Published 11 January 2016 ● Last Updated on 8 October 2020
Ever took the time to inspect the keyboard on your laptop after frequent use? Pretty gross, isn’t it? A thin layer of dust will have gathered between the spaces of each keys, there’s an orgy of fingerprints on your screen from all the times you excitedly pointed out new SecondsGuru ideas to your friends and you might even find a few greasy stains here and there from when you devoured that delicious BLT whilst “working” (i.e Youtube-ing) at the same time. Don’t worry, there’s no need to be ashamed – it happens to the best of us and not just with our laptops. The more we use our favourite gadgets, toys or instruments, the more of a trace we are going to leave, it’s only natural. If you own a guitar or know someone who does for example – please ask yourself or him/her (as the case may be), when was the last time it was given some tender loving care? And I don’t mean by playing it, I mean by cleaning and polishing it to look as good as new! Just as our laptops, our guitars are also prone to collect dust, grease and other dirt and if you want it to sound and look good for many years to come, there are some important things you need to consider.
How to store it?
Guitars may not seem all that delicate, but they are. A lot of people simply lean their guitars against the wall or place it on some random chair when they’re done with it. That could be potential ‘guitar suicide’! All it takes is for the guitar to be knocked over and you can be looking at cracks in the body or even a snapped neck. You may think to yourself, “Well I’m careful, I’m not that clumsy!” but trust me when I say: it can happen to anyone! Yours truly recently lost a beloved reggae guitar to a broken neck – courtesy of my dog’s crazy five minutes of running around the house like a maniac. You don’t necessarily have to pack your guitar away into its case after every jam (although it will help keeping it free of dust and dirt), but make sure it is stored away in a safe, dry place where there is no chance of it being knocked around. An excellent and decorative way to store your guitar is by hanging it from the wall. You can buy special guitar wall hangers or even make one yourself! Just be sure to avoid placing it in direct sunlight or humid places as this will affect the woodwork and the tuning.
Remove & Replace Strings on a Regular Basis
Any guitar enthusiast knows what sore fingertips feel like at the end of a long jam session. No wonder – after a few hours of pressing and sliding your finger tips on and around the strings, it’s only natural they would become über-sensitive to touch or even wash under warm water. Die-hards will play until they bleed! After a while your guitar strings will be a well of dead skin, dirt and grime and if you don’t tend to them, it will affect the sound. If you’re not yet ready to part with your strings, you can use a clean, cotton cloth and wipe them down every time you played for a while. If you’re noticing that your guitar is getting more difficult to tune or certain techniques just aren’t sounding the way they should, it’s time to replace those old strings for some new ones. In taking off the strings you will also create the perfect opportunity to clean the area around the pick ups and the neck.
Keep it Clean…always!
The best time to clean the guitar neck and the area around the pick ups is after having removed the strings, giving you more space to move freely and really get into the dirt and dust that has collected under the strings. But with patience and caution you can easily do it with the strings on as well. Use a clean cotton cloth to get rid of all the dust and oil residue from your fingertips and then give it a good rub down to bring it back to its original shine. This will feel like a spa-day for your guitar!
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-Roxanne
Roxanne is a German/British Journalist/Author based in Spain who shares our passion for all things old and quirky.
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