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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Guitars and accessories → Cleaning fret board/guitar ?
hiya chordies
i know you can buy dedicated cleaners, but anyone got any ideas for DIY / HOMEMADE cleaners?
ave got some greasey looking frets off my fingers and need to spruice my guitar up
cheers micky
Dont Stop Kid Keep Rockin' !! Elbow grease , works wonders.
GHS Fast Fret
Elbow grease , works wonders.
And? Surely somthing to cut through the grease & Gunk?
Dont Stop Kid Keep Rockin' !! Lemon Oil works well to clean and rejuvinate dried out fret boards - but don't use it on the guitar's finish. I've always used Jim Dunlop's polish on the bodies - not that expensive, and a bottle of it will last years.
If it's a finished fretboard, than just wipe it down. Make sure you get clean 'round the frets.
If it's not a finished fretboard, you can use any furnisher polish. And henryb is right, not matter what type of cleaner you use, there's no substitute for scrubbing!
getfiddle
An English luthier claims olive oil is all you need to use. Makes sense but might make me hungry every time I played.
Hi Guys ,
I've always used boiled linseed oil .. You can get it at any hardware store and it's real good for the wood .. Whenever I restring , I dob it on with a clean cloth and let it sit a bit then wipe off the excess , usually do that twice then restring .. It's good for the wood and looks nice for some time after ........
Jerry
An English luthier claims olive oil is all you need to use. Makes sense but might make me hungry every time I played.
As I always have some extra virgin olive oil in my pantry this is what I use on my fretboard each time I change strings and give my guitars a good clean with furniture polish getting in the places that are impossible to clean properly with strings attached.
Never fancied taking a bite out of the fretboard though 
Roger
is it ok to put either linseed oil or olive oil on the body of the guitar dont know why i would want to but that popped into my head
No you should not put any oils onto the guitar body. The fretboard, and in my case the bridge block are untreated hardwood, and will absorb the oils keeping them in good condition.
On the laquered/varnished finish of the guitar body the oils would just sit there, slowly drying out, attracting dust and making a gungy mess. In warm weather the local fly population would probably treat it like a MacDonald's Drive In . So not to be advised.
Roger
hiya chordies
i know you can buy dedicated cleaners, but anyone got any ideas for DIY / HOMEMADE cleaners?
ave got some greasey looking frets off my fingers and need to spruice my guitar upcheers micky
Mickey,
I have used lizzard spit for the last 8 years for all my fret boards (a citrus oil, www.lisardspit.com) and GHS polish it is a non silicate and does not leave a hazy residue.
Regards,
Bootlegger.
I use lemon oil and 0000 steel wool wiping with the grain. If lemon oil isn't available, olive oil works well. Just be sure to buff it well with a dry rag after cleaning to remove any excess oil. -Pix
thanks to you all for your advice.
Regards Micky
Dont Stop Kid Keep Rockin' !! give my guitars a good clean with furniture polish getting in the places that are impossible to clean properly with strings attached.
Roger
Hey Roger,
I've always heard that furnisher polish was a big no no on acoustics. It builds up over time and can hender top vibration and dampen the tone. Most builders recommend using only a slightly damp cloth and then a dry cloth after to clean and maintain optimal tone. -Pix
Thanks Pix for the tip, it certainly makes sense. I will take your advise and throw the furniture polish away.
Roger
Yeah I've heard this too ( furniture polish, very bad). I've always used a lint free cloth and 'elbow grease' to clean my guitars. I actually give a spit on the guitar to speed the cleaning process, turn the cloth over and complete the cleaning/drying. I'll use q-tips and a little alcohol to clean the grit away from the frets. The lint free cloth is very important . Cloth balls wrapped around the guitar strings really can alter the string volume output and they're a real booger to remove.
Hi Folks, I'm getting the impression from some of the posts that the cleaning of the fret board happens while the strings are removed. I was told some time ago that when changing strings, I should only change one at a time as the tension of the remaining strings prevents the neck from twisting (?) out of alignment. Can anyone help me here? If it's not a big problem then I'm thinking that cleaning the fret board is going to be a much easier process if I can do it at string changing time with all the strings off. 
Hi Folks, I'm getting the impression from some of the posts that the cleaning of the fret board happens while the strings are removed. I was told some time ago that when changing strings, I should only change one at a time as the tension of the remaining strings prevents the neck from twisting (?) out of alignment. Can anyone help me here? If it's not a big problem then I'm thinking that cleaning the fret board is going to be a much easier process if I can do it at string changing time with all the strings off.
Hey Turret,
Removing all the strings at once is perfectly fine. I've always done it and never had a problem. I wouldn't leave it unstrung for a prolonged period of time but for an hour or two it's fine. -Pix
Thanks Pix, that's going to make cleaning a whole lot easier!
Hi,
On my Taylor 614 I use Linseed Oil it really make the wood look good, and conditions it very well. But I also use Lemon oil on my electric guitars.
Sky1RN
"Spare Parts"
Turret wrote:Hi Folks, I'm getting the impression from some of the posts that the cleaning of the fret board happens while the strings are removed. I was told some time ago that when changing strings, I should only change one at a time as the tension of the remaining strings prevents the neck from twisting (?) out of alignment. Can anyone help me here? If it's not a big problem then I'm thinking that cleaning the fret board is going to be a much easier process if I can do it at string changing time with all the strings off.
Hey Turret,
Removing all the strings at once is perfectly fine. I've always done it and never had a problem. I wouldn't leave it unstrung for a prolonged period of time but for an hour or two it's fine. -Pix
Thanks from me too Pix. I was wondering how the action on a guitar could be adjusted if you couldn't take all strings off.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Guitars and accessories → Cleaning fret board/guitar ?
