Today’s article is all about keeping the guitar clean. I’ve found this to be an important task that’s often overlooked by most guitar players.
Cleaning a guitar is essential to keeping it in good condition and looking well for years. A well-maintained guitar produces impeccable sounds.
Ideally, a guitar should be cleaned after each playing session. The reason for this is that your hands are oily which makes it really easy to transfer oils and dirt onto the guitar parts.
Because of this, it’s important that you wash your hands before each playing session to minimize the amount of dirt and oil that you transfer onto the guitar.
Depending on how often you use it, you should clean visible parts like the body, strings, headstock, and frets every playing session.
Famous guitarists have their guitars cleaned and serviced by professionals known as guitar technicians or simply, guitar techs.
The way to clean a guitar depends on whether it is an acoustic or an electric one. There are many cleaning products introduced by different musical instrument brands like Fender, Gibson, Planet Waves, C.F. Martin & Company, and many others.
Cleaning the Guitar Strings
You need to use a clean cloth or paper towel to wipe the strings of your acoustic or electric guitar, and this should be done after each playing session before you play it back onto it’s stand or into the case.
It is also best to match it with a cleaning solution such as “The String Cleaner” or “The Swipe”.
Cleaning the strings of a bass guitar would require you to clean them one by one because of the thickness of the strings.
This is usually a quick job and won’t take much of your time, but they help your strings to last much longer and they keep the tone of your sound better as well.
Cleaning the Guitar Fretboard
In order to properly clean the fretboard of your guitar, it is best to remove all of the strings first. Removing the strings of an electric guitar is different from that of an acoustic guitar.
After you take the strings out, initially clean the fingerboards with a clean, dry cloth.
After that, take another cloth, apply it with a guitar cleaning solution, and rub the fretboard thoroughly. Cleaning the corners of the frets is most important because it’s where dusts and dirt pile up. You can use a toothpick or tootbrush if wiping it off does not simply remove the dirt.
After cleaning the details of the fretboard, polish it with a dry cloth. At this point you can now place the strings back onto the guitar.
I personally don’t take off the strings – I just loosen them up a lot so that they’re easily moved out of the way while I clean the frets and the neck.
Cleaning the Body and Headstock
Cleaning the body and headstock is as easy as wiping it off with a soft, clean cloth. Being the most exposed part of a guitar, it is best to clean the body after every playing session to keep it shiny and looking brand new.
Cleaning a guitar is a pretty simple task that you should get used to doing. Doing it at a regular intervals does not only retain its original tone, it also prevents the need for serious repair and increases its durability.
If you have an electric guitar that you do not use often, it is best to keep the strings detuned and loose as this will help them last longer.
I hope this brief article about cleaning the guitar convinced you to start keeping it clean. I guarantee you that once you invest in a $2,000 dollar guitar, you won’t need me to remind you to keep it clean 
Jeff
