What chemicals do You use to clean your acoustic

[High_Colorado]

Originally Posted by Mirosh

I use some Gibson Guitar Polish from maybe 40 years ago ("works wonders on all instruments")

I can never figure out how a decades old bottle never runs dry!

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by FaxMachine

Seeing what others use as their preferred method of cleaning their vintage gear. The luthier I have used uses 409, I have family members that use dawn and the scrubby side of a sponge, and I have heard lighter fluid and many other things as well. I have a 63 or 64 [or 65 ??) J-45 that is beyond filthy.

Be careful if there is finish checking or cracking.

[JERZEY]

Originally Posted by Jaxon

double ditto

Triple ditto.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by FaxMachine

The luthier I have used uses 409,

Really.. 409?

[TTiimm]

Water is the universal solvent.

Warm, if needed.


-Tim-

[rstaight]

You need to be careful with Windex. Although it is great for glass it will cloud some plastics and possibly some finishes. It contains ammonia.

[schoolie]

Lighter fluid (naptha). Nitro safe and flashes off quickly. I use Fret Doctor to condition the fretboards. I should add that I don't think naptha is safe for shellac or varnish finishes.

[Craig Wilson]

Originally Posted by schoolie

Lighter fluid (naptha). Nitro safe and flashes off quickly. I use Fret Doctor to condition the fretboards. I should add that I don't think naptha is safe for shellac or varnish finishes.

Naptha is safe for shellac. I use lighter fluid on newly french polished guitars to degrease before adding clear pickguards.
Varnish is a pretty generic term for a lot of different finishes so it's hard to speak to it.

[Mirosh]

....."I can never figure out how a decades old bottle never runs dry!"....

For most of those decades I had one guitar and played it little, maintained it even less. Guitar numbers and amount of playing and maintenance are all way up in the last 3 years. The bottle is down to its last half inch or so!

[Mark Stone]

I clean instruments only twice a year or so, but I do wipe them off daily when I use them. When I resort to actual cleaning, I usually just use warm water, occasionally with a touch of dish detergent. I used to use Gibson guitar polish but the finish on my Taylors doesn't need it. Very rarely I use lighter fluid. I've used Dawn in the past, but diluted quite a bit.

[Glennwillow]

I use Virtuoso cleaner and polish.

- Glenn

[phavriluk]

Wash hands before playing....

[Kyle215]

Just a few drops of water and a clean soft cloth usually does the trick. Virtuoso cleaner is fantastic for a deeper clean… I don’t need that often, though.

Martin recommends Dr Ducks Axe Wax for the unfinished surfaces and that works great (it not actually wax…)

[DBW]

I use lemon oil on the fretboard. Just use a soft cloth on the rest. No chemicals on the body.

[Robin, Wales]

Beer, whisky and sweat!

They all seem to work just fine.