What Should You Use To Clean Natural Finish Guitars

Cleaning/Polishing. What those really hateful.
We recently posted a blog on how to clean your guitar'southward fretboard. Well, now it's time to wait at the guitar'due south body. Once over again, the prospect of cleaning doesn't spark free energy into nigh of us, merely it'southward always worth giving our guitars a flake of attention, to help maintain playability and prolong their life.

Before you pick up your guitar, we'd always recommend giving your hands a expert clean (you never know what kind of grease you've got leftover from your lunch on them)! A guitar's body will by and large become dirty due to the sweat and oils that are expelled from our bodies and transferred to the guitar'south surface. These oils are transferred to several noticeable points on the guitar (namely the dorsum of the neck) but also the top part of the body where our right arm usually sits (if you are correct-handed, of course; vice-versa for lefties!). There'southward also always dust and oil particles from the surrounding atmosphere that will sit on the guitar's surface, too. No thing where you're playing, whether information technology be at home or a club, these oil and dust particles in the air can create a 'build-upward' on the surface of the guitar. If left for a prolonged period, this can get a fleck more stubborn, so a regular polish of your guitar is always recommended to foreclose this.

Before we go into the nitty gritty, it is worth noting that polishing and cleaning are different things. Cleaning is referring to more of a 'deep-clean' which includes getting rid of the grit, dirt, finger marks and crud that may have built up. Polishing, on the other hand, usually comes subsequently cleaning, and this is the process of bringing a nice lustre and shine to your guitar. Right, let's become to it….

Jim Dunlop Shine Cloth

Light/Daily Cleaning
As we mentioned earlier on, it'south good to get into a addiction of cleaning your guitar regularly, just to avert information technology getting too grimey, and prevent the clay sitting around, which could bear on the stop over time and go harder to remove. Dirt that'due south been sitting at that place for a long time will go a lot tougher to remove. I liken it to leaving dirty dishes in your kitchen sink; they're so much easier to clean off only after you lot've eaten rather than tomorrow, and your guitar is no different.

If you make clean your guitar regularly, y'all'll rarely have to carry out whatsoever deep cleaning. If washed on a regular basis, you may only need to create a fog on it's surface by breathing on it and buffing with with our old friend, elbow grease, and a clean textile – similar to how you run across people clean their glasses! If you wanted to, you could also dip a clean textile in some warm water to make it ever and so slightly damp (definitely not sopping!) and just run this over the finish.

If you did want to keep up a regular cleaning regime after playing, but wanted to use a shine of some sort, a low-cal duty guitar smooth will exercise the trick, such equally Jim Dunlop Formula 65 Polish, Kyser Guitar Polish or the Music Nomad Guitar Detailer.

Finishes
Before you do start cleaning, it'southward definitely worth beingness aware of WHAT finish you lot have on your guitar's body. Over the years guitars have been treated with several dissimilar formulas of lacquer and, as a effect, different finishes volition exist harder or softer and wear slightly dissimilar to others. It's worth knowing or finding out which yours has been treated with just to make sure yous make clean information technology in the advisable way, and with the correct products.

Nitrocellulose
Many older guitars from the fifty's and 60's were finished with nitrocellulose lacquer, and this terminate is as well plant on some higher end guitars made today. Nitrocellulose is a softer, thinner lacquer terminate, and is primarily used equally information technology allows the wood to breathe and the natural resonant tone of the guitar's woods to smoothen through. When nitrocellulose lacquer is applied, it soaks into the wood grain giving a desirable finish, likewise. As a outcome of nitrocellulose'due south softer composition, it tends to wear a bit easier and, over time, finishes tin discolour, giving a xanthous tinge. They are also more susceptible to checking (light sparse cracks) which you may have seen in older guitar finishes. This tin happen with exposure to changes in temperatures and humidity, where the wood will expand and contract.

Nitrocellulose Dandy

Because Nitro finishes are more delicate, they tin also have reactions to sure materials on guitar stands, specially if they are left for prolonged periods of time. The stop reacts with the safe and tin can blister a nitro finish, and so always take intendance if you are leaving a guitar with a nitro finish on a stand.

Information technology'south always advised to take the greatest of care with vintage guitars. Vintage guitars will usually have lacquered nitrocellulose finishes. On a guitar with a heavily checked finish you lot'll want to avoid using polishes or cleaners altogether equally these can go far between the cracks and start to penetrate the wood underneath. If this happens it tin can cause the finish to lift/bit and could discolour the woods too.

Naturally all guitars are unlike and some finishes will be more than checked than others, so pay attention to your guitar and be sensitive to the condition information technology's in. Often fogging upwards the finish with your exhale volition generate a light moisture (but enough to clean the trunk). Failing that, moistening a clean rag ever so slightly with warm water to make information technology slightly damp would be the next port of call. Again, the cloth shouldn't exist sopping in whatsoever way at all – barely clammy is the social club of the mean solar day hither, along with a very light bear upon. If the end is heavily checked, y'all need to be extremely conscientious. A very light rub over with a make clean fabric will probably be the best bet to avert any potential harm.

If you lot are cleaning a more than modern instrument with a nitrocellulose finish, then it is brash to be careful in choosing the products you lot apply. If the terminate isn't checked in any way (small cracks in the lacquer) you can however utilize a guitar shine (Not cleaner) only information technology's certainly advised to use it sparingly, and to apply to a textile first. Equally the finish is softer than a poly' cease, it'southward worth bearing this in mind but to avoid using anything that could prove damaging, as past polishing a nitrocellulose finish you lot are effectively taking off a bit of the cease every time you polish it. The Music Nomad Guitar Polish or Guitar Detailer are safe choices to employ in this example.

Polyurethane and Polyester Finishes
Polyurethane lacquer began to exist used from the late 60's onwards. It's a thicker stop than nitrocellulose, and was introduced to finishing instruments considering information technology gives a glossier, more even finish that's much harder wearing. Production wise it was cheaper and quicker to use, as information technology required less coats of lacquer in comparison to the awarding of nitrocellulose to a body. Polyurethane is a thicker finish, and so doesn't show the signs of article of clothing that nitrocellulose does, and if it does damage you'll detect that they tend to chip rather than evidence any checking in the finish.

Polyester finishes are harder wearing still, and highly resistant to scratching, checking and discolouration, which may be caused by age or temperature/humidity changes. Polyester possesses all the properties of polyurethane, and too maintains the prissy bright color on a finish, fifty-fifty with historic period. Polyester finishes are likewise thicker, so tend to act as more of a sealant when they're practical to guitars.

Because they are thicker, polyurethane and polyester finishes are far more durable and resilient to cleaners and polishes. And then long as yous utilise a dedicated guitar cleaning and polishing product (to avert using whatsoever nasty chemicals) in a sensible amount, you should exist absolutely fine, with no worries of causing any damage to the finish.

Satin/Matte Stop Acoustic Guitar

Matte/Satin Finishes
Some guitars will come up with a more matte, or satin terminate. These finishes have a characteristic flatter finish with less of a sheen, every bit opposed to beingness glossy. These guitars will normally notwithstanding have been treated with a like lacquer such as polyester, polyurethane or nitrocellulose, except they're non glossy, as they haven't been buffed upward to a glossy smooth.
Many manufacturers of matte or satin finishes volition recommend you lot stick to cleaning your guitar simply with a make clean, clammy cloth, and so using a make clean dry out cloth to finish off. It's all-time to follow to this method of cleaning, as the use of most polishes tin can get out a sheen on the surface, which requite the guitar an uneven finish with shiny spots. You'll notice that some matte finished guitars will get shinier in some areas over time such, equally where the arm sits on the top border of the guitar and has finer been buffing the surface through the course of information technology's life.

If you did wish to use a smooth we'd recommend opting for the Music Nomad Guitar Detailer as this has been specially formulated for use on matte finishes.

As you tin can run across, the finish on your guitar will determine which approach you take to clean your guitar.
Only to reiterate, if your guitar has a more frail, checked terminate, yous demand to be more mindful and utilize some common sense in any product you utilize (if any) by how much you use, and the method in how y'all utilize it too.

Jim Dunlop Platinum Microfibre Fabric

Cloths
When you do start to clean your guitar, it's always worth keeping several clean cloths or rags close by. If yous've used one fabric to clean the guitar initially, it's well worth using a different clean cloth on another part of the guitar. If you do only have the i fabric, attempt to use unlike parts of it and then that you're non transferring the dirt you've just lifted off the guitar back onto it.

The best cloths are the soft ones, equally these are more delicate on the end of your guitar. The yellow soft flannel cloths yous usually get when you buy your guitar are great, every bit are onetime 100% cotton T-shirts (just make sure you've given them a launder get-go!). Yous may as well wish to keep a textile made of thinner material close by, also, as this will make information technology easier to get into those tight crevices where dust tin settle, such as around your hardware, on the span, or on the auto heads.

Initially, it's worth taking a clean microfiber textile and very lightly going over the trunk to remove whatever grit or clay that could be sitting on the surface. Believe it or non, some of the smaller clay and dust tin can act as pocket-size abrasives to the surface, and can be the cause of surface scratches on the finish, so information technology is well worth getting those off earlier you start.
We'd always recommend applying any cleaning fluids directly to the cloth before applying it to the body of your guitar. This style information technology avoids you using too much, and the shine going everywhere and getting into some hard to reach areas, making information technology a little more difficult to remove. When y'all're using any polish or cleaner, it'due south always worth using a circular motion to ensure an even spread of the polish across the surface.

Hardware
You can clean your guitar's metal hardware using a light spray of guitar polish applied to a fabric then to your hardware. The Music Nomad Guitar Detailer, Guitar Smooth and Guitar Ane formulas are all safety to use on your metal hardware.

Legendary guitar luthier Dan Erlewine recommends using Naptha (Lighter Fluid) to clean your metal hardware. It'due south a smashing degreaser, and evaporates too so doesn't leave any oily residuum on the guitar's hardware. WD40 or 3-in-one Oil are other options you could use here likewise.

Guitar Cleaners
As mentioned earlier, guitar cleaners are unlike to polishes. A guitar cleaner will contain a very mild abrasive, which is able to lift the dust and dirt from the body. These tend to be used if the body is a bit grubby. Otherwise, only a regular guitar polish will suffice. Despite the annoying in cleaners beingness balmy and very prophylactic, they're oft more coarse than what is found in a guitar spray smooth, so y'all don't want to utilise information technology excessively on your finish. In one case it's done it'southward job and you're happy with the result yous've got from the 'cleaner,' y'all're all good to switch to a shine for a brighter polish.

If giving your guitar a good clean, you may want to elevator off the knobs too… it'south surprising how much dirt and grit tin can make their way underneath and build up around the pots.

Guitar Polishes
Guitar polishes tend to be used later on 'cleaning' your guitar, and are usually a lot thinner than guitar cleaner. Guitar polishes will ofttimes contain a pocket-sized scrap of wax (pure carnauba wax is the all-time), which acts as a protectant and helps give the end a lustrous shine. Wax in a shine can often go out a slight haze on the finish, but tin can easily be buffed out using a clean cloth. They provide less of a 'deep clean' than a guitar cleaner, but volition nevertheless comprise a very fine annoying that will help lift the clay from the musical instrument's surface. Because of the presence of the fine abrasive in the shine, it'southward recommended to exist used sparingly on guitars with nitrocellulose finishes, and definitely avoided if the finish is checked as mentioned higher up. A reputable guitar polish will not scratch a guitar'south finish.

Things to avoid
If y'all are veering abroad from using dedicated guitar polishes, it's worth bearing in mind some products not to utilise:
• Household cleaners should be avoided at all costs every bit they contain chemicals that are just too severe and simply not designed to be used on instruments.
Avoid using whatever cleaner or polish that contains any class of silicone. Silicone reacts with a guitar's finish, then information technology'southward always best to stick with a polish that'south specifically designed for guitar finishes.
• Lemon Oil should really exist used for dark fingerboards only, and not applied to the body. Even then, it's appropriate to apply information technology sparingly.