Hey Everyone,

What do you use to clean, your fishing rods?

I use a little bit of dawn on a towel, wipe and rinse.

Does anybody use anything different?

All so, does anybody use any kind of protective spray or anything to wipe it down. 

Thanks 

Dish rag with dawn soap and water for the handles and rod blank. Qtips with rubbing alcohol for the stubborn gunk in the reel seat and inside the guides. 

I wipe my rods down for years with liquid gold.  Makes the look new and doesn’t harm them

47 minutes ago, GRiver said:

Hey Everyone,

What do you use to clean, your fishing rods?

I use a little bit of dawn on a towel, wipe and rinse.

Does anybody use anything different?

All so, does anybody use any kind of protective spray or anything to wipe it down. 

Thanks 

 

Nothing, I can't risk wiping off anything lucky.

 

1 hour ago, GRiver said:

Hey Everyone,

What do you use to clean, your fishing rods?

I use a little bit of dawn on a towel, wipe and rinse.

Does anybody use anything different?

All so, does anybody use any kind of protective spray or anything to wipe it down. 

Thanks 

WD-40 protects the guides and does hurt the blank but stay away from the cork.

Cork cleans easy with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

Tom

Boeshield T-9 for guides.

Dawn soap and water on a washcloth for the blank and guides;  rinse off with a clean washcloth.  When dry, wipe down with Real Magic.  Mr Clean Magic Eraser Pad on the cork, rinse off with a clean washcloth.  When dry, brush on U-40 if needed.

Soap and water and KVD Line & Lure in the guides. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I've cleaned a lot of rods, a couple of them over 100 years old.  

Best thing to clean cork is the steam spout from a tea kettle and a soft soapy sponge - light rinse and air dry.  

Many soaps and cleaning solutions contain ammonia, which isn't the best thing to use on plated, highly formed brass guide frames (no worries on stainless or titanium).  

The toughest thing you need to clean from rods is calcium, and soap doesn't help.  Dilute natural organic acids (citric, etc.) cut right through calcium deposits.  The right agents are in Miracle Polishing Cloths and jewelry polishing cloths, which are inexpensive, and last a long time.  Chase with a soft cloth or chamois.  

 

@Angler Andy Boeshield is the best thing for anything coming from or going to the salt.  

This Lamson has been in the salt over 35 years.  That's still the original friction-washer clutch (have a NS spare).  

 

Also used on the gear tracks and fasteners on my kayak, which has been in the salt 16 years.  

Q tips and alcohol for the guides and reel seat. Cork just stays however it is. Wet towel is usually enough to take anything off the blank.

^ Advantage to that method is you also check for nicks in the guides while cleaning.

 

I also use alcohol for the guides, but diluted Simple Green for the rod itself.

@Peacedivision, @MN Fisher I’ve never Q-tipped the eyes before. To clean or check for nicks and snags, thanks will be added to my maintenance routine.

@Angler Andy , @bulldog1935 going to have to google “Boeshied” that’s a new one to me.

9 hours ago, Mike L said:

Soap and water and KVD Line & Lure in the guides.

This is about what I do now, but never sprayed the guides, another task to add to maintenance schedule.

@looking45…. I searched “Liquid Gold”  

They have ,liquid gold skin moisturizer serum, liquid gold tanning oil, liquid gold perfume, duo travel pack, and Legendairy Milk Liquid Gold. There is a ton of them. Are you talking about Scott’s liquid gold furniture polish….haha

Thanks everyone for your suggestions keep’em coming.

G

Thanks for posting this! I’m about to sit down and try and clean the pond scum and gunk out of the guides on mine this weekend. And wasn’t sure what wanted to use. Sorry I don’t have any input to help 

I use Penn Rod and Reel Cleaner

I use it on rods and reels.  Does a good job and smells good.

5 hours ago, GRiver said:

@Peacedivision, @MN Fisher I’ve never Q-tipped the eyes before. To clean or check for nicks and snags, thanks will be added to my maintenance routine.

@Angler Andy , @bulldog1935 going to have to google “Boeshied” that’s a new one to me.

This is about what I do now, but never sprayed the guides, another task to add to maintenance schedule.

@looking45…. I searched “Liquid Gold”  

They have ,liquid gold skin moisturizer serum, liquid gold tanning oil, liquid gold perfume, duo travel pack, and Legendairy Milk Liquid Gold. There is a ton of them. Are you talking about Scott’s liquid gold furniture polish….haha

Thanks everyone for your suggestions keep’em coming.

G

Sorry, yes,  furniture polish

I've always used bowling alley wax on cane, but never needed on plastic rods. 

 

I just use dawn and water. I don't use dawn most of the time, only if it's really bad. Most of the time a wet rag will do the trick for me. I use a GI toothbrush for getting in the nooks and crannies. 

The Boeshield T-9 looks good for lubricant, never used it. I used WD-40 on my off shore Tuna and Marlin rods and fresh rods for decades, rinse in fresh water and spray on the WD-40 then wipe with clean cloth. 
Tom

Water. 
 

Damp towel for rod blank and exterior of reel. Damp Q-tip for guides and tight areas of reel. 

Boeshield T-9 is not lubricant.  Like WD-40, the carrier is mineral spirits.  

But where the latter leaves oil residue, T-9 leaves a corrosion-inhibiting wax.  

It was developed by Boeing for quick wipe-down maintenance of airframes, which live in a filthy, corrosive environment.  

 

I've used it for decades on OP's valuable antique pot-metal and duralumin fly reels.  

Just finished cleaning my rods with a Magic Eraser, added glue and cork grubs, then sanded the cork with 320-grit paper and applied U-40. Turned out way better than I expected — looks and feels great!

8 hours ago, Falkus said:

Turned out way better than I expected — looks and feels great!

Did ya take before and after pics?

Water and a rag