How to clean a guitar may sound like a pretty easy question, which it actually is. But with these tips and tricks, you can make sure to have a neat and clean guitar with a better lifetime.
It is very normal that a guitar in use will get dirty with mainly sweat and dust. So it’s necessary to clean your guitar every now and then.
But people often try the wrong methods and things to clean a guitar and end up damaging their favorite instrument. Read carefully to know the right way of cleaning a guitar.
Things You Need To Clean A Guitar
Cleaning your guitar needs only a few things. A piece of soft cloth or microfiber cloth is mandatory to have close to your hand so that you can give your instrument a dry wipe every now and then. But for deeper cleaning, you need some Glass cleaner, Guitar polish with carnauba wax (not mandatory), a toothbrush, and some Water.
Cleaning Your Guitar
- Begin with removing the strings
For proper cleaning, you need to clean the fretboard, the neck, the bridge, and the keys (string trees) of the guitar, which is not possible without opening the strings. Opening the strings should be easy for you. Simply lose the strings by turning the tuning keys and get the strings out.
- Clean the Fretboard:
The fretboard or fingerboard gets a lot of dust and sweat and cannot be cleaned properly without removing the strings. Use a soft piece of cloth for it. Lightly dump the soft cloth into the water (better if you have distilled vinegar), then wring out the water. Now, gently wipe the dirt from your fretboard with it.
Make sure your whipping cloth is not too wet. You don’t want to over-saturate the guitar. We suggest you not clean the fretboard with a liquid more than 2 times a year. Otherwise, it will cause damage to the wood. You can simply do a dry wipe every now and then.
Lemon oil works excellent to clean the fretboard. You can find it in any guitar shop. But, don’t use pure lemon oil. Guitar cleaning lemon oil contains other ingredients alongside lemon oil.
- Cleaning Guitar Strings
There are some guitar-cleaning lubricants you will find at any musical instrument shop. Use it on a dry microfiber cloth and clean your strings.
If you don’t have it, just use the dry cloth and run it along each string from the top to the bottom. Apply gentle pressure to remove any dirt, sweat, or oil buildup. You can also pinch the cloth between your fingers and slide it up and down each string to clean them thoroughly. Also, you can also use a little glass cleaner on the cloth if the dry wipe is not enough. But, if your strings are too old or rusted, change them with new ones.
- Cleaning guitar neck and top
This is the most crucial area of your guitar. The tuning keys and the string trees may have a lot of little spots where your finger won’t reach. You can use a brush to clean those areas. For the rest of the area, use the wiping cloth. Spray the glass cleaner on the brush and dry cloth before wiping. You can polish each key to bring back the shine.
- Clean the guitar body
Use that wiping cloth, damp it into the water, and rinse it out so you don’t spread dirt instead of cleaning. You can use the glass cleaner for better cleaning. Don’t spray directly on the guitar. Instead, spray on the cloth.
The guitar body includes the guitar’s front, back, and sides. Use the rinsed cloth in a circular motion across your guitar body.
- Clean the bridge
If you haven’t removed the bridge pins yet, you can leave it this way if you want. Use the brush to clean around the bridge pins. The cloth will be needed for the rest of the work. Again, use the water or glass cleaner like before.
- The pickups
If you are looking for how to clean an acoustic guitar, then this art is not for you as acoustics don’t usually have a pickup. However, acoustic-electric guitars have a pickup.
Simply use the wiping cloth rinsed with glass cleaner and wipe the area. If you notice rust on your pickups, use an Allen wrench to unscrew them and clean them with a rust-dissolving agent.
If you don’t have a rust-dissolving agent, use a white pencil eraser on that spot, then wipe it with a glass cleaner. Before ending this step, give it a dry wipe.
- Polishing:
Polishing your guitar is not mandatory. Also, you need to be extra careful because it can damage your guitar’s sound production quality. But polishing gives your guitar a new and shiny look.
To polish your guitar, don’t directly spray the polish on the guitar. Take some guitar polish on the dry cloth and apply it across the guitar. You should use polish containing pure carnauba wax.
If your guitar has a satin finish or you have a vintage guitar, you should not polish your guitar.
How Often Should I Clean My Guitar?
A neat and clean instrument always gives you positive vibes and a more peaceful playing session. So make sure your guitar is not dirty. I suggest that you should give your guitar a dry wipe every day. Simply take a piece of microfiber cloth (dry) and give a quick wipe all over the instrument.
Follow the steps mentioned above and give your guitar a deep cleaning once in a while when you feel your instrument is too dirty.
Things Not To Do When Cleaning Your Guitar
People often get overwhelmed and do odd things that damage their instruments forever. Here are some don’ts you need to remember.
- Do not use too much water or any sort of liquid on your guitar. Your guitar will soak the water and produce a dump sound. Also it will cause permanent damage even if the water dries off.
- Do not use your furniture polish.
- Don’t use pure lemon oil. Use the one that you will find in any guitar shop.
- We suggest not using paper towels or tissue paper to clean your guitar deep. For dry cleaning, you can use a tissue if you don’t have a piece of cloth around.
- Don’t use detergent, soap, or any harsh chemicals.
- Putting an excessive force when cleaning your guitar is not recommended.
- Use the glass cleaner and polish only when the water-damp cloth is not working.
Final Words
You should always be gentle and careful about your guitar. Don’t just overdo anything when cleaning it. Simply follow the techniques mentioned here.
A clean, new-looking instrument not only gives you peace of mind but also shows your personality. It shows how passionate you are about music.
