How to Do Basic Maintenance on Your Guitar

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Guitars are hardy creatures. If you don't abuse or accidentally destroy your guitar, it may well stay with you for the rest of your life. Even so, you should perform some maintenance to keep it in excellent health.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

  • Acoustic Guitars
  • Guitar Cases
  • Guitar Polish
  • Guitar Stands
  • Cloth Diapers
  • Camel-hair Paintbrushes
  • Cotton Cloth
  • Dust Cloths
  • Feather Dusters
  • Furniture Polishes
  • Polishing Cloths

Cleaning the Strings

Step1
Dust under the strings and under the bridge with a feather duster, soft cotton cloth or a clean, cotton diaper.
Step2
Wipe the strings after playing to prevent the buildup of grime. Otherwise, the natural oil and sweat on your fingers will cause the strings to become dull over time.
Step3
Use a small, camel-hair paintbrush to dust the bridge and pickup areas.

Cleaning and Polishing the Wood

Step1
Blow excess dust off the wood.
Step2
Gently rub the guitar with a dust cloth.
Step3
If dullness persists, use a soft cloth to rub furniture or guitar polish on the body of the guitar.

General Maintenance

Step1
Store your guitar in its case whenever you are not playing.
Step2
Keep your guitar out of direct sunlight.
Step3
Keep your guitar in a room with 45 percent to 55 percent humidity, a level that is also comfortable for humans.
Step4
Avoid exposing your guitar to extremes of temperature.

Tips & Warnings

  • Do not touch the pickups of an electric guitar with anything other than a dry cloth if you don't want to risk upsetting the pickup's sensitive magnetic field.
  • Never pour polish directly on the guitar. It may leave permanent stains.
  • Do not attempt any major repairs unless you know exactly what you are doing. Go to your local guitar shop instead.

Comments

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Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 3/2/2006 A good way to clean an electric guitar is by wiping it down with Spray 'n' Wipe and using a lint-free cloth. Also, scrubbing your frets and pickups with steel wool helps them sound clearer, but be careful not to scratch the wood on the board itself.
After you've scrubbed the metal parts of your guitar with steel wool, rubbing them with a small amount of fresh Coca-Cola helps them stay nice and shiny, just try not to leave any on there.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Silicone polishes such as Pledge will make your guitar extremely difficult to refinish.

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eHow Article:  How to Do Basic Maintenance on Your Guitar

eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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