Daily cleaning solutions? Safe?

[cabphoto]

Hey guys-

Have the first nice guitar Ive ever been head over heals for and I want to take great care of it Bourgeois Vintage OM in Sunburst. I play a couple hours a day and I sweat a lot and there is always a lot of dried sweat on the arm rest.

I have started using Dunlop Formula 65 guitar polish and cleaner because I was told there is no wax in this one that will build up on the surface.

I use as directed, a couple of sprays on a polish cloth then wipe down.

If I rub down without the solution then the dried sweat is obviously abrasive and leaves swirls in the finish and leaving it on seem like it would be harmful.

So my question is for those of you who have experience with this product or maybe something else.

Is this solution safe for daily use? I just don't want to be doing something on a daily basis that is going to be detrimental to the finish over time.

[warfrat73]

A quick search suggests that Dunlop Formula 65 has silicon in it, this is generally frowned upon, for several reasons that you can easily find via google (all quite unlikely, though possible).

That aside, realistically, and despite your current love affair (we've all been there), it's really not necessary to polish your guitar every day. IF you just want to get the sweat off, you're better off with a damp soft cloth. Less money, and less potential adverse effects.

[PTC Bernie]

I would run the question past the guitars manufacturer and see what they suggest for daily use.

If the finish is a Catalyzed urethane, or similar, the finish will be pretty resilient.

[tysam]

Second the "wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth". Seriously though...if you're soaking the guitar every time you home play for a couple of hours you may want to look into an armrest for it or start wearing long sleeves, (you do know that playing while on the treadmill isn't recommended , right?

[tj_mangum]

These are great guitars, I have one. Send a message to Bourgeois and see what they think.

[jseth]

Wipe down with a slightly damp soft cloth... dry and buff with a dry soft cloth...

THAT IS ALL... seriously, don't put a bunch of different gunk on your guitar; it already has a finish on it! Bourgeois is most likely nitro-cellulose lacquer, so avoid sudden, rapid temperature changes or you will get some finish cracking/checking... not the end of the world, though.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER USE A PRODUCT WITH SILICONE IN IT ON YOUR GUITARS!!!!!

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by tysam

Second the "wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth".

This. Maybe wear a thicker shirt or a Terry cloth robe while playing, too.

[jaybones]

Another vote for a damp cloth wipe down for sweat removal.

For polishing I use Stew Mac Preservation Polish and a foam cone (also from them) on a cordless driver. Put a small mount on the cone, spin it all over the guitar, let it dry to a haze then buff it off with a soft cotton cloth (old tee shirt) or different foam cone on the power driver.

The music store I taught lessons for back in the early 90's used Trick guitar polish. Had the lowest abrasiveness of anything on the market then. I tried it out, but found that it didn't gget the job done nearly as well as the Preservation Polish.

PP is also silicone free and says its safe for all guitar finishes. Don't have a nitro guitar, and would probably try it out somewhere unobtrusive first.

[51 Relic]

I am a Gibson J45 player and I to have the same problem . I have bought a high grade chamois leather and I wipe down the guitar from top to bottom after playing , but first I use a VERY damp cotton cloth to clean the top arm resting area . A strong word of warning please be very careful of any creams that are on your skin and arm areas that could come into contact with the guitar . For polish I use luthiers choice by Gibson .

[cabphoto]

Thank you guys for all the feed back.

[The Bard Rocks]

I echo what others are saying about the damp cloth (I like 100% cotton). For your arm, cut off a long lightweight sock and slip that over the parts of your arm that come into contact with the body. That will be cooler when wearing short sleeves. You don't want to make yourself hotter and sweatier if it can be avoided. Or if your playing style allows, you might even drape over a cotton handkerchief or small cloth instead, but, for most folks, they tend to shift and go awry.

A damp cotton/terry cloth is fine. Avoid getting it too wet. As far as light polishes go, I like Lizard Spit. I keep a bottle in my bag-o-stuff. Very handy at festivals or when you're out elsewhere.