# Tell me how you clean your acoustic....



## Supro (Dec 17, 2007)

Id like to "degrime" my acoustics, what do you recommend?


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2007)

Define what grime you're cleaning off it....

Mostly I just go over mine with a damp, soft cloth.... 

Fretboards get oil when needed....


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## Supro (Dec 17, 2007)

that would be 20 years of fingerprints on the body, so I guess oil and dust.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i use naptha, lighter fluid. wipe it on, the naptha breaks down the filth, then wipe it off.


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## darreneedens (Nov 13, 2007)

I actually asked a guy a guitar shop what they use to clean the bodies... I spray a bit of windex on a cloth and wipe it off... I figure if it is being done to my guitar for the period of time before I buy it, the it is good enough to do now... I never spray directly on the body, and I obviously dont use it on the fret board.


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## Guest (Dec 18, 2007)

"so I guess oil and dust"
So, a damp cloth.... maybe a little elbow grease....

Nothing else.

And next time, don't let it build up so much.....

Easy peasy


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## Telenator (Aug 9, 2007)

fraser said:


> i use naptha, lighter fluid. wipe it on, the naptha breaks down the filth, then wipe it off.


This is a great way to get real goobery thick gunk off your fretboard. Fretboard only.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

As mentioned by the other posters, a slightly damp cotton cloth (you can buy a 6 pack of baby diapers at Sears or Zellers for less than $10) will work for most jobs. For grime build up it is safe to use naptha on the body, applying it to the cloth and giving it a good rub down. The naptha evaporates quickly and leaves no residue behind.

***Naptha is extremely flammable, so use with caution in a well ventilated area***


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## just (Apr 21, 2006)

ive used lemon juice on the fretboard before with a soft cloth to wipe it down, i find that works pretty well and its a way of treating the fretboard..

other than that, just give it a quick wipe after playing, try to keep the area below the soundhole (above the pickguard) clear.. thats about it!


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## joshmac (Aug 20, 2007)

lemon oil you mean? Lemon juice and lemon oil are two completely different things. Lemon oil is pretty much mineral oil with a touch of lemon added, whereas lemon juice is the juice from a lemon, which is very acidic. Lemon OIL is what you want


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

*hot breath!*

for a quality finish first I breath on the surface and wipe with soft cotton clothe,make sure the cloth isnt holding even small bits of dirt,turn rag often.For heavy grime a LITE dab of naptha can do wonders,watch out for finish chips you dont want to get any under areas like that.The lemon oil is something I would not use on a fingerboard.Im no expert but have learned a little thru my mistakes,Good Luck!


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

> For heavy grime a LITE dab of naptha can do wonders,watch out for finish chips you dont want to get any under areas like that.The lemon oil is something I would not use on a fingerboard


yeah jimmy- thats why i use naptha- it wont saturate the wood, it only loosens the filth, allowing it to be wiped off, any excess naptha then evaporates. also it will harm no finishes, not even french polished varnish ones. and if it hits bare wood, it will air off.
lemon oil can get into the wood through finish chips, swell it up, and lift the finish. and its in there for ever. ever see it swell a fretboard and lift frets? happens all the time when used too much.


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

most of the old Yamaha Dynamics I get have 40+ years of crud on em...I use a yellow bathroom tile cleaner we have over here, wipe it on and off quickly and usually after the second go, I use a Martin guitar polish, and the final step is the Gibson guitar polish...that stuff is magic, really brings out the wood under all the crap that accumulates...but now I just throw the rags out when I finish they`re just too black to even try to salvage.
I oil the rosewood boards with Q-Tips fret by fret...just dip the tip into the oil, wipe it on and "scrub" the wood between fret, then wipe the excess off with a clean rag...I don`t let the oil sit, if it still looks dry or dirty after the first try I`ll do it again...I`m pretty sure some of em haven`t had a drink in decades. I use 100% cotton rags, I found mixtures just kind of move the dirt around without always picking it up.
For me the cleaning and resurrection of the old guitars is just as much fun as playing them aftwards.


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## Mike MacLeod (Nov 27, 2006)

*Cleaning guitars*

I use a product called Dry Wash. This comes from the show car world. It is available from pyramid sales folks. You can often find someone peddling this stuff at Farmers' Markets etc. No silicons and it works perfectly well. I use Guitar Honey on unfinished areas like fret-boards and bridges.


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## Fajah (Jun 28, 2006)

Been using good old Lemon Pledge on my Ovation now for the last 38 years. Guitar still looks amazing.

Lawrie


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