What’s the best guitar wax/cleaner?

[imwjl]

After I got my Santa Cruz 10+ years ago I called about care and had a pleasant surprise - Richard Hoover himself picked up the call. Richard said be careful about lots of cleaning products and consider damp soft cloth and a light soap before other chemicals. I forgot the brand but I do have a little of the polishing compound he suggested to use sparingly if there's a sweat mark. When the guitar's clean I have used what I think is Virtuoso sparingly. That helps keep it clean in summer or when sweat is more an issue.

This might be different based on construction. Richard said except for stuff like pick guard and binding, my guitar is traditional materials. He said do not use anything with silicone.

At 10+ years it looks nice. Up close you can see it's been handled but simple cleaning and soft microfiber cloth has worked well.

A very used Martin I got cleaned up with really fine rubbing compound and then was nice to handle after the Virtuoso stuff.

[EverettWilliams]

A drop of water and microfiber is all that I would use. There are so many different types of finishes, you really don’t know when one of these products will screw one up. Sure, if you want to buff something out, there are compounds for that, but for every day cleaning, I think the simplest cleaner is the best.

[6 Strings MI]

I use Ernie Ball polish. After one application, you'd never know my guitar had a funky spot on the upper treble bout unless I told you. It doesn't smell objectionable and hasn't adversely affected the finish. For $5, I'm very happy with it.

[JERZEY]

Originally Posted by stephenT

Some freak out when I mention this product since it has a car on the label but it's the best hands down.

-Contains the highest grades of ingredients derived from nature
-Unique one-step cleaner/wax combination derived from a 120 year old German formula
-Internationally acclaimed world-class shine and protection
-Gentle, safe, mild cleaning and petroleum solvent free

I use it on my nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, have for years.

https://www.amazon.com/Zymol-Cleaner.../dp/B07Q46SY4L

That product is a far better product then any turtle wax. It has zero abrasive qualities.

[6L6]

Soft, clean, damp cloth followed by soft dry cloth.

No polish EVER!

[jseth]

I've been using a damp cloth (used to be a diaper, now a micro-fiber cloth) on my guitars for decades, for normal everyday cleaning- well every week or so - maybe a few drops of dish soap in a small amount of water for anything more stubborn, then wipe with a clean damp cloth. Works for 98% of my cleaning needs on either lacquer or poly finishes.

I don't use a polish/wax/cleaner on my guitars but once every couple years or so, and lately, I've been VERY pleased with the Music Nomad product, One. Good stuff.

Whatever you use, you want to make CERTAIN that there's no silicone in it, as that can wreak havoc with any sort of re-finish or structural repair work that the guitar may need in the future...

Unfortunately, Scratch-X 2.0 has silicone in it... but the same brand has a "classic" cleaner (Vintage) that accomplishes the same thing without silicone...

I know that a lot folks want to take really good care of their instruments and want them to look great... but, at some point, you're just 'polishing the polish" like the lady said in that old Pledge commercial long ago...

[jp2558]

For cleaning, Dawn dish detergent. I never polish.

[stephenT]

Well, we all use what's best in our own experience. 20 years of building electric guitars w/ nitrocellulose lacquer finishes and using Zymol. I humbly disagree. It's so thin and wears off quickly w/ use,.. I and have never had any issue with Zymol, using it after curing, final sanding and the buffing wheel. And boy o' boy does it smell good.

Originally Posted by SkipII

Assuming your guitar has a nitrocellulose finish (better guitars do, lesser ones might have poly), you can use any wax suited for such a finish. I may be old school, but that to me means carnauba wax. I would caution against any kind of polymer (Zymol) since that can seal up the surface. Lacquer continues to cure for years.

[PetesaHut]

I use Gibson pump polish very occasionally and sparingly, given its popularity I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it yet/

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Perchman

Several months ago I took my J35 over to some friends’ house for a little jam. I played seated, laying back on a couch. Next day, I saw that the back of the guitar was all scuffed up from the buttons on my shirt. I tried the Music Nomad One that I had and that got me nowhere. Ordered Virtuoso and problem solved. Amazing product.

The Music Nomad 'One' didn't work for you because it's more a 'cleaner/wax' and not so much a polish.

You might have had the results you wanted with Music Nomad Guitar Polish.



I see 'wax/cleaner' products as being a little different to 'polish'... but hey, that's me.

[Coop47]

No fans of Martin polish?

[dneal]

Meguiar's Final Inspection.

[Matts67]

I worked behind the scenes in the auto detailing (manufacturing/R&D) industry for several years. Zymol cleaner wax is a rebottled wax from a big brand and bears no similarities to the more expensive stuff, which is also nothing special and is 100% marketing.

Use what you like. For the most part, no modern automotive cleaners/waxes/polishes will contain harmful silicones. Meguiar's tends to be up there in terms of "bang for your buck" and not fluffing their products up with marketing BS, and they tend to have some of the best R&D processes and polishes on the market. And short of any type of ceramic coating, nothing is actually going to "seal" your finish to prevent it from breathing, that's more marketing mumbo-jumbo. Wax, polymer sealant, etc...they will all work the same and be fine. And for the record, I would not recommend using just a wet microfiber, which will swirl the crap out of your finish, or any type of oil based product, which will attract dust, as any type of finishing product.

In terms of protection, Collinite waxes and Duragloss sealants are excellent and cheap. Duragloss 501 is a Marine/RV polish that has a very, very light cleaner/abrasive in it (works well by hand) and protects a finish in an outdoor environment for months. Klasse All In One is another excellent acrylic-based sealant which great cleaning properties which will remove oxidation without any kind of abrasives. Rejex is also another sleeper product which is one of the most durable and easy to use sealants I've ever tested, and contains no abrasives.

For dedicated polish, Meguiar's Ultimate Polish is probably the best OTC stuff you'll find from your local auto parts store or Wal-Mart. If you need something heavier (think buckle rash etc) then Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is great, but be sure to follow with Ultimate Polish to bring the finish back to a high gloss. Foam applicators will be best for hand application.

Anyways, like I said, use what you like, but don't overpay or fall for marketing, because that's all this industry really is. If you want to avoid swirls, don't use bare cloths for anything - if your guitar needs a wipe down to remove fingerprints/sweat marks, stick with a detail spray and a quality microfiber towel. If you're rubbing the finish with any kind of wax/polish, I recommend foam applicators as they will absorb less product than a microfiber or terry cloth, and won't scratch your finish. And avoid terry cloths for removing polish as they are more abrasive than microfiber. Ok I'm done.

[Rev Roy]

Just to be clear, Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 has silicone in it. I contacted the company directly about it a while ago. Here’s the answer I got. (I don’t know why he says “body shop safe”...I was clear in my email I was talking about nitro guitar safety.)

On Nov 11, 2019, at 11:06 AM, Lance Uchida <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Roy,

Thank you for contacting Meguiar’s!

Yes, this product contains silicone and is not a body shop safe product.

Best Regards,

Lance Uchida
Sr. Surface Care Specialist
800.347.5700 | 17991 Mitchell S., Irvine, CA 92614

[Pura Vida]

I've used and really like Music Nomad products. Their "One" is a great combo product, but I also use their "Guitar Detailer," which is geared for satin, matte, and open pore finishes.

Recently, I tried Viruoso cleaner and polish, which claims not to remove any residual cleaner product, as well as dust, dirt, skin oils, etc. The guitars look fantastic with these products, but the guitars can get a little slippery, so use caution when picking them or carrying them.

Most of my guitars are new and remain indoors (no gigging), so I use them far more infrequently b/c many of these cleaning and polishing products also include some UV protectant, so they're prohibitive to my new-ish guitar tops from getting color and darkening.