Guitar Polish article
Guitar Polish for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Cleaning and protecting your guitar's finish is straightforward once you know which product to use and how to apply it — this guide covers the essentials for beginners.
If you are new to looking after your guitar's finish, understanding which products to use and how to apply them correctly will save you from the most common mistakes players make. Guitar polish is one of the few routine maintenance tasks you can carry out yourself without any specialist skills or tools, and doing it properly makes a visible difference.
What You Need
You need a product that is compatible with your guitar's finish, and at least two clean microfibre cloths — one for applying the product and one for buffing it off. Avoid paper towels, old T-shirt fabric or anything with texture; these can leave micro-scratches on glossy finishes. If you are unsure what type of finish your guitar has, check the manufacturer's product page or contact them directly. Using the wrong product on a nitrocellulose finish can cause clouding or damage that requires professional repair.
How to Apply It
Put a small amount of product on the cloth, not on the body. Work on a small area at a time — one face of the body, then the back, then the sides. Apply with light pressure and even strokes. Avoid putting any guitar polish on unfinished wood surfaces such as the fingerboard, the inside of the nut slot or the bridge saddles on acoustic instruments. The polish is for the lacquered finish only.
Buffing and Storage
Apply the product to one section at a time, then buff off the residue with a second cloth before it has set hard. A slight haze before buffing is normal; it buffs off cleanly to a shine with light, even pressure. After polishing, store the guitar in its case or on a wall hanger away from direct sunlight, which causes finish yellowing and drying over time. See our step-by-step guide and our buyer's guide for more.
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