Metal grill brushes have long been a staple of grill cleaning. Their stiff and long lasting bristles were preferred by many for getting off tough food build-up.
More recently though people have become aware of potential hazards with them due to ingestion risks. Horror stories have been posted on social media from ER doctors and grillers about bristles dislodging, clinging to food, and then being eaten.
In some instances that has resulted in a trip to the ER to have them hopefully surgically removed. That’s not an experience anyone wants.
We saw a recall of more than 3.2 million Weber metal wire brushes for this reason last month. Another voluntary recall for metal brushes has just been issued by Nexgrill.
This one covers over 10.2 million metal wire bristle grill brushes sold at The Home Depot stores and online from 2015 to 2026. Nexgrill has a page setup with more information on the impacted brushes.
In a statement sent to us, Nexgrill had the following to say about the recall.
“Safety is our top priority. Our goal in the production of our grill brushes is simple: giving our customers a way to safely clean and maintain their grills as they enjoy the All-American BBQ tradition with family and friends. Our commitment to the safety of our customers includes providing clear instructions to examine the brush before use, to discard the brush if any bristles are loose, and make sure cooking surfaces have no loose bristles before cooking.
There have been a limited number of reported injury incidents associated with these grill brushes. Out of an abundance of caution, we made the proactive decision to voluntarily recall these brushes based on our leadership in the BBQ industry and our partnership with the CPSC. Nexgrill strongly urges customers to stop using the affected brush models immediately and to participate in our voluntary recall. Customers can visit our recall page for more information about the recall and details about how to obtain a full the refund by navigating to: https://nexgrill.mktpoint.com/recall or www.nexgrill.com and click on ‘Product Recalls.’ Customers should only discard their recalled grill brushes once they have been informed that their registration has been successfully processed.
Today’s voluntary recall is an important step to help ensure that consumers can safely clean and maintain their grills. Nexgrill continues to offer and expand its lineup of grill cleaning tools without metal wire bristles. Our company remains committed to providing the highest quality and safety standards so that our customers can confidently use our cleaning tools for the BBQ grills that serve as the cornerstone of family meals and celebrations.”
The CPSC states that Nexgrill is aware of at least 68 complaints and reviews where metal bristles have dislodged. Of those complaints there have been 5 reports of consumers seeking medical attention to remove the bristles from their digestive tract or throat.
Owners of impacted grill brushes should stop using them immediately. Nexgrill is offering a refund in the form of a gift card between $5 to $15 depending on the model.
While metal grill brushes have been around forever, there are many great non-metal options now. There are other natural stiff bristled brushes that are safer or other styles of grill brushes that work well too.