How do y'all clean a guitar fretboard with household items?

I've been at that place, your guitar is looking dirty as it tin can be and you have none of those fancy products that they always want you lot to buy at every guitar store.

Practice yous just clean information technology with h2o? Perfume? How tin you do so without damaging your instrument?

That is exactly what I will be talking nigh in this mail service.

Tabular array of Contents

  • How to clean a guitar fretboard with household items?
    • 1- Plain water
    • ii- Guitar picks, or some one-time plastic cards
    • 3- Using vegetable oil soap
    • 4- Lemon oil
    • 5- Mineral spirits
    • 6- Naphtha
    • Products that you shouldn't use
      • one- Furniture polish
      • two- Bleach
      • 3- Vinegar
      • iv- Toothpaste
      • v- Acetone
      • half dozen- Sandpaper
    • Cleaning your guitar fretboard – Step past stride
      • Step 1: Placing your guitar in a prophylactic identify
      • Step 2: Removing all the strings
      • Footstep three: Cleaning your fretboard
        • Making a fret guard
        • Polishing the frets
        • Cleaning the fretboard
    • How to prevent your fretboard from getting dirty
      • Clean your mitt before playing
      • Don't hang your guitar on a wall
      • Clean your guitar after using it
    • Before y'all go

How to clean a guitar fretboard with household items?

The quick answer is that the best fashion to clean a guitar fretboard with household items is to but use things like Q-tips or cotton swabs to remove the dirt that is specifically located to the side of the fret and utilize cotton fiber assurance (or even face up-cleaning pads) for the heart part in betwixt frets. You should practise this patiently with each fret and conveniently without any strings on your guitar. Using a piffling fleck of water is usually preferred before using perfumes or any other liquid with chemicals that could potentially damage your guitar.

I have been playing guitar for many years and I have to say, a clean guitar really feels unlike and will even help your instrument terminal longer.

At that place are many ways in which you tin clean your guitar without having to buy any product.

The next items that I'grand going to list are some of those that won't replace existent guitar cleaning products but will go along your instrument in proficient shape.

Later on on below, I will show you a step-by-step of how to employ them to clean your fretboard.

one- Plain water

Yep, you read that right!

That same water that we beverage every day and shower with.

Water could be a great culling to near products that you could try to clean your guitar with, which could potentially damage information technology.

If in doubt, only employ water!

Manifestly water is free, readily available, with no harsh chemicals, no fire take a chance, no health hazards, and you won't be needing any protective equipment.

Only I'thousand non talking about spraying your entire guitar soaking wet, or annihilation drastic.

Simply grab a cotton ball or microfiber cloth, and with a bit of water, slowly and patiently make clean each individual fret in your guitar.

At present…

Many people will debate that using water will requite you trouble when removing heavy dirt that could potentially be on your guitar if you lot haven't cleaned it in a while.

This is very true!

And if that's the case and your guitar is in actually bad shape, then you should use something else.

But, if your fretboard is non that dirty and just needs a quick clean upwards, then you can never go incorrect this way.

2- Guitar picks, or some former plastic cards

This depends on how bad your fretboard is looking, if the dirt is so noticeable that you tin run across it, and so it might exist a good thought to scrape it a little chip before y'all utilize any products.

Example of a dirty fretboard

Things like old plastic cards (ex: sometime credit cards) or your guitar picks (if they oasis't disappeared yet) could exist very useful when doing this.

In my case, I will utilize a minor slice of paper-thin from a Listerine Pocketpaks bundle.

This i even came with the corners cut, which turned out to be a very good approach.

This Ibanez GIO that I'm using equally an example, hasn't been played in over a twelvemonth. And to my surprise, it wasn't that dirty since I've always kept it inside its handbag.

You volition want to horizontally push button the clay away, and if it is to close to the actual fret then just utilize one of the corners of the card or the peak of your guitar picks to remove those.

Now…

This might sound a fleck obvious but brand sure that you don't utilize a knife or anything that can scratch and leave marks on your fretboard.

You might exist surprised at how many people have had this problem.

three- Using vegetable oil soap

Another thing that y'all can practise is to see if you have vegetable oil soap effectually your house.

Discover I'm not talking virtually the vegetable oil that you utilize for cooking food in your house.

This is a special oil soap that is manufactured with water, coconut, establish-derived cleaning ingredients, natural fragrance, and ii% constructed ingredients. It contains 98% naturally derived ingredients, pure vegetable oil and it's very safe to use it on by and large whatsoever wood type.

Here is an example:

Murphy oil soap for cleaning guitar fretboard

Spud oil soap

People usually accept these around the house, so it makes them a perfect alternative to professional person guitar cleaning products.

This specific product cleans to a natural shine and does not contain whatever unnecessary chemicals.

Use a footling bit of this oil soap with any cotton brawl or microfiber cloth, and subsequently cleaning all the hard dirt on your fretboard, this will give information technology a great smoothen and feel.

If there is a lot of dust, remove it beforehand, and and so hands apply information technology until you are satisfied with the results.

The good thing about these types of wood cleaning products is that not but can yous use it on your fretboard, but besides on your guitar body and neck.

At present…

I've also read, among many positive comments, one person saying that your guitar might go sticky.

For me, this hasn't been the case, but if yous want to be certain this doesn't happen to y'all, and so you lot tin can either mix the oil soap with a fleck of water, use really small amounts at a time, or slightly remove information technology with a dry microfiber cloth after you're washed.

Either way, most of the fourth dimension, your guitar shouldn't demand an excessive amount of whatsoever production if you make clean it regularly.

4- Lemon oil

Lemon oil is a swell way to make clean your fretboard equally all the dirt will be removed very easily and it will allow the wood to polish again if it'due south dried out.

You have to be careful, though, with what type of lemon oil yous use.

I'grand not talking nearly lemon juice or encouraging you to simply piece a lemon and utilize that to clean your fretboard.

This is a different blazon of product and the lemon concentration has to be close to aught.

If y'all have lemon oil around the firm, then it is safe to utilise information technology on by and large rosewood or ebony fretboards (generally anything but maple fretboards).

Merely once again, very of import, make sure that you don't utilise bodily lemon juice, and that if you have lemon oil, information technology's lemon concentration is not high.

Have a look at an actual product made specifically for guitar fretboards:

Dunlop 6554 Dunlop Ultimate Lemon Oil

They sell these Dunlop Fretboard Lemon Oil on Amazon and are very useful in keeping the dirt away with an invisible sealant that prevents stains and moisture.

If you want to check it out, I really encourage you to do so, this is one of the products I've used before, and it really does a cracking job.

You won't be needing too much, this is not meant to be taken as the master production to clean the heavy dirt.

Rather, use information technology to give it its terminal touch of shine and moisture.

Without whatever exaggeration, i of these small bottles should terminal you, easily, more than than one year.

five- Mineral spirits

Mineral spirits are very mild and won't harm the stop. It's worth a endeavour as information technology's awesome for getting sticky things off your fretboard.

Yous might be able to detect it around your house!

A word of caution though…

If yous practice a quick search online, yous volition find, just similar with any other product, a lot of doubt amidst guitar players on forums.

Cleaning your fretboard sporadically with mineral spirits is rubber, but long exposure or even aggressive rubbing with the incorrect type of mineral spirits can accept unwanted effects on your fretboard.

And so make sure to employ these products equally a quick alternative and not a lifetime solution until you find the right one fabricated exactly for guitar fretboards.

Likewise, make sure to read what each of the products you lot employ is made of. Commonly, on the back of the canteen, information technology should list all the chemicals used.

Some of them volition be marked every bit paint thinner or other specific titles containing chemicals that won't really do good your musical instrument in whatever manner.

Dissimilar companies might besides use dissimilar formulas or chemicals, then be aware of this before doing anything dangerous to your guitar.

The same thing applies to:

6- Naphtha

This product will be a little tricky to apply in small amounts because information technology volition speedily evaporate, only that's the way you want information technology to be.

Only use a little bit at a time as it volition act as a way to remove oils from your fretboard. This will be very useful to clean upwards all the dirt that y'all leave with your own hands when playing.

But remember this…

Only use this product if y'all already have the appropriate oil to use right after, considering if you don't, and then you will end up drying out your fretboard.

Like a few other items on this post, there are a lot of different opinions on using these liquids on guitars.

The grand majority of guitarists out there, though, don't have anything negative to say about using this production, I've even seen brands recommend it, for example, Blueberry Guitars.

But I would nevertheless do some research based on the wood type that you are trying to clean, and how muddy your guitar is.

Products that you shouldn't utilize

The list of products to not use is definitely longer than the list of products to utilize.

Many of the following products might pass as a very expert culling to cleaning your fretboard if, for example, you mix them with water or but use just a lilliputian bit.

Merely due to many of them bringing a lot of uncertainty among guitar players, different opinions, and having different furnishings depending on the wood blazon, I will just list them as products that you lot should not utilise.

This will prevent you lot from using something that could potentially damage your instrument and will allow you to play it rubber.

Yet, I do encourage you lot to exercise farther research if one of them might seem like a good choice for you.

ane- Furniture polish

I've read in more than one forum that using furniture polish is not the best thing to practise.

People have shared that it tends to "dry out any exposed wood and it can permanently stain some kinds of finish."

Researching around won't bring any positive feedback either, so I would but stay away from it.

2- Bleach

Unless you're intentionally trying to change the color of your fretboard, then do not employ bleach nether whatsoever circumstances.

Y'all know is bad for a simple cleaning method, when you lot search information technology on Google and the only results y'all get are people asking how to make their fretboards a lighter colour.

I would stay away from it.

3- Vinegar

Using vinegar is one of those products that besides bring a lot of mixed feelings to the discussion.

You surely already know that white distilled vinegar is known to exist an crawly household cleaner, and many people even employ it on their fretboards.

Merely retrieve about the odour…

Even if you apply but a little flake, it tends to be a really stiff smell, but many would fence that information technology goes away naturally within a few minutes.

I've never used it, and I will continue information technology that manner for now.

4- Toothpaste

I've constitute toothpaste to also bring mixed emotions to this type of question.

Many guitar players have posted online how toothpaste has washed incorrect for them and they don't know how to properly contrary the effects without farther impairment.

One thing you need to make articulate with toothpaste is what exactly y'all want to achieve:

  • Are you cleaning just the frets, pregnant the metal strings within the fretboard?
  • Are you trying to clean the forest?
  • Or are you attempting to do both?

That right in that location will give you a perfect way to redefine your search; the products won't exist the same when you lot're trying to clean wood, versus trying to clean metallic.

Humans have been using toothpaste to clean CD'southward surface for as long as I remember, and so for some folks, the same logic applies.

Toothpaste is helpful for the frets, (meaning, the metal parts that yous see across your fretboard), but do not apply information technology on the forest.

And if you're trying to polish the frets…

Make certain that you cover the wood with tape or but utilize a professional fretboard guard.

five- Acetone

In many years of playing guitar, I've never seen, read, or heard anybody having a positive experience with pure acetone and their fretboards.

Acetone can exist used equally a powerful cleaner in many other cases, but it is extremely harsh to utilise it for this case in particular.

Some people argue that it tin completely damage the fretboard finish.

Now, if yous find yourself having acetone every bit your but choice…

Then you might be able to just use one drop and mix it with water, but if I were you, I wouldn't do this more in one case.

6- Sandpaper

If in some situations, yous cannot remove the dirt from the guitar with the help of anything, exercise not try to apply sandpaper.

Fifty-fifty less if you are trying to clean the actual woods on the fretboard and not the frets.

You lot will literally scratch it and then the corporeality of work and fourth dimension that you will demand to spend to get it to wait like it was, volition exist unreal.

Sandpaper tends to be useful in polishing the bodily frets, but not the fretboard itself.

If yous are planning on polishing the actual frets, make sure to use a fret baby-sit or something similar to protect your equipment.

More on that right below.

Cleaning your guitar fretboard – Step by step

Now that you know about some of the products or items that you can and tin't use, allow'south put it all together…

Stride 1: Placing your guitar in a prophylactic identify

Before y'all even start to clean your guitar is very important that yous place it in a way that you won't damage it.

For instance, practise not effort to clean your guitar on the floor.

Ibanez guitar placed on the floor

This volition, most of the time, scratch your guitar'south body, and it volition be very uncomfortable for yous to fifty-fifty clean it properly.

What y'all can do, though, is to apply a table and place your musical instrument over some bedsheets or something with a like texture.

As you lot can run across in these pictures, the guitar won't be damaged or scratched in whatever mode by the tabular array's surface and it's simply better for y'all to nicely work on information technology.

Only why am I fifty-fifty maxim all this?

Well, I used to clean my guitars anywhere I found user-friendly. From using the floor, to my own bed; I just wouldn't recommend doing information technology like that.

Recall, y'all will be removing all the strings, which often, will get out small pieces all over the place.

Step 2: Removing all the strings

If you're planning on doing a deep cleaning to your fretboard, and so I would just encourage y'all to remove all the strings at in one case.

Even if y'all're not planning on getting rid of them, information technology will be much improve for you to accept them all removed, rather than working your fashion up, one by one.

If you have never done this earlier, then the first affair you would need to do is loosen up each cord equally much equally you can. And then depending on whether you desire to reuse them or not, y'all would but cut them, or remove them carefully.

And simply in instance you lot've heard nearly the old debate on whether yous should have all the strings off your guitar at once or not, I encourage yous to watch this YouTube video.

Is It Safe To Have All The Strings Off Your Guitar At Once?

He talks about how it's not that large of a bargain to remove them all at once and how your guitar won't get severely damaged at any point.

Stride 3: Cleaning your fretboard

Commencement of all, I want to talk about the terminology that I will use, but so that we are on the aforementioned folio.

When I say "frets", I will be referring to the strips of metallic embedded on your guitar'south fretboard. And when I say "fretboard", I mean to refer to just the wood.

Now…

The first affair that we will do is make clean the frets.

Before nosotros do so, we need to protect the woods. Some people like to use tape or a fret baby-sit, like this one:

premium fretboard guards

Today, I'thousand not using any of those, but rather I'm making my ain fret guard.

Making a fret guard

If you are interested in doing information technology equally well, then the only thing you need is some sort of strong cardboard that bends, some scissors, and a pen.

Just get to the concluding fret of your guitar, and draw some measurements, just like in the picture above.

The reason we do this is that we will eventually be cleaning each one of the frets, and if you notice, they go bigger as you lot go further into the terminal frets.

At present…

After that, cut a hole in the middle, wide enough that it could entirely fit a fret.

Polishing the frets

Sometimes, even after cleaning the entire fretboard, you will find out that the frets are still muddied.

But similar in this image:

These stains are not very noticeable from far away (and most of the time you are not going to be doing all this work), simply they are definitely there.

In this example, you could apply a boom file together with some toothpaste (separately, and in this exact order) to clean the frets.

Important: Practice not do this on the woods, yous will scratch it. And if y'all're using toothpaste, brand sure to use extra protection on the forest such as low tack protective record.

In my case, I'm simply using a nail file to slowly and patiently get rid of the yellow stains.

Then with that aforementioned fret guard we just made, or a unlike slice of cardboard, I will start scraping all the heavy dirt on the guitar.

scraping your guitar fretboard

This guitar wasn't likewise dirty, to brainstorm with, but if yours is, then just practise information technology like is beingness shown in the pictures higher up.

Later on that, you tin can just grab a small cotton ball, and start cleaning the fretboard.

Cleaning the fretboard

Since the primary topic of this post is to only use household items, I will just be using water equally of correct now.

Notice I'm non going to exist spraying it directly to the fretboard.

I'thousand putting a bit of water on the cotton wool ball, and then I will use that to clean the dirt.

To exist completely transparent with you lot, water doesn't remove equally much clay as you might recollect it would, and in my stance, information technology simply seems to dry the wood a bit too much.

Just and so yous can have an idea:

After I thought I had cleaned it with water perfectly, I decided to apply existent products, and the clay that kept coming out was unbelievable.

I used these two products from Dunlop's 6500 System 65 Guitar Maintenance Kit:

If you lot want to check out the entire kit, I would highly recommend it. The best thing near it is that I bought this kit almost 2 years agone, and I still take information technology.

As to how to utilise them, the label itself helps you figure it out with the big-sized 01 and 02 and its directions on the dorsum of the bottle.

Get-go I but applied the Fingerboard Cleaner & Prep using a cotton ball.

Remember, you should by and large never spray products directly on your guitar.

Y'all volition use way more than you need and is really non a safe thing to do to the fretboard wood.

After that, I practical the Fingerboard Deep Conditioner.

You should apply this product within each fret, one at a fourth dimension, and then allow it rest for a good five to ten minutes.

I always like to so get an unused cotton ball and remove any excess conditioner that I may take put by blow.

This is where most people go wrong; they put in way too much product so say that it makes the fretboard mucilaginous.

Information technology doesn't make the fretboard glutinous, you're just putting more you should.

The reason I'yard sharing this last office is elementary.

You could get away with cleaning your guitar with household items a few times, just merely like I said before, I don't think you should rely on these methods all the time.

How to forestall your fretboard from getting dingy

Clean your manus before playing

This is something I don't even do near of the time!

But…

It will go a long way if before you play your instrument, yous simply clean your hands and go rid of any sweat or oil on them.

Your guitar will be much cleaner and yous won't accept to be doing all this process all the time.

Don't hang your guitar on a wall

I'thou telling you this while I take a few of my guitars on the wall.

It looks good and to exist honest, I will keep them there : )

But just know that a lot of dust will accumulate on your musical instrument over fourth dimension, and this, combined with your sweat, is the perfect formula for a dirty guitar.

Make clean your guitar after using it

Accept a few seconds to clean it up afterwards playing your guitar.

But use a microfiber fabric or something similar and clean up the places that you would usually touch the most.

Doing these things is a great way of keeping your instrument in practiced shape.

Earlier you go

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