Last Updated on October 2, 2022 by Guitarist Authority
Is your guitar in need of some tlc? Are you wondering how to clean a guitar?
I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to clean your guitar like a pro.
You can use basic household items to get the job done, no need to buy expensive cleaners.
Let’s dive in and I’ll show you how to clean a guitar.
Why You Need to Clean Your Guitar
Your guitar’s surfaces can become dirty, stained, rust and even have the finishing break down over time due to contaminants from you and the environment where you keep your guitar.
Oils and sweat from your skin can affect the finish. This would happen slowly, however. But it can be completely avoided with regular cleaning. Sweat can cause rust on your guitar’s screws, strings, bridge and pickup pole pieces.
If you store your guitar out in the open, whether on a stand, hanger, leaning, etc… This can allow dust, pet hair, pollen and other airborne debris to settle on your guitar.
If you clean your guitar regularly, you’ll improve its playability, increase the lifespan of the finish and it just looks and feels better when it’s clean.
How Often Should I Clean a Guitar?
The best way to keep your guitar from getting excessive dirt and grime build-up is to wipe it down after every practice session or gig. Use a soft cloth to wipe away all dirt and sweat so it doesn’t have the chance to settle onto the strings. hardware and body. If you don’t wipe it down every time, try to at least do it once per week.
Your fretboard should be cleaned at least once every few months. Or, you can simply clean your fretboard each time you’re changing the strings. You should change the strings every two to four months (unless gigging/recording daily).
Household Items to Clean Your Guitar
Let’s review the basic household cleaners you can use when cleaning your guitar:
- Lemon oil
- Naphtha (Lighter Fluid)
- Mineral spirits
- Distilled vinegar
- Vegetable oil soap
- Water
Lemon is a popular choice to clean fretboards. It also works to restore oils into the wood while cleaning. Use it sparingly to coat the wood, let it sit for a minute and buff it with a soft, dry cloth.
Naphtha (lighter fluid) works and is safe to use on your guitar. As it is highly flammable make sure to only use it in an open space with fresh air. Follow safety directions on the product label. You can use it on wood, fretboards, finishes, bridges and pickguards. It is safe for nitro and poly finishes. It can leave a flat, dry haze but can easily be buffed out to a nice shine. Note: Make sure to only use a lighter fluid that has no additives.
Mineral spirits work well to remove sticky items from the fretboard. This product shouldn’t be your “go-to” cleaner, however. You can harm the fretboard by aggressively rubbing with mineral spirits.
Never use full-strength vinegar on your guitar. However, dabbing a little distilled vinegar onto a moist Q-tip or cloth works well. Don’t ever pour it (or any other cleaner) directly onto any part of the guitar. The biggest downfall here is the smell.
You can use vegetable oil soap to clean your guitar. It’s a soap made from coconut, vegetable oil, and water. This can also be diluted or, just make sure to wipe it off completely. A word of warning: Don’t use actual vegetable oil that you would use for cooking, what we’re talking about is soap.
Water works well in the absence of any of the above cleaners. Use a lightly dampened cloth when applying water. Never pour it on the wood directly. Water won’t help much when cleaning a filthy guitar but it works well for light cleaning.
How to Clean a Guitar Fretboard with Household Items
Place your guitar on a safe surface, such as a table with a soft cloth or bed sheet on it.
Remove all the strings when doing a deep cleaning. Many guitarists vehemently argue that you can’t remove a guitar’s strings all at once. However, temporarily removing them to clean your guitar isn’t going to harm the instrument. Most luthiers would agree that no setup will be required if you remove all the strings. The only exception to this, where you may not want to remove all the strings at once would be Floyd Rose or Ibanez Edge style tremolos. It can make it difficult to restring and may need adjustments after being restrung.
Using a cotton ball or micro-fiber cloth, use your chosen household item to clean the fretboard. No matter your chosen cleaner, don’t put too much on. Dab a little on your cloth, and then wipe away dirt and grime one fret at a time. Wipe away any excess cleaner with a dry cloth or cotton ball.
If you’ve purchased a conditioner, then apply it to the fretboard after using the cleaner. Use it sparingly and use a cloth to wipe away any excess.
Applying too much cleaner or conditioner is a common mistake made by many players. Once you’re done, let your guitar sit for a good 10-15 minutes before playing it again.
How To Clean Guitar Strings
You should clean your strings after each playing session since it helps avoid changing them as often due to breakdown from sweat as we talked about earlier. Wipe down the strings with a microfiber cloth. Focus on removing any moisture and buildup.
How to Clean a Guitar Neck
Naphtha (lighter fluid) comes in handy for the neck. Apply a little naphtha to a microfiber cloth and use it to wipe down your guitar’s neck. Go easy as you lift off any soil from the wood. Rubbing too hard only serves to polish the neck. Work the cloth while avoiding any removed soil from getting back onto the wood.
How to Clean a Guitar’s Bridge and Hardware
For regular cleaning just wipe down with a microfiber cloth.
When you need to deep clean the bridge, remove it and use a toothbrush and conditioner to remove dirt and grime. You can use cotton balls to get into the saddle slot.
You can use WD-40 or 3-in-One oil on the metal hardware. Remove it, however, because these cleaners can’t come in contact with your guitar’s wood.
How to Clean a Guitar Body
Water works the best on your guitar’s finish. Dampen a microfiber cloth and wipe away all grime and dirt. Rinse the cloth periodically to ensure that you’re removing all dust and grime.
Avoid using lemon oil, alcohol, or other solvent-based cleaners on the finish. They can cause damage if used too often or too much is used.
What Products Shouldn’t You Use When Cleaning a Guitar?
Let’s review products that you shouldn’t ever use on your guitar.
Avoid anything with bleach in it. The only thing bleach will help you achieve is to change the color of your fretboard. That’s not typically something any guitar player wants to do!
Furniture polish shouldn’t get applied to a guitar’s finish or fretboard. It can stain some finishes and even dry out the wood.
It’s a good idea to stay away from acetone. You might find some guitar players talking positively about it on a forum here and there. Acetone is potent, however. It might work if you dilute it properly with water. For most guitar players, it’s simply something to stay away from. Too many other safer cleaners exist.
Some players use toothpaste when cleaning the frets. The best recommendation is to refrain from using toothpaste anywhere near your guitar. It can have adverse effects on the instrument’s wood. It’s not a good idea to apply toothpaste to the frets unless you’re 100% certain you have the fretboard protected.
Conclusion
You now know how to clean a guitar!
You might find that it takes a while to get used to the process. You’ll get faster over time once you discover your preferred cleaners and get more comfortable with the cleaning process.
Your next action item is to take out the guitar and give it a thorough cleaning for the first time. Then, watch how much better it feels when you pick it up to play again.
