Have you all of a sudden been struck by the desire to clean your guitar? Do you not have any proper guitar cleaner to hand and need some quick guitar polish alternatives that are going to get you results?
Then come on in, as we explore a couple of solutions that you will be able to perform at home without the acquisition of anything new.
Table of Contents
Best Alternative for Guitar Polish: Damp Cloth
To sidestep, say, using Martin guitar polish by the brand, you need to look no further than the tap in your house (and if you already have a microfiber cloth lying around then that is even better).
Whether you are seeking to clean the guitar body, the guitar strings, or the entire guitar, you can’t really go wrong with a damp cloth and some elbow grease – and this goes for acoustic guitar and electric guitar!
A lot of sources suggest that you can even use furniture polish, going so far as to say that ‘Virtually all products labeled “guitar polish” are, essentially, re-bottled furniture polish.’ Now, this is all well and good, but when you can get away with just using water and a cloth on a guitar’s finish, why complicate things?
There are not many things that can find themselves on dirty guitar finishes that said damp cloth and some effort will not cure, whether they be gloss finishes or matte.
You can even use this method if it is the guitar fretboard at fault, coated in dead skin and the like. Dirty guitars need tending to and guitar cleaners are not at all essential in the process of guitar cleaning. If you are learning how to clean a rosewood fretboard, then you can use a soft card to scrape off the larger chunks of skin before applying the damp cloth.
And it ought to be a damp cloth, mind! Just as you would use lemon oil and, say, a cotton cloth on a gloss finish, you will want to make sure the cloth is not soaking as this could do more harm than good. whether on the guitar finish or the fretboard.
Do not remove all the strings as this can have a negative effect on the action of the guitar; instead, remove as many as three at a time.
Final Tones
So, there you have it!
Hopefully, your curiosity about guitar polish alternatives has been satiated and you have been able to get your guitar clean and in ship shape, ready for whatever new battles it has to face!
FAQs Guitar Polish Alternatives
The most simple alternative to the use of guitar polish – and one that most people will have easy and quick access to – is water. There is not much that a little water on a damp cloth will not cure, especially when applying some real force to the equation. Making sure the cloth is no more than damp will ensure that the process does not do more harm than good, as a whole load of water can very much cause pains rather than increase performance.
The most simple alternative to the use of guitar polish – and one that most people will have easy and quick access to – is water. Do make sure, however, that the cloth is no more than damp – this will ensure that the process does not do more harm than good, as a whole load of water can very much cause pains rather than increase performance. That being said you can also use furniture polish to do the job, many going on to state that ‘Virtually all products labeled “guitar polish” are, essentially, re-bottled furniture polish.’
The most simple alternative to the use of guitar polish – and one that every household will come equipped with – is water. Do make sure, however, that the cloth is no more than damp – this will ensure that the process does not do more harm than good, as a whole load of water can very much cause pains rather than increase performance. That being said you can also use furniture polish to do the job, many going on to state that ‘Virtually all products labeled “guitar polish” are, essentially, re-bottled furniture polish.’
