I prefer never to clean the BBQ, but they rot if your burners and base get fat and water from cooking on them. So firstly, look for a Gas BBQ that's easy to take apart for cleaning. I like to heat the bbq and scratch down the grill plates with a cleaner, then take them in the house and soak and clean them. For the burners, we heat it and hope that's the fat burning off! once a month, I go wild, and jet washes the entire BBQ...yes, it can be done, and let it dry in the sun. It hasn't harmed it yet! And for the fat plate, empty it after each use, so you don't start a fire when cooking!