The Grill Rusts Under Its Own Cover
The cover was bought to keep the weather off, and the grill under it is rusting anyway, a little more every season
The short answer
A bad cover rusts a grill faster than no cover at all. A loose, unvented cover pools rain on the flat top, holds damp air against the metal all week, and flaps itself apart at the seams in wind, and each of those is a rust cause wearing a cover's shape. The fix is a cover built against the three: fitted so water runs off instead of pooling, breathable so damp air gets out, and strapped so it stays put. The Monument 98475 holds 4.7 stars from 261 ratings at Target (November 2026). The record's warning belongs here too: fit is tight on this line, and one owner could not get the cover over a four burner grill at all. Measure your grill before you buy, by the method below, not by the box it came in.
Why does this happen?
Pooling is the first rust cause. Rain lands on the cover's flat top and sits there if the cover is loose or the grill top is flat, and standing water works through seams and thin spots for days after the rain stops. The grill under a pooled cover stays wet longer than a grill standing in the rain and drying in the sun, which is how a covered grill rusts first.
Condensation is the second. A cover sealed tight against warm ground and cool nights traps the day's damp air under it, and that air drops its water on the coldest surface it finds, which is the grill's metal. An unvented cover in a sunny spot can keep a grill damp for weeks in a wet season without a drop of rain getting in.
Flapping is the third. Wind gets under a loose cover, the fabric snaps and rubs, seams and corners wear, and the cover tears at the handle points within a season or two. A torn cover is worse than none: it holds water in folds against the grill and gives up the one job it had. Straps are not a trim item on a cover. They are the part that decides how long the rest of it lasts.
The fix, in order
Work down the list: free and cheap steps first. Stop when the plant turns the corner; the product is only for what the free steps cannot do.
Free step
Dry the grill, and measure it properly
Clean the grill, run it hot for ten minutes to dry it out, and let it cool. Then measure: width across the widest point with the side shelves up, depth front to back, and height to the top of the closed lid. Write the three numbers down. Covers are sold against these, and the tight fit warnings in the record below come from buying by burner count instead.
The product step
Fit the Monument cover for your measured size
The 98475 is the larger grill row in this line; the 98472 below covers smaller grills. Pull the cover down evenly on all sides, check that the top sits with a slope water can run off, and fasten the straps snug at the base. If the cover will not go on without forcing, stop: that is the record's failure row, and the next size is the answer, not more pulling.
The product for this step
Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98475
Habit step
Lift the cover after wet weeks, and let the grill breathe
In a wet spell, lift the cover on the first dry day and let the grill air for an hour before covering it again. Brush water off the top before it pools. A cover is a coat, not a seal, and the airing habit is what keeps the breathable fabric's side of the bargain.
The evidence, in tiers
Tier 1 · The method
The method follows standard grill storage practice: grill cleaned and dried before covering, cover sized to the measured grill, top arranged so water sheds, straps fastened, and the cover lifted to air the grill through wet seasons. Fabric and strap details follow the maker description on the record below.
Tier 2 · This product
The Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98475 holds 4.7 stars from 261 ratings at Target (November 2026), at 59.99 dollars. That record is the retailer's own, read for this guide. No grill was covered for this guide. The smaller size on the same shelf, the 98472, holds 4.7 stars from 310 reviews, and its record was read in full for this guide: the praise and the tight fit warnings in the evidence below come from it and apply to the line's sizing, which is why the measure step leads the ladder.
Two sizes of one line, read on one shelf, both at 4.7 stars with counts in the hundreds, give the pick a steadier base than one listing alone. The shape of the record matters more than the score: praise gathers on fit and on straps holding in wind, and the complaints gather on sizing, which a buyer controls with a tape measure before the purchase, not after it.
Tier 3 · What owners report
Owners describe covers that fit their grills closely, fabric that feels thick and heavy, and straps that have kept the cover on through the wind that took the last one. The unhappy reports are sizing reports: a fit so tight it is a fight to use, and one cover that would not go over a four burner grill at all. One owner judged the fabric no tougher than the generic covers at the hardware store, which is printed here as the record's dissent, not smoothed over.
The alternatives, conceded where they win
| Option | What it is | The honest verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98475 | The fitted cover for larger grills, nylon and PVC blend, with fastening straps | The pick: a fitted, breathable, strapped cover on a strong record, sized by measurement. Buy it against your tape measure numbers and it answers all three rust causes on this page. |
| Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98472 | The smaller size in the same line, for two burner and compact grills | The smaller grill row. It holds 4.7 stars from 310 reviews at Target. Same fabric, same straps, same tight fit warning. If your measured grill is a compact one, this is your size, and the saving over the larger cover is real but should never be the reason to squeeze a big grill into it. |
| Ninja Woodfire Premium Outdoor Grill Cover | The fitted cover made for Ninja Woodfire grills only | The single brand row, for Woodfire owners. It holds 4.6 stars from 40 ratings at Target, a thin count, printed as thin. Its own record carries fit complaints of the same family: a cover one owner found too short, and one that did not fit the grill it was recommended for. Woodfire owners should measure with the same care and ignore the rest of this table. |
| No cover, under a roof | The grill moved under a porch roof, an eave, or into a garage for the wet season | The free row, and the best row on the page where it is open to you. Stored under a roof, a grill needs no cover at all. It is recorded with its limit: most grills live on open patios with nowhere to move to, which is the reader this page is written for. |
The honest price comparison
At about sixty dollars, the cover costs a fraction of the grill it protects, and about what owners were already spending on cheap covers that tore in a season. It earns its price on an open patio in a wet climate. Skip it if your grill lives under a roof, and skip it if your grill is already rusted through: a cover protects sound metal, it does not bring back metal that has gone.
Where it falls short
These weaknesses come from the product's own reviews, not from a rival's marketing. Read them before you buy.
- The fit runs tight. That is the record's main complaint, in several forms, up to a cover that would not go on at all. Measure your grill and buy the size your numbers name. Forcing a tight cover tears seams, and a torn seam is a rust door.
- It is a cover, not a cure. Rust already started keeps going under any cover, slower. Clean and dry the grill first, and treat outside rust spots before the season, or the cover preserves the problem along with the grill.
- The fabric has a dissenting report. One owner in the record judged it no more durable than generic covers. The record as a whole rates the line well, but a buyer expecting armour plate should read that row and choose with open eyes.
- It must be strapped and aired to work. Left loose, it flaps and pools like the cheap covers it replaces. The straps and the airing habit in the ladder are part of the product's result, not extras.
The product, in short
Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98475
Questions people ask next
Why is my grill rusting under a waterproof cover?
Waterproof is only half the job. An unvented cover traps damp air against the metal, and a loose one pools rain on top and lets it work through. Fitted, breathable, and strapped is the combination that keeps a grill dry. Any one of the three missing can leave it wetter than no cover.
How do I pick between the 98475 and the 98472?
By your tape measure, not your burner count. Measure width with shelves up, depth, and height with the lid closed, and choose the size whose listed fit covers all three numbers with a little room. If your numbers sit between sizes, take the larger one.
Should I cover the grill while it is still warm?
No. Let it cool fully first. Covering a warm grill traps steam and condensation under the cover, which is the damp this page is trying to keep off the metal. A ten minute hot run to dry it, then cooling, then the cover, is the order.
My grates are rusty too. Does this page fix that?
No, and it does not claim to. Grate rust and firebox crud are cleaning and care problems, covered by the grill cleaning guide on this site. This page is about the outside of the grill and the cover that protects it.
Target listing record for the Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98475 (November 2026) · Target listing record for the Monument Grills Gas Grill Cover 98472, read in full (November 2026) · Target listing record for the Ninja Woodfire Premium Outdoor Grill Cover (November 2026) · Maker description on the Target record: nylon and PVC blend, breathable, water resistant, fastening straps
The Fix JournalCase 36Plants & Garden