guitars

You can get “specialty” guitar cleaning polish at pretty much any music store. I don’t know the difference between them and other cleaning products you might already have though.

You’re going to have a lot of gunk on the frets and fretboard. When you go to clean that off, just be wary of any cleaner that’s abrasive or has chemicals that are harmful to wood.

Rusty parts, I like to use naval jelly - awesome pink goo that you can get pretty much anywhere. Dissolves rust and is gentle on the base metal. And this is your opportunity to clean up dust around the bridge, pickups, and nut.

Also, if you’ve been playing the same strings for 10 years, you’re going to think you got a whole new guitar when you put on fresh ones.

10 years??? Wow man. Do you even play? Lol

Seriously though, for the majority of your guitar, alcohol is fine, but most luthiers use naptha to cut through just about any gunk. It evaporates very cleanly without any residue. Safe for almost every finish and wood type. That shit is like magic, but it's extremely volatile, so don't smoke around it, or breathe it.

That being said, if you use it on bare wood (such as an ebony or rosewood fretboard), you'll definitely want to oil it afterwards. Lemon oil is the go-to here. You don't have to use much. Just get the fretboard wet with it and rub it very clean with paper towels. I've used tung oil in the past and that works fine as well.

I wouldn't use any kind of water based anything (soap) as that's going to leave residue everywhere.

If your strings are 10 years old, it's going to need a hell of a cleaning.

I generally like the music nomad kits, they are a bit pricey for what they are, but they are convenient if not anything else. You will want the Frine Fret polishing kit, because those frets just have to be nasty. You'll also want to grab their cleaning spray, which is a good all-rounder. If you have the budget they also have this cleaning spade that's good for getting under the strings and the fretboard when you still have strings on, like it's good for maintenance cleans while it's strung, but it's not necessary either. Just nice to have.

Start with the fretboard and move down. Clean the frets, and oil it (theres youtube videos for everything).

If you don't want to spend the money, at a minimum get a bottle of cleaner and a bottle of a fretboard cleaner if it's rosewood - if it's maple just use the general cleaner sparingly. You can use autosol and a rag to clean the frets on the cheap, but tape your fretboard up before you do (that's why those music nomad fret guards are worth their weight in gold).

Otherwise it's just common sense. Use a good microfiber cloth if you don't want micro scratches (like the ones that come with reading glasses).

I usually use Lemon Oil on the fretboard (don't use it on maple). And just a Guitar Polish/Oil for the rest of it. I think this was the kit I bought

I'm just some guy on the internet but most guitars are mostly wood, and that reacts structurally to temp and humidity so care can mean different things depending how close you are to the tropics or polar regions. Too cold and dry gets brittle and easier to break/split, fret sprout, etc. too warm and humid and easier to bend, warp, etc.

I'm in a place that gets all seasons but has some very dry cold months, I keep a humidity pack in cased guitars for storage & re-wet monthly & use wood oil once a year. The couple I use often I'll restring around monthly and clean with a damp cloth then use a wood oil on the exposed wood neck/head/back. Haven't had a neck split or cracks develop yet so it seems to be working. I wouldn't use alcohol that seems way too drying unless I was in a more humid/warm environment or there was some serious gunk to clean off.

All that said I'd really like to try a carbon fiber guitar at some point, they seem to be resistant to all that stuff and have been getting cheaper but I'm not sure if the cheaper ones use a polymer that's just carbon fiber in name or something like how would you even test that.

As someone else said, I’m just some dog on the internet, but the simple truth is guitars don’t usually “need” cleaning. Some players like Mike Campbell actually make a point of not cleaning the maple fretboard. New strings every so often is really all it “needs”.

That said, a soft cloth is the best “tool”, and as for cleaner, the truth is spit is perfect for general use. If you really wanna get the grime out of corners and things (where’s the guitar been it’s got so much grime on it?) then yeah lots of specially marketed cleaners are available.

I use these a lot: They’re fine and clean well and disposable afterwards. I have a friend who swears by lemon oil for the fretboard, but I’ve found that’s only useful on the more uncoated / porous type of boards.

Have fun, that’s the main thing!

I use this to treat the fretboard when I change strings: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Music-Nomad/Fretboard-F-ONE-Oil-Cleaner-Conditioner-2-oz-1329756294012.gc

Just a line down the fretboard and rub it in with a paper towel. I change strings on my main guitar every 6 months since I play it almost every day.

To clean gunk and skin oil off the body I use Zippo lighter fluid as a solvent. Do not use this or alcohol on the fretboard though.

I don’t have a lot of rust on my guitar so can’t recommend anything for that.

Do not need to use name brand anything. Cotton swabs work just fine.