Guitar Maintenance: How To Clean A Guitar (Acoustic, Electric)

Acoustic guitars and electric guitars are not only musical instruments but also valuable investments that require proper care and maintenance. With regular cleaning and maintenance, you can ensure that your guitar stays in excellent condition for years to come.

In this blog post, we’ll provide some tips on guitar maintenance and how to clean a guitar (acoustic or electric). From storing your guitar to cleaning and polishing, we’ll cover everything you need to know to keep your guitar looking and sounding its best.

So, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, read on to learn how to take care of your acoustic guitar.

To properly maintain your guitar, you should keep it clean, store it in a stable environment, and monitor the humidity levels. Regular cleaning with a soft, lint-free cloth and changing the strings can help prevent damage and keep your guitar sounding its best.

It’s also important to have your guitar professionally inspected by a luthier periodically and to store it in its case when not in use.

Guitar Maintenance: How To Clean A Guitar

Here are the steps on how to clean a guitar and maintain a guitar:

Gather Supplies
Remove Strings
Clean the Fretboard
Clean the Body
Clean the hardware
Clean the strings
Re-string the Guitar

Regular cleaning and guitar maintenance will help keep it in good condition and sounding its best.

1. Gather Supplies

Before you begin cleaning your guitar, you’ll need to gather a few supplies. Here’s what you’ll need:

Soft cloth: You’ll want to use a soft, lint-free cloth to wipe down the guitar. Microfiber cloths work well for this, but any soft cloth will do. Avoid using paper towels or other rough materials that could scratch the finish of the guitar.
Guitar cleaner/polish: You’ll want to use a guitar-specific cleaner or polish to clean and protect the finish of the guitar. There are many different products available, so choose one that is appropriate for the type of finish on your guitar. Some examples include Dunlop 65 Guitar Polish and Fender Guitar Cleaner.
Guitar string cleaner: You can use a dedicated guitar string cleaner to remove dirt and grime from your guitar strings. Some examples include GHS Fast Fret and Music Nomad String Fuel.

Here are some links to recommendations of these supplies:

Soft cloth: AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
Guitar cleaner/polish: Dunlop 65 Guitar Polish or Fender Guitar Cleaner
Guitar string cleaner: GHS Fast Fret

It’s important to use the right supplies when cleaning your guitar, as using the wrong materials can damage the finish or even the wood of the guitar. By using a soft cloth, guitar cleaner/polish, and guitar string cleaner, you can keep your guitar looking and sounding its best.

2. Remove Strings

To clean your guitar properly, it’s best to remove the strings so you can clean each part of the guitar separately. Here’s how to do it:

Loosen the strings: Use a guitar tuner to loosen each string until it is no longer under tension. You can loosen them one at a time or all at once, depending on your preference.
Remove the strings: Once the strings are all loose, carefully remove them from the guitar. You can coil them up and set them aside for now.

Here’s a recommendation of a tool you’ll need to remove the strings easily:

String winder: D’Addario Pro-Winder

It’s important to remove the strings carefully to avoid damaging the guitar or the strings themselves. By using a guitar tuner to loosen the strings and then carefully removing them, you can ensure that the guitar stays in good condition while you clean it.

3. Clean the Fretboard

With the strings removed, you can now clean the fretboard more thoroughly. This will help to remove any dirt or grime that has built up around the frets. Here’s how to do it:

Wipe down the fretboard: Use a soft cloth to gently wipe down the fretboard. This will help to remove any loose dirt or dust.
Apply cleaner: If there is any built-up dirt or grime on the fretboard, you can use a guitar-specific cleaner to remove it. Apply the cleaner to a soft cloth and gently rub it into the fretboard. Be careful not to get any cleaner on the frets themselves, as this can cause them to corrode.
Wipe away excess: Once you’ve applied the cleaner, use a clean section of the cloth to wipe away any excess. Be sure to remove all of the cleaner, as leaving any behind can cause the fretboard to become sticky or slick.

It’s important to use a guitar-specific cleaner to clean the fretboard, as other types of cleaners can damage the wood or finish of the guitar. By using a soft cloth and a guitar cleaner, you can keep the fretboard looking and feeling great.

4. Clean the Body

With the fretboard cleaned, you can move on to cleaning the body of the guitar. Here’s how to do it:

Wipe down the body: Use a soft cloth to gently wipe down the body of the guitar. This will help to remove any loose dirt or dust.
Apply cleaner/polish: If there are any smudges or fingerprints on the guitar, you can use a guitar-specific cleaner or polish to remove them. Apply the cleaner/polish to a soft cloth and gently rub it into the surface of the guitar. Be sure to avoid getting any cleaner on the strings, as this can cause them to deteriorate more quickly.
Wipe away excess: Once you’ve applied the cleaner/polish, use a clean section of the cloth to wipe away any excess. Be sure to remove all of the cleaner/polish, as leaving any behind can cause the guitar to become sticky or slick.

Use a guitar-specific cleaner or polish when cleaning the body of the guitar, as other types of cleaners can damage the finish or wood. By using a soft cloth and guitar cleaner/polish, you can keep the body of the guitar looking and feeling great.

5. Clean the hardware

With the body of the guitar cleaned, you can move on to cleaning the hardware. Here’s how to do it:

Wipe down the hardware: Use a soft cloth to gently wipe down the hardware, including the tuning pegs, bridge, and any other metal parts. This will help to remove any loose dirt or dust.
Apply cleaner: If there is any built-up dirt or grime on the hardware, you can use a guitar-specific cleaner to remove it. Apply the cleaner to a soft cloth and gently rub it into the hardware. Be sure to avoid getting any cleaner on the wood or finish of the guitar.
Wipe away excess: Once you’ve applied the cleaner, use a clean section of the cloth to wipe away any excess. Be sure to remove all of the cleaner, as leaving any behind can cause the hardware to become sticky or slick.

6. Clean the strings

Cleaning the strings can help to extend their life and keep them sounding and feeling their best. Here’s how to do it:

Apply string cleaner: Use a guitar string cleaner to apply a small amount of cleaner to each string. You can either apply the cleaner directly to the strings or apply it to a soft cloth and then rub it onto the s