding where to put it. Keep it on the side of a locker or attach some magnets somewhere on the wall – you really have a lot of options with a magnetic tool holder.

3. Use A Cart

A utility cart can give you not only a space to hold your tools, it’s perfect for having a place to put your grill when you’re done. And if you DIY – you give yourself a ton of options you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Add in some built-in compartments or a few hooks – you can grill anywhere you want without the hassle of deciding which tools to bring with you.

4. Store Your Tools In An Old File Holder

Sure – you could buy a bunch of containers but why would you when you have a bunch of spare file holders lying around? Instead of throwing them away – turn them into a quick and easy tool organizer. Keep your grilling gear organized with easy access. Keep your spatulas, cutting boards and anything else you can fit inside near your grill for easy access.

5. Use A Storage Case

I don’t know about you but I like to keep my important tools somewhere safe. For example, I always use food thermometers to tell if the food has cooked every time. It is an important grilling tool I need when grilling. Therefore, I need a place I know they won’t get damaged while also being easy to get to. A grilling storage case is very useful to keep them. I always use the ThermoPo Storage Case. It’s suitable for all the food thermometers.

6. Build A Wall-Mounted Outdoor Cabinet

If you’re not afraid of a little DIY and you have a lot of accessories, it’s time to start thinking about building a wall-mounted outdoor cabinet. Building one is easy and can be as extravagant as you want. When you’ve finished you end up with one of the best ways of getting a little outdoor grill accessory storage without having to put in that much effort or money.

7. Use A Barbecue Apron

Most of us have a favorite apron we like to wear when we’re grilling. Most of us will also stick a spatula or two in the pockets too. What most of us aren’t doing, however, is using the apron as a place to hold our tools when we’re done the grilling. That’s a bad habit we need to start breaking. Keeping our essentials in our aprons can save us so much time when we put it on.

8. Try A Bar With Baskets

Another quick and simple option is to use a bar with some hooks on it and a basket. Hang the tool-loaded apron, a spatula or two on the hooks and put everything else in the basket – you just saved yourself a lot of space for only a little bit of extra effort.

9. Keep The Essentials In A Grill Caddy

Another simple way is making use of a small grill caddy. You can keep your essentials on one side and everything else on the other. Keep it near your grill and you can be ready to cook anytime. Reading through these various tips have probably given you a few ideas on how you can organize your tools. You’ve probably even thought about combining one or two of them too. And that’s an amazing idea that I recommend. You can keep your grill and ThermoPo Storage Case together. Put everything else in your apron and hang it inside the wall-mounted outdoor cabinet that you built. The next thing you know – you have saved a lot of space and created an organized grilling environment that is perfect for on-the-fly grilling.