When you clean your fishing rod, which should be done after every trip, there are certain steps you should take to ensure your rod is ready to use on your next trip.
The first thing you should do is clean the guides. If you don’t clean anything else on your fishing rod, you should clean the guides, as they are used on every cast and catch, and because the lines spend a lot of time in the water, the guides tend to catch a bunch of grit and grime. Because the guides collect all this junk, it can affect your line and how your line performs over time. The best way to clean your guides is to use Q-tips along with some kind of cleaning agent, whether it is dish soap or even WD-40. When you clean, you need to ensure you clean both the inside and outside of the guide, as stuff can build up in either place. If stuff is left on the guides, it could eventually corrode your guides out, which will make you have to repair your fishing rod before going on your next expedition.
Once you have cleaned the guides, you then give reel house and the grips a good wipe down, and you can use a disinfectant wipe. By making sure these are wiped clean, you can ensure there are no bacteria growing on them, so when it is stored properly, there won’t be any mildew or mold that will grow on your fishing rod.