The only time I do a good clean is after I buy a used grill. Who knows what they cooked on it and I don't want to cook on someone else's crap. I strip it down to new and start cooking.
The grills I use only get a scrape with a plastic putty knife if cheese or some grease dripped down on the sides of the bowl, or some carbonized grease is peeling off of the lid. Occasionally I use a paint brush to sweep the extra ash out the the ash sweep leaves behind.
I use aluminum foil under the meat when cooking indirect to catch the grease drippings, especially chicken wings, legs, or thighs. If that grease gets down under the ash sweep combined with ash can freeze up a sweep like concrete, and you have to remove it to clean it up.