How Often Should I Clean My Guitar - Question #15
2,583 views · Published 9 January 2015 · 2:52 · Indexed 22 October 2026
Channel: Ulrich Peise · 2015 · Education
How Often Should I Clean My Guitar This is a question I get all the time from my guitar students: how often should I clean my guitar? It’s funny what excuses guitar beginners come up with just to avoid practicing their instrument. I guess cleaning the guitar definitely falls into that category. Well, as usual there are no hard and fast rules. And there is also no best method to clean a guitar. Because there are so many different types of guitars out there and some of them may require a more careful cleaning approach than others. But one thing is for sure: while guitar cleaning products certainly have their place – as a matter of fact I use them, too – you don’t necessarily need them. In one of my older videos I should you exactly how to clean a guitar with household items. Yes, that’s right. Very likely you find everything you need in your cleaning closet to make your instrument look nice and shiny. However there are certain things you need to be mindful of as you put your guitar through a ‘wash’. How to clean your guitar body For the body of your guitar, I would recommend either something like Murphy’s Oil soap or alternatively, Gibson Guitar Polish. I’ve been using both product in the past and they both work very well. Recently, though, I left the oil soap in the cleaning closet and I’ve been using the guitar polish exclusively. It works a little bit better and it doesn’t leave any streaks. Also, since you only use it sparingly, a $10 bottle will last a long time, even if you have a whole bunch of guitars. However, as I said, you can just go with a regular cleaner that’s on the gentler side (like an oil soap) – you definitely don’t want to use anything abrasive! How to clean a guitar neck The neck of the guitar has two sides: the front, which is referred to as the fingerboard, and the back of the neck. For the later, you can use the same cleaner that you use for the body of your guitar. However, for the fingerboard, I would actually recommend something like the Music Nomad Fretboard Oil. With a few drops only you can take care of the whole thing. Not only does it clean, it also preserves your fingerboard. Yes, you could also you an oil soap on instead, but the Nomad product works better and a bottle will likely last you years. How to clean guitar strings Again, there are many string cleaning products available on the market. I personally don’t use any of them. Which bring me to another question some of you asked me: can I clean my guitar with Windex? Well, as far as the strings are concerned, yes you can. However, Windex should not be used on any other parts of your guitar. It’s too abrasive. But again, it works great on the strings and doesn’t do any harm on them. With that being said, make sure that you change your strings at least every few months. How to clean an electric guitar/ acoustic guitar As described above, I’ve been using the Music Nomad fretboard oil and the Gibson Guitar Polish with great results. It’s easy, inexpensive and works like a charm on both electric and acoustic guitars. Alright, so I hope that gives you some ideas around how frequently you should clean your guitar. Don’t overthink this, though. I’ve never seen a guitar that was too dirty to play. Don’t go overboard with your guitar cleaning either. A good point in time to clean a guitar is when you change the strings. Remove the strings and then clean the fretboard and body of your instrument before you put new strings on. And lastly, no, cleaning your guitar does not count as practice time….;-)
