What’s the best way to keep and clean dust off reels? Reels and rods and kept in the man cave on a rack but if I don’t use them for 4-5 days there’s some dust on the reels. Will this hurt the reels?

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Reel_Covers/catpage-REELCOVR.html

Got any old socks?

For keeping the dust off of them, something like the reel cover linked above would be perfect.

 

For cleaning them, I have been fishing a couple of ponds with some funky film on the top of the water that coats my line and gets all over my baitcaster reels. When it dries it turns into a brown powder. The easiest and best thing for me is just simple Q tips dipped in warm water. Perfect to get in all those nooks and crannies like around the line guide and between the reel and rod. For larger surfaces, a little warm water on a microfiber cloth (I think the ones I have were made for washing cars) works well. I wouldn't want to use any soap type product because although I don't know for sure, it seems like soap if it got inside the reel cover could compromise the lubricants.

Go fishing. A few casts and the dust will be gone

I just keep covers on all my reels when they are on the racks.

 

A little bit of dust I don't worry about cleaning, it comes off fishing usually. I have used a can of air before to blow the dirt off of a rell that got covered in dust fishing, but usually I just keep them covered and then clean everything really well when I do the yearly tear down and clean. I always put a nice thin coat of Carnuba wax on the outside of the reel. That seems to keep a lot of dirt from sticking to them.

If mine are not being used they are never without a cover until they are on the boat deck for fishing.  Even the unused rods in the rod box have covers on the reels.

17 hours ago, Jcj90 said:

What’s the best way to keep and clean dust off reels? Reels and rods and kept in the man cave on a rack but if I don’t use them for 4-5 days there’s some dust on the reels. Will this hurt the reels?

Reel covers and rod socks while on rack. Periodically I’ll wipe down rods and eyes with Pledge wipes. The reels with a soft cloth/microfiber cloth.