A:Answer Thanks for reaching out about this! If you would like to manually clean your grates, they should be washed in hot, soapy water and rinsed with clean water. To soften burned-on food, place grates in a solution containing ¼-cup of household ammonia for several hours. Afterward, scrub grates with a plastic scouring pad soaked in hot, soapy water. Rinse well and dry. We certainly know how tearing up your clothes would be annoying and hope this helps! -Chris@GEA