When the blades of a One-Touch Cleaning System begin to bend up, the most common cause is debris or un-burnt charcoal in the bowl of the kettle.
Small, un-burnt pieces of charcoal (most commonly lump charcoal), or other debris, can fall through the charcoal grate and into the bottom of the bowl of a kettle.
What happens next is that small, sharp pieces of un-burnt charcoal or debris can get wedged underneath the cleaning system blades, and if you push on the cleaning system handle too hard while something is wedged under a blade it can cause the blade to bend upwards.
Solutions:
#1) Be careful. If you try to push the cleaning system handle, and feel resistance, move the handle in the opposite direction. This can cause the charcoal to come loose, freeing up the movement of the blades.
#2) Clean out the bowl of your kettle periodically. Using the cleaning system doesn't get everything, and it's a great idea to perform a deep clean on the inside of your bowl at least once a year.
#3) Use charcoal briquettes. Briquettes have a uniform shape, and are unlikely to get wedged under a cleaning system blade.
To learn more about the various types of charcoal, check out the article here.