With Labor Day weekend marking one of the last big grilling occasions of the summer, it’s worth double-checking what’s in your grilling toolkit. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just expanded its recall of Cuisinart grill brushes, bringing the total number of affected units to 3.6 million.
The original recall in July covered 1.7 million brushes, and last Thursday regulators added another 1.9 million to the list, citing risks that loose bristles could break off, embed in food and cause injury if swallowed. Below, find the full recall details, plus some safer grill brush alternatives you can shop right now, including many that will arrive before you fire up your barbecue for the holiday weekend.
Why were Cuisinart grill brushes recalled?
Conair, which makes Cuisinart-branded grill tools, first recalled 1.7 million wire bristle grill brushes in July 2026. That recall has now been expanded to include another 1.9 million brushes, bringing the total to about 3,625,800 recalled units. The recall covers brushes sold between June 2009 through March 2026, including models sold on their own as well as ones bundled inside larger grill-tool sets.
The brushes were sold at Walmart, Burlington, TJ Maxx and Ross, along with online retailers including Amazon and Cuisinart’s website. There are more than 20 models that have been recalled, but what you really need to know is that the recall now encompasses all wired grill brushes made by Cuisinart. Translation: If you have a wired grill brush from this brand, it’s part of the recall.
The danger, according to the CPSC, is that small metal wire bristles can detach from the brushes and stick to the grill or food, creating an ingestion hazard that could lead to serious internal injuries requiring surgery. The CPSC reports that Conair is aware of at least 54 reports of bristles detaching, including three cases in which people swallowed metal bristles and needed medical treatment to remove them from their throat or digestive tract.
Anyone with one of the affected brushes is being told to stop using it immediately.
What to do if you have a recalled Cuisinart grill brush
It’s worth repeating: If you have one of the recalled brushes, stop using it right away. You’ll need to discard the brush; there’s no repair option being offered here.
From there, you can contact Conair to get a refund. You can reach the company toll-free at 888-520-1304, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, or you can file for a refund online at recallrtr.com/grillbrushes or through Cuisinart.com under “Product Recalls.” Consumers have two options when it comes to refunds: a straightforward cash refund, or a credit to use at Cuisinart.com worth the refund amount plus an extra 20 percent.
Wire grill brush alternatives you can shop right now
This isn’t the first time we’ve flagged the risks that come with wire grill brushes — we’ve previously reported on the dangers of stray bristles and gathered advice from experts on safer ways to clean your grill. The alternatives below adhere to that guidance, and each one carries at least a four-star average rating from hundreds of shoppers.
This GrillArt grill brush is made with a proprietary flexible woven steel fiber head to clean stuck on food from the grill. It’s most effective with steam, so all you need to do is turn on your grill (then turn it off), dip the brush in water and let the heat and porous fibers get to work. The long 16.5-inch handle also means you never have to get directly up on the heated cooker while you clean it.
This bristle-free brush uses durable, heat-resistant fiber to scrub away grate residue, with a replaceable, square-shaped head that doubles as a scraper for flat-top grills. The 14-inch handle keeps your hand away from the heat, and compatible accessories, like a bottle opener, can attach to it. Just dip it in water and scrape — it uses steam instead of metal bristles to clean and it works even while the grill is still hot.
This brush also skips bristles altogether, relying instead on interlocking stainless steel coils (think chainmail) to scrub grates clean. My husband and I grill weekly in the summer and this is his favorite tool — and that is saying a lot because he has tested a ton of different grill brushes. The head comes off with ease when it needs to be replaced or cleaned, and it can go straight into the dishwasher along with the heat-resistant handle. It also works whether your grill is hot or has already cooled down.
A woven stainless steel head does the scrubbing on this cleaner — no loose wires involved. Crank your grill to 400 degrees or higher then turn it off, dunk the brush in water, then go over the grates while they’re still hot — steam does the heavy lifting, loosening gunk without giving your arm a workout. Five dishwasher-safe replacement heads come in the box, along with a steel scraper built in for stubborn spots.
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I am a commerce editor at NBC Selected and a journalist who regularly covers wellness and lifestyle, among other topics. I have also written about the cyclosporiasis outbreak, the recent recall on eggs and how to relieve shoulder pain.
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