Cleaning Chemicals For After Saltwater Fishing

[Mr. NiceGuy]

What works well for removing salt from fishing gear? What preserves and conditions?

After flushing poles, reels, kayak and gear with copious amounts of water, things still get corroded and crusty after it sits for awhile.


Any favorites or opinions about these?


Ammonia Free Windex Glass Cleaner - diluted to about 20% in a spray bottle was recommended to me by a technician who services Shimano reels. He said it sheds the salt off for a quick wash after each use.

Aerospace 303 UV Protectant - I have tried many things to clean tar and stains off my Hobie blue Outback plastic. I don't have any good answers for this, except to struggle with dish soap as best I can. Bleach is not a good choice. Pine Sol, and other common cleaners did not work well. Acetone got some tar off, but it was mediocre as a cleaner. My blue kayak started to develop cloudy white haze all over --- I don't know if this was a reaction to the chemicals I was trying or if it was getting UV damage. I tried many things and could not get the white off until I tried Aerospace 303 UV Protectant. That worked well for rejuvenating the plastic and returning it back to it's original blue color. It bonds with the surface with a protective coating that looks like fresh plastic, not oily or slippery like ArmorAll. I looked at the Product Data Safety Sheets for Aerospace 303 UV Protectant and I believe it is the same material Hobie sells repackaged under their own label as their own plastic rejuvenator and UV protectant. Hobie's source for this material might also be a product called McNett UV Tech Cleaner & Protectant.

CRC Battery Cleaner & CRC Battery Terminal Protector - Cleans electrical terminals and connectors. The Terminal Protector prevents corrosion. I've tried various electrical contact cleaners and these two work well, together as a pair. So far, it's my favorite. With a short squirt, both foam up and bubble for a few seconds, giving good coverage of the connector being cleaned. Both have an odd color of foam. The Battery Cleaner is yellow and the Terminal Protector is red. It wipes off and doesn't stain.

ArmorAll - Did not help my kayak plastic at all. I suspect that this may have been one of the chemicals that flashed white when it came in contact with salt water or other chemicals I was trying. Not sure.

WD-40 - I've heard and viewed on Youtube some people use this to wipe down their rods, reels and kayaks. I tried a patch to get the white haze off my blue kayak and it was a slight improvement, but it looked oily and evaporated off relatively quickly. The Aerospace 303 was much better. I've heard that WD-40 is fish based or kelp based material, but I have not verified. I don't know if it's a problem on braided line or other leaders relative to the fish we are trying to catch. Lots of people use it for lots of things, but I just don't know if it's good or bad for fishing gear.

Break-Free CLP-4 is great for cleaning, lubricating, protecting guns. It's not for fishing gear, but I want to find an equivalent spray or wipe-down product that works as well for reels & poles. Any ideas?

Aerokroil is a thin penetrating oil popular among aircraft mechanics that creeps into places other oils can't get to. I use it very sparingly to lubricate metal joints that get crusty, including things like stiff pliers, etc. It penetrates better than WD-40, and it's an oil, which WD-40 is not. I give a very small squirt onto the clicker button of my reel and it keeps that action smooth and lubricated without breaking the reel down for a full servicing. It's oil, so I am careful not to let it start creeping into my Spectra. I would not wipe it in areas where it might spread to contaminate other things. I don't like the taste of petroleum based oil, so I assume fish don't like it either.

Hobie Boat Cleaner - Because the Hobie UV Protectant (Aerospace 303 or McNett UV Tech) worked so well for rejuvenating my kayak plastic, I decided to try their official Hobie Boat Cleaner to remove tar and stains. Everything with the Hobie name on it is overpriced, IMO, but that's the way Hobie marketing strategy goes. Take it or leave it. For me, their name brand boat cleaner was pretty useless.

Goo Gone - it's OK. didn't do anything for stains. I think it's safe. Got some goo off.

Acetone & Lacquer Thinner - I tried gently. No opinion.

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In summary, these are my favorites:


1. Diluted Ammonia Free Windex glass cleaner that I put in my 3 gallon garden pump sprayer modified with a kitchen sink dish washing nozzle that gives a much better flow than the chemical sprayer that comes on pump sprayers. I carry this in my van for my first wash-down of kayak, poles, reels & gear when I come out of the water and prepare to go home.

2. Gentle shower sprayer garden hose nozzle with plenty of water once I get home, unpack and reorganize for my next fishing trip.

3. Dawn dish soap in a hand spray bottle

4. Rinse and wipe everything down dry with a Shamwow

5. CRC electrical contact cleaner, blast contacts with compressed air, then a spray of electrical contact protector followed with another blast of compressed air.

6. Wipe down kayak plastic with Aerospace 303 UV Protectant


Any other suggestions for favorite chemicals or cleaning tips would be appreciated.