To be on the safe side, be sure your gas or charcoal grill is in an open, well-ventilated area when you fire it up. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless and deadly. Keeping the grill surface clean will help it last longer. Before lighting the fire, wipe the grill with vegetable oil or use a cooking spray. After cooking, while the surface is still hot, use a wire brush to clean it, or use a wad of steel wool or a handful of wrinkled-up aluminum foil.
Gas grills are easier to clean.
Just close it and let the fire burn at its hottest for a few minutes. Store your grill in the garage or storage barn for winter. If that isn't convenient, cover the grill with a large plastic trash bag or tie a plastic sheet around it. Keep it next to an inside wall for some protection from elements. Distasteful as cleaning a grill is, it's more sensible to do it in the Fall than in the Spring.