How To Clean A Tweed Guitar Case

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Learning how to clean an acoustic guitar is an important part of caring for your instrument.

This step by step guide will show y'all how to clean your guitar including protecting it equally you clean. Information technology?due south pretty simple really, in that location are just a couple of things y'all should know before starting.

Cleaning the Fretboard

Probably the most important part of cleaning your guitar is cleaning the fretboard. All the clay, grime and oil that comes off your fingers can make for a dirty surface which tin can somewhen affect your playing.

A dirty fretboard will as well mean that your strings will deteriorate quicker, lose their tone quicker and therefore require changing more oftentimes.

Your frets may also commencement to show signs of rust at some point only this is also easily remedied.

Notation: in that location are some products that you can apply on maple fretboards (which are unremarkably on electrical guitars) that y'all definitely shouldn?t employ on rosewood and ebony fretboards.

Maple fretboards usually have a protective finishing, whereas rosewood and ebony fretboards are unfinished. The products used on finished maple fretboards will impairment unfinished woods.

Pace 1: Remove the strings

You volition need to remove the strings of the guitar to clean the fretboard properly, and then the best time to do this is when you are changing your strings . You probably won?t demand to make clean your guitar every time yous change your strings (depending on how often you change them!).

Once every half dozen months should exist fine for most people – and even in one case a year is fine if you don?t play that often. It?s actually bad to clean it too oft every bit the oils in your fingers act every bit a natural conditioner. But at that place is also crud left backside which should be cleaned up every at present so.

I notice it's easiest to set up on a table or bench and with something to support the neck to terminate it from over balancing when you are trying to make clean.

Step 2: Protect the finish on the Body and the Soundhole

Correct, so after you lot have removed the strings, you volition want to brand sure your guitar is protected.

Use masking tape to embrace the top of the guitar that runs aslope the fretboard. Apply the same tape to cover the soundhole and so that you don?t get particles from the steel wool (see below) inside the guitar – this volition as well protect whatever magnetic pickups (if yous have them)?within the guitar from alluring the steel wool fragments.

Earlier applying the tape it?s a good thought to give the area where you are taping a quick rub downwardly to brand sure it?s gratuitous of grit.

Footstep 3: Clean the fretboard/frets

For this I have establish the all-time and easiest way?is to utilize?fine grade steel wool. Some people freak when you say to use steel wool on their precious fretboard – just the steel wool you use is very fine form.

It is very important that you lot utilize 0000 grade steel wool. If the steel wool is too harsh it will harm your fretboard. Just this very fine grade does a great chore for cleaning upwardly the fretboard and the frets at the same time. And it?due south very easy to do.

Simply run the steel wool up and downwardly the fretboard starting from the first fret and working your way down towards the audio hole. Ever practice this upwards and down the fretboard, with the grain of the wood (not width-means across the fretboard).

Once you lot accept cleaned the fretboard it?due south important that you remove all of the steel wool fibres. Use a soft brush (a soft bristled paint brush works well – provided you haven?t used it for painting!) to brush away all of the fibres earlier conditioning.

Step 4: Conditioning the Fretboard

Take a cloth – and put a small-scale amount of linseed oil or lemon oil. I endeavour to go a production that is specifically designed for guitars (and that it's noted that information technology's safe and good for the particular type of fretboard that I'm conditioning) so that I can exist sure that it will be safe.

Put the oil on the cloth non directly on the fretboard.

Employ only a small amount and wipe it onto the fretboard with the material. Once y'all have wiped information technology?on take a dry office of the cloth or a new textile that?south dry, and buff off any excess oil.

Cleaning the Torso and Neck

This is something that yous can exercise after every time you play the guitar to avoid it getting dirty. This is of course upwardly to yous depending on how clean you like to continue your guitar.

Regular Cleaning

If you do similar to regularly clean your guitar – like giving information technology a quick wipe downward subsequently every fourth dimension you play yous only need to do this with a dry cloth – preferably a 100% cotton cloth.

An old t-shirt can work fine, particularly if it?s 100% cotton. Try non to clean with the printed parts of the t-shirt – sometimes this can scratch the terminate.

Every now and and so I likewise like to practise a thorough clean.

Thorough Clean

If you don?t clean the height, dorsum, sides and cervix regularly you lot may need to give it a scrap more than of a clean.

Or fifty-fifty if you practice clean it regularly sometimes it volition need more of a clean and that spot between the sound hole and the bridge may need some extra attending (easier to admission when y'all have the strings off).

If and then then you can use a balmy soap and water solution. E'er use this to your rag or material and never directly on the guitar and brand sure that the cloth is just slightly clammy – not wet.

Wipe down the top, back, sides & cervix and to make certain there isn?t extra moisture wipe it down once more with a dry material or dry out function of the cloth yous are using.

Polishing

If y'all want to give your guitar that corking shine then you lot might desire to polish it after cleaning.

Annotation: Information technology?s very of import that you don?t use full general furniture polishes and never use waxes or polishes with a silicone base.

I similar to stick with guitar specific polishes and so that I know that I am getting something that isn?t harming the finish on my guitar.

The process is pretty much the same as it is for cleaning the guitar. Put a small amount of the smooth on the textile (never directly on the guitar) and wipe over the height, dorsum, sides & neck of the guitar.

Now utilize a dry out textile or dry function of the textile and buff it all off.

Don?t forget the neck too – a nice make clean, polished neck can be really nice to play on.

While your strings are off

While your strings are off the guitar information technology?s also a great idea to clean the headstock and also to tighten the nuts on the capstan (the parts of the machine heads that hold the strings).

Y'all can also tighten the screws in the tuning pegs if they are lose – whilst yous tin do this when the strings are on as well it?s a good habit to get into then that you call up to do it when you lot practise a make clean.