In this time of quarantine, it’s essential to stay safe and entertained. It’s time to revitalize
those hobbies of ours that we may have had to give up due to our hectic schedules. But
this article isn’t about hobbies; it’s about maintaining them! This article is for you
guitar lovers so that you can keep playing and keep your instrument safe too.
The essentiality of this article lies in the fact that if you don’t take good care of your
guitar, grime will build upon your strings, ruining them a lot quicker than you would
like. So, to help you better, we here at Chords & Co. present to you some tips on how to
take good care of your guitar.
Tip No. 1
Maintain and Protect Your Guitar
Take good care of your guitar as though
you’re 
seeing it for the first time in your life!
Place it in a hard case or a gig bag. It’s always
better to store it in a case rather than leaving it
in the open.
If you have an electric guitar, try loosening the
strings a bit so you can remove the dust that
has gathered around the pickups.
If you have an acoustic guitar, do the same but remove the dust by the bridge.
Loosen them enough such that a cloth can pass through. And a small note, prod the
hardware to check if it is loose and if it is, see if there is a screw to tighten it.
Use a cloth to wipe the strings after every use.
Before cleaning the guitar, it’s always better to remove the strings so it becomes easier.
Make sure you only remove a few strings at a time so that you don’t mess with the neck
tension on your guitar!
Tip No. 2
A precursor to Cleaning Your Strings.
Now before you start cleaning, you
need to take some cautionary steps to
prevent unnecessary wear and
tear. So start by placing your guitar
on a table. The guitar head should
not touch anything, lest your tuning
pegs get messed up. Ideally, place
it on a block to stabilize it.
Tip No. 3
Cleaning Your Strings.
Before cleaning your strings, you need to first know what kind of strings your guitar
employs. If your string has nylon wires, you can use a damp towel.
If it’s steel, then you can use string cleaners like Fast-Fret String Cleaner, Dunlop
Ultraglide, Dr.Stringfellow (do not use WD-40), most of which can be bought off amazon,
and a dry towel. In case you don’t have these, or cannot get your hands on a set, you
can use a 70-90% alcohol solution (use, but don’t waste sanitizer). You can also use
pre-shaving gel.
With your rag now wet and
ready to clean your strings,
slide half of the rag 
underneath the guitar as in
the figure.
It is a must to clean both
sides of the strings! Make
sure you go all the way
from the bridge to the nut
of the guitar. Apply
downward pressure to
clean the top portion, and
pull upward so that you get
the underside as well.
Tip No. 4
Lubrication (for metal strings)
Using lubricants prevents
the strings from getting
sticky, dirty and corroded.
Acoustic, flamenco or classical guitars
usually possess nylon
strings; electric, acoustic
and bass guitars are more
likely to have steel strings.
Apply the lubricant on a
rag. Dunlop Lemon Oil, Tone
Finger-Ease String
Lubricant, or GHS Fast
Fret are commercially
available lubricants. Olive oil, vaseline or baby oil are some cheaper alternatives.
Do not apply the lubricant directly on the strings, this can lead to undesired grease
landing on the fretboard. Position and fold the rag as you did with cleaning the strings.
Repeat everything you did while cleaning the strings, except now with the lubricant
containing rag.
When done properly, the strings should end looking noticeably shinier! They should also
be oily and smooth to the touch.
Tip No. 5
Take Care of Vintage Guitars.
Vintage guitars with a nitro finish will change color or develop a sheen or patina over
time as part of the normal aging process. Clean your vintage guitars simply with a cloth
and a little bit of water. Avoid polishes as much as possible for these guitars as they can
damage the finish.
Tip No. 6
Cleaning the Fingerboard.
This is the part of your guitar where the strings are. A fretboard, or fingerboard, should
only be cleaned once or twice a year so that the natural oils and moisture on your guitar
that are picked up through the contact with your fingers remain on the guitar. Using your cloth, lightly dampen it with water or distilled vinegar (again, dampen, but not
excessively), and gently wipe away the dirt or grime you find on your fretboard. You can
also use steel wool scrubs to clean stubborn dirty spots. You can do this while you’re
changing your strings, be sure to loosen your strings enough if they’re still on and be
very careful while you clean the frets.
Tip No. 7
Clean the Body of the Guitar.
Clean the body of the guitar with a clean damp cloth in circular motions. In case, if there
are stains that aren’t going away that easily, like fingerprints or smudges, huff warm
breath on your guitar as though you were cleaning a window, since it may need a bit
more of moisture. If this isn’t enough, you can use a small amount of mild detergent with
water. After this, buff with a dry cloth to remove the streaks.
Do the same for cleaning the bridge, and use a toothbrush or pipe cleaner to scrub away
the dirt.
Tip No. 8
Clean your Tuning Keys
These are the keys at the top of your guitar neck, on the headstock of your guitar. To
clean these keys you can spray a dry cloth with glass cleaner and polish each key to
bring back the shine!
Tip No. 9
Polish your Pickups
These are usually located on an electric
guitar and certain semi-acoustics, on the body
of the guitar in place of the soundhole. If your
pickups look a little dirty you can clean them
up with a damp cloth, but if you spot rust on
your pickups, consider giving your guitar for a
tone up.
Tip No. 10
Polish the Finish.
Some guitar experts suggest not to polish your guitar frequently, as the polish can build
up and dampen the sound of your guitar. If you are going to polish your guitar, use a
polish that contains pure carnauba wax and no solvents or petroleum products. Spray
your polish on a cloth and
gently wipe down your guitar. 
Avoid polishing if you have a
vintage guitar and if your guitar
has a satin finish, don’t go for
polishing it, otherwise, the satin
finish can look blotchy.
We hope to have covered almost every aspect as best as we could. Follow these tips,
follow your passion, and grow a healthy relationship with your guitar in the coming
months!
Play cool, stay safe, stay indoors.
Written by: Stephen James
Artwork by: Akshay Dhansoia
Chords & Co. 