I have some pretty nice Daiwa rods that were used in Japan to slay some dolphin(mahi mahi/dorado) and skipjack tuna. Being the bloody creatures they are, they got pretty dirty. They have yellow EVA grips, and so far, I've been unsuccesfull at cleaning the blood/grime off them.

Looking at Billy's post of the awesome grips he's done, I cringed thinking about what they would look like after a trip offshore, especially the white sections.

How to clean these things without destroying the grips?

Phil

I have used Simply Green on EVA and cork with excellent results. Cleans them up and they look new again.

Rich Matranga

Folsom, Ca.

Have you tried a grease cutting dish soap(Dawn) and a tooth brush? Soap up your hands good with the dish soap and scrub the grips with your hands and then use the tooth brush but go easy with the brush. This has worked for me with catfish blood on foam & cork. I only build with cork so I don't know EVA from hypalon so it may work and it may not. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

I take them into the shower, I take a toothbrush & rub some soap on it, and brush the entire rod, including grips. THis is all I ever do to my EVA grips, and they look almost as good as new. The hardest thing I have found to clean out of the EVA inlays in lighter colors (Yellow & White) - is darker EVA from sanding. THis stuff embeds in teh lighter clors, and it is a bit of a PITA to get the lighte rEVA to look like a solid color again. For this I use an old rag, some DAwn & water, and I rub it briskly until it lathers up, this usually "raises" the darker EVA off teh lighter EVA, and I then wipe it off with a dry cloth. I hope that makes some sense, I'm wiped out right now from a long day.

Fellers......


Blood stains = H202 to remove (standard household 2% peroxide) Won't harm, removes blood 100% of the time. Rinse after with warm water, air dry.

Good info-will give it a try. Tried green scrub pads and simple green before, didn't get them clean. Clean-but dark stained. The grips are yellow, and still show some blood spots.

Will report results.
Phil

I have used SOS pad in the past on some really narly stuff in Hypalong.

Phil - Dittos to Ralph, Billy & Duane. (I never tied Simple Green.) Do try H2O2.

If possible, don't let blood dry into any porous or textured surface in the first place. -LOL-. Splash blood off while wet. Scrub with soap and water if needed. Bleach with HYDROGEN PEROXIDE (H2O2), after soap scrubbing is rinsed off. I have never tried chlorine bleach on any fishing tackle, so I hesitate to recommend that.

Sodium Hypochlorite, the active ingredient in old-fashioned household chlorine bleach is a very powerful oxidant, and will cause rust on most metals with which it comes in contact, including stainless steel. Keep it away from the metals on any reel seat. Bleach has to be well rinsed off and soon towel dried or rust is almost guaranteed.

Straight household bleach is WAY too powerful and concentrated an oxidant to use on anything. Undiluted, it will dissolve cloth soaked in it, so I'd be VERY cautious if you want to try something on any grip material more powerful than H2O2 out of desperation. If you try chlorine bleach, only try a weak solution, like a dilution of one capful in an 8oz glass of water, and drop a SCRAP of another piece of EVA or Hypalon of the same color in there and see what happens BEFORE you put chlorine bleach anywhere near a mounted rod grip.

Maybe just stop at the Hydrogen Peroxide! ... H2O2 is NOT persistant, and will disintegrate upon prolonged exposure to heat and air, so you can douse the grip with it safely. Use it undiluted, full strength. Foaming is the liberation of oxygen, which shows it is working. Check your batch of H2O2 for freshness. If you pour it on unglazed blood, it should foam. If a little swig does not foam in your mouth, the H2O2 is dead and you should try a new bottle (~$1).

H2O2 from the Pharmacy section has a low capacity. It is designed to react with only a few 100 milligrams of germs or blood - not 2 ounces of cork or EVA - Hypalon. So it is safe for your grips. It will react with the iron group in the blood, and cause it to go from a reddish color to, hopefully, so light a shade of grey that you will no longer notice it.

-Cliff Hall+++



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2005 08:12AM by Cliff Hall.

The above methods will work great for cleaning, but once dry, try some 303 protectant. Makes EVA look like new, plus prevents blood, slime and such from penetrating the grip, making cleanup easier.

Regards......Doug@
TCRds