# How to avoid white stuff on my fretboard?



## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

Google said this was from "humidity". I think I've cleaned stuff like this off other fretboards before, but idk how do I keep it from happening? I live in a house with essentially no control over what the humidity is, and I can't leave a humidifier going in my room because I occasionally have to keep the door open (because old houses and parents adjusting temperature)

So some guitar people on YouTube said that, in general, guitars should be left visible to encourage practicing. In this case , though, should I actually clean the fretboard up and add lemon oil fretboard stuff, and then leave the guitar in its case? 

Here's my other fretboard which I cleaned and oiled. That's my baseline for what I'd want:


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## TheGASisReal (Mar 2, 2020)

Inb4 the cocaine comments 

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk


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## gbomb (Oct 18, 2013)

Looks like a wax build up. Just like a water stain on furiture treated with pledge. I would wipe it down with naptha let it dry and put on a product like guitar honey.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Take a toothbrush to it and oil it after.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Keep it cleaned and oiled.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

The studio has a lower grade of rosewood than the PRS. So it’s going to be more susceptible to drying out.

firstly, this is either very dry or some kind of gunk that I will refrain from guessing it’s nature and source. A good habit is to wash and dry hands well before sitting down to play. And also, making sure that your guitar is not near a vent or fireplace or window

I’d start with:

Get some Dunlop lemon oil or whatever is available specifically made to treat rosewood fret boards. Remove the strings, apply generously and scrub scrub scrub. Use a toothbrush!! The bristles penetrate the grain and loosen up the gunk and whatever kind of spunk or dust is trapped in the grain. Once that is done and dried if there is still white, then take something highly volatile like naphtha (zippo fluid) or mehtyl hydrate (wear mask and do in well ventilated area if you use methyl hydrate.. actually.. just don’t use methyl hydrate unless you are a real cowboy) and brush it in to clean out and dry it out.

once this is dried, do the lemon oil treatment again to re moisturize 

in the winter months, store it in the case when not using it. Keep it away from any vent or window or heat source. In the summer it should be fine or leave out just not near a window or vent.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Must resist bad joke.....


oh I can’t.










guess I’m just getting coal this year again.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Am i the only one who thinks that it looks like a mold/fungus growing on the board? I think you will have to use diluted vinegar to kill the mold, then treat the board with proper oil


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Is it oil that's solid at room temperature? What do you use on the fretboard?


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

knight_yyz said:


> Am i the only one who thinks that it looks like a mold/fungus growing on the board? I think you will have to use diluted vinegar to kill the mold, then treat the board with proper oil


possibly. Looks like there’s some on the body sides as well.



any chance you were doing that silly jimmy page violin bow thing and it’s bow rosin? My kid gets that stuff everywhere.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Looks like mould to me.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

At first glance I thought it might be something that had fallen onto it, like drywall dust or something like that. That thought came to me because of how it seems more densely accumulated along the upper edges the frets. That seemed logical because around the edges of the fretboard it is cleaner and could be that way because of hands touching or something else brushing past the guitar. Then I noticed how it is much cleaner at the very bottom, right up against the neck pup ring when nothing should have been able to touch it by accident or without purposeful intent. To my way of thinking that indicates something about the more exposed edges of the wood is preventing the build-up there. Taking that one step further, I'd say it is probably not because the wood is too dry but could very well be something like the opposite. I wonder if it could be some kind of mildew as Wardo and knight_yyz have mentioned.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

Might be a good candidate for some TSP.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I want to see it after the OP cleans it up before jumping to any other conclusions lol.


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## Acoustic Tom (Apr 6, 2020)

It looks like prine fret polish that has soaked into the fretboard. If it was mould you should smell something! Just my opinion.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)




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## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

Alright I'm gonna unstring it and clean it tomorrow with steel wool and cloth, and will then apply fretboard lemon oil and post follow up pictures here.

I don't keep my guitar near a vent or window, and I've only ever played it twice and never with dirty hands. I typically always wipe down my instruments and they are well away from spills of any kind, so it's literally impossible that it's a stain and I'm very doubtful it's drywall.

If it's mold or mildew, what would happen after cleaning the fretboard with just the steel wool and the toothbrush with lemon oil on it?

EDIT: it does appear to be on the other frets as well.


















Would this support the hypothesis that it's mold, or that it's the ? lemon oil I used to clean the fretboard which slowly dripped downward? Or is it humidity?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

jfd986 said:


> Alright I'm gonna unstring it and clean it tomorrow with steel wool and cloth, and will then apply fretboard lemon oil and post follow up pictures here.
> 
> I don't keep my guitar near a vent or window, and I've only ever played it twice and never with dirty hands. I typically always wipe down my instruments and they are well away from spills of any kind, so it's literally impossible that it's a stain and I'm very doubtful it's drywall.
> 
> ...


What type and brand of lemon oil?
-


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Looks like dust. 

Wipe it down with hand sanitizer.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

JBFairthorne said:


> Keep it cleaned and oiled.



With lemon oil for guitar fret board


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

A couple of years ago I bought a humidifier as the humidity in my house went down below 20%. It was colder than normal and my furnace was running a lot more. Then I see this white dust appearing on the surfaces of furniture just like I was sanding drywall. I had never seen this before. I installed the filter that came with the humidifier and that helped. If your not using a humidifier, keep looking.


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## Latole (Aug 11, 2020)

Guitar101 said:


> A couple of years ago I bought a humidifier as the humidity in my house went down below 20%. It was colder than normal and my furnace was running a lot more. Then I see this white dust appearing on the surfaces of furniture just like I was sanding drywall. I had never seen this before. I installed the filter that came with the humidifier and that helped. If your not using a humidifier, keep looking.


Some humidifier produce limstone. That is what you see. 
Never used these humidifier, limestone go in your throat


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

It has been quite a few years since I had to worry about white stuff on my fretboards.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

BMW-KTM said:


> Might be a good candidate for some TSP.


Yep. Concrobium (home depot, etc) is TSP based with a binding agent, so itll hang on for a while. Oil over top after letting product dry.

Keep it out of the humidity. You can always control it if you have proper exhaust vents throughout the home (kitch bath,etc)


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

If it is mould and it is in the pores of the wood, the mould will just grow back again, especially if the room is humid. You have to kill all the mould not just wipe off the excess. I don't think lemon oil is acidic enough to clean mould. It's why I suggested diluted vinegar. Even diluted though, vinegar is not the best thing to put on your fretboard


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Budda said:


> Take a toothbrush to it and oil it after.


Looks to me like years of dirt/crud that never was properly cleaned over the years.
Budda's suggestion is the first/easiest thing to do.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

My 2 cents.....I've seen this look before.
It's a possibility that someone used a wax / polish on the bare wood that is intended for use on sealed finishes only.
Believe it or not, brake cleaner is a very good and safe product.
I go through a can every couple of months for cleaning a variety of surfaces including lacquer and plastics.
( Always wise to do a test area first.)
If the white reappears after your cleaning and conditioning, I would not hesitate using the brake cleaner & toothbrush to try and remove the (wax) residue.
Do one section and see if the white re-appears, the cleaner dries in seconds so it won't take long to figure out if it works...or not.
Once the residue has been removed then condition with oil...lemon, coconut ,almond, etc:


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

I just had another look at your pics.....looks like there is a white powder on the edges of the body near the neck as well??
As mentioned earlier...proximity to drywall dust or those ultrasonic humidifiers that can produce mineral deposit dust??
Keep us posted.....


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Overthinking things. Clean it. Oil it with a suitable product. Repeat as required. Move on with your life and accept that you may never know exactly what the white material was.


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## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

player99 said:


> What type and brand of lemon oil?
> -


I think it was just called Dunlop 65 lemon oil or something like that. 

Sigh, upon closer inspection it appears that I didn't actually clean this guitar. Sorry to mislead everyone. The guitar was sold to me in "Excellent condition" and I don't remember it having any of this when I bought it. Then I took it out of its case, used it twice for maybe 15 minutes at a time and it's otherwise been just sitting on the guitar hanger ever since.

It's possible I just didn't notice this stuff when I bought it, or maybe that the fretboard was treated with something so I couldn't really see this stuff, but anyway I have three other guitars that need something or the other today, so I'm going out for a bunch of strings now and today is guitar maintenance day. 

Will update here once the first (possibly first ever) cleaning of this fretboard is done.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

jfd986 said:


> Will update here once the first (possibly first ever) cleaning of this fretboard is done


use a toothbrush. seriously. it's great for the fret edge.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Does it go into a case frequently? If yes, then..
Has anyone ever used baking soda in the case to get rid of smells?
Vacuum out the case but expect dust to show up for a while. 
I did this to get rid of a smoky smell from a case, and the guitar always had dust on it. 

Also, I like the toothbrush idea, not the steel wool idea (it leaves little dusty bits that turn black when they rust.)


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jfd986 said:


> Sigh, upon closer inspection it appears that I didn't actually clean this guitar. Sorry to mislead everyone. The guitar was sold to me in "Excellent condition" and I don't remember it having any of this when I bought it. Then I took it out of its case, used it twice for maybe 15 minutes at a time and it's otherwise been just sitting on the guitar hanger *ever since.*


How long ago was "ever since"!?


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## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

greco said:


> How long ago was "ever since"!?


So I think I bought the guitar in mid-2019 and then I installed the guitar hangers onto my wall in late 2019. I played with a two or three times and then I hung it up on the wall and it has been there for most of 2020. 

In the last month or so, I restructured my practice space and my life and got rid of a bunch of useless stuff that was keeping me from playing guitar, so now I play a lot more often but I also have mainly just been playing my PRS Floyd and my tele. I was thinking about selling this guitar but it became apparent to me that I just don't know enough about guitar and music yet to be able to justify selling it. maybe it's capable of sounds that I really like or maybe it has a certain field to it that I might really dig..so the tele needs some bridge work right now, and I thereby reached for the Les Paul a day or two ago to play it. That's when I saw this white stuff on the fret board


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Fret Doctor is the best stuff I've tried.


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## Acoustic Tom (Apr 6, 2020)

Again, it looks like someone tried polishing or cleaning the frets and didnt clean the residue off the fretboard. It's only on the smaller tighter frets, not all. I've done this before many moons ago and ended up with similar results. It sure looks familiar but maybe I'm way off base.


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## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

I cleaned and oiled from the bottom fret up to there, and I mean, it's made a big difference. I can sort-of maybe? Still see some residue if I sit there and really look for it, but whatever it is, I think it's gone. The toothbrush took care of the white cakey bits near the fret wire on the higher frets. I wish I had remembered whether or not I cleaned the guitar, I think I had just cleaned / bought / sold so many in the last year that I just plain forgot. I touched the strings and that's when I knew. The original owner had put 9s on there, and I only play 10s.

I'll finish the cleaning later tonight, I cleaned and restrung a friend's guitar for her birthday so I'm gonna go deliver that now.

Next time I'll stick with "clean and oil it first" before I go worrying that I've ruined my nice guitar. And I've learned that if it goes away and doesn't come back, it doesn't matter what it was haha


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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

Always12AM said:


> The studio has a lower grade of rosewood than the PRS. So it’s going to be more susceptible to drying out.
> 
> firstly, this is either very dry or some kind of gunk that I will refrain from guessing it’s nature and source. A good habit is to wash and dry hands well before sitting down to play. And also, making sure that your guitar is not near a vent or fireplace or window
> 
> ...


Methyl Hydrate is not safe on nitro. There are zero guitar applications for it.

Same for hand sanitizer.

Alcohol makes nitro soften.

The standard guitar cleaner for stubborn spots is Naphtha. It's safe on nitro, safe on wood. Try that followed by fretboard conditioner of your choice.

As to what caused it, it looks like a combination of dust and dryness to me. You could keep it in the case with an Oasis humidifier.


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## jfd986 (Nov 22, 2010)

Alright here's the guitar after cleaning and oiling / polishing.

























Overall I'm happy with how this turned out, and I'll keep it in its case until it's time to play it. I'll check on it in a month or two, and if it isn't all grimy again, maybe I'll hang it up and see if it was just a dirt/dust/residue thing or if there really was some humidity component to this. Idk I like hanging it up, it looks nice, and makes me wanna play it more. We'll see, at least it's fine for now. I'll string it up tomorrow, 2 guitars down 2 to go as maintenance day becomes maintenance week haha


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

—


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

sillyak said:


> Methyl Hydrate is not safe on nitro. There are zero guitar applications for it.
> 
> Same for hand sanitizer.
> 
> ...


Methyl Hydrate applications for guitar:
-shellac finishing a neck (as shown in picture)
-cleaning nut
-cleaning any piece of hardware
-cleaning pretty much anything off of a rosewood fretboard precisely because it softens gunk

The list goes on.. just don’t breath it in.
And don’t get it or pretty much anything that one would use to seriously clean a rosewood on nitro.

Are you under the impression that this guitar has a nitro finish on the fretboard?


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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

The OP has, what I assume is a Gibson, LP. Obviously the fretboard itself isn't finished, but it comes right to the edge, why you would use Methanol in place of Naphtha is beyond me.

Again, Naphtha can "seriously" clean all those things, and is safe on nitro.


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