Ask the Expert: Which Guitar Polishing Products to Use—and Which to Avoid

I recently purchased a Martin DX Johnny Cash and love it. For my solid-wood guitars, I’ve always used Dunlop polish and a soft cloth for smudges. Since the DX is made of laminated material, should I stick with the same approach, or is there a better option for cleaning the body, neck, and fretboard? Also, is humidity a concern for this type of construction?  —David Bellamy

First of all, congratulations on the new guitar! This may seem like a simple question, but those are frequently the ones worth asking. In my repair work, I have often wished more folks would take the initiative to keep their guitars clean. I’ve troweled off more fretboard grime than I’d care to remember.

It sounds like you’re on the right track with your cleaning approach: the guitar-specific cleaning and polishing solutions from companies like Dunlop, D’Addario, and StewMac are formulated to work well on typical guitar finishes and are free of some potentially problematic additives that can sometimes be found in more general-purpose cleaning products.

Touching quickly on these, I usually advise people to avoid products marketed as a polish. Many of those found in hardware stores are intended to leave a film of wax, oil, or other residue on the surface. This can be fine when trying to shine up and protect a kitchen table, but it’s almost never necessary or desirable for a guitar. Some, such as Briwax, also contain fairly aggressive solvents like toluene, which can soften or attack lacquer. 

Other solvents, such as alcohols, acetone, and even strong vinegars or other acids, could potentially be problematic. Oils can wick into the checks on lacquer finishes, leaving ugly blotches that are impossible to get rid of. Most of the time, the guitar will look best if it’s simply given a gentle and careful cleaning. 

The last of the big bad ingredients to avoid is silicone. Some products, like ArmorAll, contain it, and should never be used on a guitar surface, as it can complicate future repairs or touchups.

In situations where a guitar has been extensively played and requires a deep clean, sometimes a damp rag or guitar cleaner isn’t quite enough. More than once, I’ve experienced cases where the grime layer on a guitar would soften up but not come off. Instead, it would drift around and leave a haze that looked lousy and was stubbornly resistant to removal. The best remedy here is avoidance—regular cleaning means your guitar won’t likely ever get to that point. But in cases where something more heavy-duty is needed, or when removing a sticker or some old tape residue, the safest solvent for most guitar finishes is naphtha, commonly available in small quantities as Ronsonol lighter fluid.

The laminate portion of your guitar is quite resistant to most things, so I would have no concern about using the same products to clean the back and sides of your Martin. One concern with laminate: on the HPL material used on your DX, the color and even wood grain can sometimes be a thin cosmetic layer on the surface. Despite their robustness, these materials are not bulletproof, so I would recommend carefully avoiding any abrasive cleaning products, such as “magic sponge” eraser pads. These have their uses around the home, but they’re best reserved for cleaning shower tiles. They can leave unsightly scuffs or worse on your guitar.

One of the best things about laminated guitars is their resistance to humidity changes—the tops won’t crack in dry conditions, and the setup usually remains more stable throughout the seasons. However, the bracing in your guitar is still made of wood, as is the bridge on some laminate models. The bond between dissimilar materials is always a potential weak point, and I have seen cases of loose bracing in laminated guitars when the braces reacted more to humidity than the top. I’ve also found that the HPL material is less porous and thus sometimes less receptive to glue than wood. Despite the construction, I’d advise sticking to best practices: avoiding sudden changes in heat or humidity, keeping the guitar away from heat sources or direct sun, and not leaving it in a hot car. However, you shouldn’t need to put a humidifier in the case, which makes it a great candidate for leaving it on the couch in the wintertime for easy access.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.