Cleaning: What, exactly, is "a mild detergent"?

[hesson11]

I really never clean my guitars with anything other than a damp rag. But I constantly see guitar makers and others recommend "a mild detergent" for heavier-duty cleaning. But they never give any examples.

So what, exactly, is "a mild detergent"? Something like dishwashing soap? Tide? Other? THANKS.
-Bob

[devellis]

I think a dilute solution of dishwashing liquid. Personally, I'd stick with the plain, damp cloth.

[SnoSkiDrew]

CLOROX





is not a mild detergent

[ricll]

i was wondering exactly that these days and I think mild detergent means detergent with less alkalies, or no alkalies perhaps. Maybe baby soap would do the trick, not sure though.

[phil_harmonic]

Dishwashing soap is a mild detergent as mentioned above. I just use a hand towel which I dampen with Reverse Osmosis (RO) water (have one of these on the kitchen sink). You can get RO units at Home Depot if interested.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by hesson11

So what, exactly, is "a mild detergent"? Something like dishwashing soap? Tide? Other? THANKS.
-Bob

Ivory Liquid is a widely available example of "a mild detergent", and sometimes stores will carry their own house brand generic equivalents on the shelf beside it.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Brent Hutto]

There's a brand of hand cleaner called Purpose, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson which is "soap free, oil free, hypoallergenic" and comes in a little pump bottle. We use it for everything...it leaves no residue, will not harm even delicate fabrics if used for spot cleaning and is totally mild on any finished or painted surface we've ever tried it on. And it is actually a very effective cleaner.

So the couple of times I've needed to remove a stubborn spot on a guitar that's what has worked. Just a tiny dab on a damp washcloth and a bit of scrubbing. Rinses very clean (although if you use it straight, undiluted it does take time to rinse off completely).

P.S. And since we have pump bottles of it by each sink in the house it's always easily at hand for spot cleaning.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

There's a brand of hand cleaner called Purpose, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson which is "soap free, oil free, hypoallergenic" and comes in a little pump bottle. We use it for everything...it leaves no residue, will not harm even delicate fabrics if used for spot cleaning and is totally mild on any finished or painted surface we've ever tried it on. And it is actually a very effective cleaner.

Amazing what we can learn on these guitar forums sometimes, ain't it?

Thanks for the tip, Brent. Does it come in "Unscented," "Lemon-Citrus," "Apple Fresh" and - since you live in the Deep South - "Honeysuckle & Barrel-Aged Bourbon" aromas?


Wade Hampton "I'm Holding Out For The "Chitlins & Fried Okra" Scent, Myself" Miller

[Buck62]

Liquid hand soap works pretty good if you need to "deterge" something.

[hesson11]

Thanks, folks. I don't plan to switch from my ole wet rag, but I was curious.

Thanks.
-Bob

[BHulkster]

Originally Posted by devellis

I think a dilute solution of dishwashing liquid. Personally, I'd stick with the plain, damp cloth.

+ 1

I hear Naptha works well when diluted too

[Idaho John]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Amazing what we can learn on these guitar forums sometimes, ain't it?

Thanks for the tip, Brent. Does it come in "Unscented," "Lemon-Citrus," "Apple Fresh" and - since you live in the Deep South - "Honeysuckle & Barrel-Aged Bourbon" aromas?


Wade Hampton "I'm Holding Out For The "Chitlins & Fried Okra" Scent, Myself" Miller

This is an example of fine sarcasm. I am in awe. By the way, not to steal any of Mr. Hamptons' thunder (and in the spirit of public service), okra when boiled is an absolute abomination (think salty rubber, wet and ever expanding as you try to chew), however fried okra (with a little cornmeal) along with some Louisiana hot sausage cut up and browned with red onion and sprinkled with a cayenne pepper and lots and lots of butter (over rice)...is just killer (in more ways than one). After this fine meal, one can get out the bay rum (or bay hoss if one is from Arkansas), pour oneself a drink, sip it, pick up your guitar and enjoy some pickin' and wonder, "just what kind of soap would really clean this here guitar."

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Idaho John

This is an example of fine sarcasm. I am in awe. By the way, not to steal any of Mr. Hamptons' thunder (and in the spirit of public service), okra when boiled is an absolute abomination (think salty rubber, wet and ever expanding as you try to chew), however fried okra (with a little cornmeal) along with some Louisiana hot sausage cut up and browned with red onion and sprinkled with a cayenne pepper and lots and lots of butter (over rice)...is just killer (in more ways than one).

Well, John, I give you a tip of the hat in return, but the okra-eating side of my family is from the Low Country of South Carolina, where frying ANY sort of food is held to be a heresy practiced by those barbarians on the Piedmont and (gasp, shudder,) the upcountry buckers in the Appalachians.

My two favorite ways to eat okra are either in a gumbo or in okra soup.

Now, if you can step out the kitchen door and pick fresh okra right off the plant, I allow that fried okra can be toothsome and delicious. But if it's old enough to have made the journey from farm to distributor to grocery store, then cutting into it is like opening up gooey little pod people from "Invasions of the Body-Snatchers" when it's fried...

Here in Alaska, where I live and where okra refuses to grow, my only real option is to buy it frozen. Since most of the time I make a Low Country gumbo out of it, anyway, that works just fine.

By the way, if you've boiled it and it's rubbery and/or fibrous, you ain't boiled it long enough...

Originally Posted by Idaho John

After this fine meal, one can get out the bay rum (or bay hoss if one is from Arkansas), pour oneself a drink, sip it, pick up your guitar and enjoy some pickin' and wonder, "just what kind of soap would really clean this here guitar."

If you're from Arkansas, your solution would PROBABLY be to squirt some lighter fluid on it and set it ablaze. Yee-HA, take THAT you sassy-mouth smudge! That'll larn ya!

Either that, or else put the guitar up on cinder blocks in your front yard...


Wade Hampton "Set It On Fahr AGIN, Floyd!" Miller

[Idaho John]

If you're from Arkansas, your solution would PROBABLY be to squirt some lighter fluid on it and set it ablaze. Yee-HA, take THAT you sassy-mouth smudge! That'll larn ya!

Either that, or else put the guitar up on cinder blocks in your front yard...


Wade Hampton "Set It On Fahr AGIN, Floyd!" Miller[/QUOTE]

I beg to differ, Sir! How dare you insinuate that I am from Arkansas...or is it AR Kansas, or blissfully ignorant? In any case, my family is from Missouri and we don't cotton to them aftershave drinkin' arkansans! No sir...we make our likker in a tub like any normal person would do! And we recognize poorly cooked okra when we taste it!

Where's Jeb Stuart when you need him?

[Chazmo]

Auto folks have recommended Dawn because it removes old wax / grease and gets you right down to the finish. I don't know if there's any issue using Dawn on guitars, but I would be surprised if there were.

I've bought a bottle of Murphy's Oil soap, but I have yet to use it. I agree, just a damp cotton cloth (old, clean socks) seem to be fine for me. I don't usually really grime up my guitars much though.