You just got your acoustic guitar; it is all shiny and new, there are no streaks on the body, and the strings sound crisp when your fingers pluck them. You have invested money into your guitar and time into learning how to play. Your beautiful musical instrument will pick up the grime and dirt that comes with everyday use over time. When this happens, the strings start to sound dull and erode if not taken care of properly. If you want to ensure your strings and guitar are living their best life, check out our guitar strings cleaning tips below.
Do I Have to Clean my Strings?
The short answer is no. You do not have to. If you want to avoid cleaning the strings, you can buy new guitar strings every time they start to corrode or sound dull. When you remove any build-up on the strings, it feels better and has better contact with the fretboard. After you are finishing cleaning the strings, you will need to retune your guitar, as pulling strings to clean them may get them out of tune.
Eventually, you will have to replace your strings as it’s normal for them to wear down over time. Cleaning your guitar strings will help them live longer and be livelier while you have them. The sound will be more precise and more noticeable. You will notice when you should replace the strings: they are broken, they will not stay in tune, and if you want to change the tension and composition.
Why do my Strings Keep Getting Dirty?
You’re not as clean as you think you are. Dirt, oil, and dead skin can transfer from your fingers to the strings. Just one of those is bad enough, but it is a dangerous concoction to your lines when you combine all three. When you don’t wipe down your strings consistently, the grime you have left behind on them will cause them to erode faster, and they will start to sound dull. To help limit this, you can wash your hands before playing your guitar.
How do I Know When it is Time to Clean my Strings?
To prevent having to take a lot of time to clean them thoroughly, you should wipe them down after every use. If you play less than 15 minutes, you can get away with not wiping the strings down or just using a rag to go over them. Cleaning the guitar is recommended after playing and making sure that gunk does not build upon them over time and cause dulling.
If you end up not playing your guitar for a while, it is a good idea to clean them before you play. The strings can rust over time or have grime and dust build-up.
What do I use to Clean my Strings?
It would be best if you lay your guitar down on a flat surface or sit with it on the floor or couch. You don’t want to drop it or mess the pegs up while you are cleaning it. If the guitar is on a table or floor, put a block of wood or an object under the headstock.
Before we dive into this, we need to mention that you should not use any household cleaners, WD-40, or rubbing alcohol to clean your guitar strings if you do not know what kind of strings you have. These can erode any coating on your guitar strings and will damage the fretboard.
If you have steel strings, you can lubricate them, helping them get sticky or dirty. If your guitar has nylon strings, do not lubricate the strings because it can cause them to erode faster.
There are several methods you can use to clean your strings:
The Quickie Method:
You will take the washcloth, fold it into a square, and rub it up and down the strings about four times from top to bottom. We also recommend a microfiber towel as it will not leave behind any lint. The lint can get stuck in the grooves of the strings and damage them. You should flip it over and wipe down the back of the guitar neck. Ensure that the guitar is lying flat on a surface so that when you are cleaning the strings, the pegs do not mess up.
The More Thorough Method:
Using a dry washcloth or microfiber towel, you will pinch a string and move it up and down. You should do this about three times and repeat for every string. After cleaning the tops of the strings:
- Flatten the washcloth or towel and slide it up under the strings.
- Move it up and down from the bridge to the nut about three times.
- Remove the cloth or towel from under the strings and spot clean the fretboard.
- After you are down with the front, flip it over and wipe down the back of the neck about three times.
Specific Tools to Help Clean
There are tools out there explicitly engineered for cleaning guitar strings. There are tools like the Nomad Tool that cleans all six strings at once. It is a microfiber cloth attached to a flat object that will slide under the ropes to wipe them. If you want to step your game up and save some time, you can get a String Cleaner with microfiber cloths within a case so you can clean both sides of the strings at once. The String Cleaner will apply enough pressure with the case that it can clean both sides thoroughly as you move up and down.
The guitar strings are essential to the guitar, and it was playing correctly. You can’t play the guitar without any strings, and you won’t be able to play the guitar well if the strings are bad. Maintaining your strings is essential because it will expand your longevity and help keep the sound crisp. Cleaning the strings and your guitar often will help it last. Your guitar is an investment. Taking the necessary steps and using the proper cleaning procedures to help your guitar have a long, healthy life.