Like others, I also thought this was a non-problem, hyped up news story until I found a bristle stuck to the grate one day. I immediately tossed all the wire brushes I had been using and searched for a suitable alternative.
Currently I'm using the Char-Broil hard nylon brushes, but the drawback with them is they're for use on cold grills only. They do work well, the brush head is replaceable and I scrub the grill before lighting the lump. Do they work as well as a bristle brush? No. But the peace of mind is worth it.
I also have a pumice-like stone that does a decent job, but I suspect it's more for round bar stainless steel grates. On both my grills it leaves a chalky residue and the triangular shape of the CI bars wears into the stone quickly.
For the Bayou Classic ceramic, I purchased a Bayou Classic stainless steel grate scraper, but it's shaped for round bar SS grates and does one bar at a time. If I position it correctly, I can scrape both sides of the CI grate bars but the process is time consuming. The end of it is somewhat U-shaped but doing one bar at a time is slow work.
I looked into those double helix cleaners. Reviews were mixed, mostly negative. Pass.
I may try the wood spatula products but since woodworking is my other passion will make my own. The idea of testing with a paint scraper is a good idea.
The news reports are real, I've seen too many of them and don't want to be the reason for a guest requiring a hospital visit.
-lunchman
