Cleaning – Hey Pigpen
So the green film on your guitar strings is growing its own green film. I’m not here to point fingers; it’s hard enough to find time for cleaning the bathroom let alone cleaning a guitar. Depending on how dirty your guitar is, you may need the tender yet tough hand of a guitar repair professional. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the guitars fault, it’s you, Pigpen!
Guitars get dirty many ways:
- Maybe you were going green, saving water, and your week long unwashed arm and hands were gliding all over the guitar.
- Some people (me) have a body that produces chemicals (I’m a scientist) that will grime up and rust out a set of new strings in a week.
- Heck lets just blame the dirt on the dog, the dirt is Fido’s pet dander.
If your guitar is just mildly dirty, you won’t need a guitar repair shop to give it the old wipe down. Feel free to purchase a fancy 100% cotton/micro fiber cloth from your local guitar shop, or just use an old soft t-shirt to gently wipe it down. Keep those strings looking fresh by wiping them down good after each shredding session. This will avoid that nasty “green stuff” growing under them that freaks people out. There are many types of mild liquid sprays to use for cleaning. If you think it will need a stronger, pastier cleaner, then you might want to have a guitar repair expert do the work. Best advice; wipe your guitar down often!
A guitar repair shop will ensure all parts of your baby get a deep clean. Depending on your type of finish (satin or glossy), how dirty the guitar is, and if there are cracks, they will decide which type of cleaner to use. Lucky for you they will also clean the “green stuff” from your frets and fret board. You’ll want to kiss the guitar repair person it looks so good, but please refrain, unless you’re feeling the love vibe.