I went out tonight and my grips got a little wet while fishing and also smell strongly of fish. Do I need to clean them in any particular way when this happens or should I just let dry? I’ve never thought about it before but this is a brand new rod and I’m probably just being paranoid. (Side note: the fish smell does not bother me but I want to make sure I’m not degrading the foam or growing mold/bacteria or something.)

You can use soap and water on them.

Maybe some lemon joy. Yup, a specific dish soap brand that some anglers in my neck of the woods swear by to get rid of the fishy smell from their gear and clean them too. 

 

One of my rods has has that foam too so I’ll be watching this thread. Great question!

Getting the foam wet should not be a problem. In fact I wipe mine down with a wet cloth after fishing. This is all it takes to remove any spots on the foam. I let it air dry after that. The next day I can not detect any fishy odor from the grip.

Baby wipes are a quick and easy solution to this problem.

Dawn dish washing liquid works well.  Very small amount on a wet rag. Rinse and let dry.