Having a nice, clean guitar not only makes you look awesome, it improves your sound as well. The fingerboard plays more smoothly and the wood vibrates freely. Here are a few tips on how to clean your guitar without ruining it.
You can keep most of the dirt off by dusting off your guitar once a week with a clean cloth. Remember to not use the same cloth on your guitar as you used on the fingerboard, otherwise some of the steel particles can scratch it up. The danger is not very bad, but why take the chance?
A couple times a year your guitar can use a little polish. Make sure to get the right polish depending on the finish of your guitar. For unfinished surfaces, like bridges and fingerboards, use oil based polish like "lemon oil". It can also be used on vintage instruments as well. Major guitar manufacturers make polishes for contemporary nitrocellulose or acrylic lacquers. First apply a little polish on a clean cotton clots, then wipe it on your guitar, clean it off with another clean cloth and your done. Oil the bridge too. When you keep fingerboard and bridge oiled it prevents cracking in dry climates. Read instructions before using it to make sure no special care required. It is not a good idea to over-oil unfinished areas using natural oil, like some people do. It ends up clogging up the wood.
If your guitar is really dirty you can purchase special heavy-duty grease in any music stores. It contains a little bit of grit, which helps to get the extra gunk off, without ruining the looks of your guitar, supposedly. Unfortunately it usually always takes some of the finish off. To avoid hurting your guitar it's better to use the heavy stuff only in extreme cases. By the way, don't use any of that big name cleaner as Pledge, Windex and more. I know I'm being obvious on this one, but you would be surprised how many people I caught using heavy chemicals on their instruments. It still makes me cringe, just thinking about it.
Sometimes dust gets trapped inside of your guitar. It may seem a bit much, but dust can accumulate moisture, guitars enemy. Just simply vacuum it out to avoid any damage to the guitar.
Another little tip to remember is to use clean hands as often as possible. Hands contain oil, which in turn rubs of on the guitar attracting dirt and causing those sticky stains no one really likes.
If you follow these simple few tips on cleaning your guitar you should have no problem in keeping a nice clean guitar without ruining it.
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