After an excellent jam session, you probably don’t smell your best, but sometimes it’s not just you. If you’re wondering why your guitar strings smell, the answer is at your fingertips. As you play, you probably work up a sweat. Even when it’s minor, this gets on your strings and fretboard. Then you take a break and, for example, smoke, or order food, which also gets on your hands. That also transfers to your instrument as you play. Should you change the strings? Do you have to live with guitar stink, or is there something you can do about it? The answer may surprise you. I’ve had my share of stinky guitar strings, and I’m happy to share what I learned about fixing them. It’s not cool to be the ‘stinky guitar’ person, and no one should have to live with that hanging over their head. After all, it means others are less likely to want to play with you. No worries, though. We’ll ditch that stink-string fast with some clever tips and cleaners.
Why do guitar strings smell? Your guitar strings smell because your hands sweat and touch things. As your fingers pick up scents, so do other things you touch, such as your guitar. Playing guitar also causes sweat, and the bacteria that makes sweat smell also collects on your strings. Sweat, plus bacteria, plus whatever you touched means stinky strings.
How Do I Get The Smell Out Of My Guitar
Your guitar smells most of the time because the fretboard and strings are stinky from oils and other things your hands touched. However, other smells can get into a guitar as well. Tobacco, musty weird scents from storage, and accidental spills are among the most common.
If the smell is deep in the wood of your guitar’s body, you can try a solution of water and baking soda on the inside to help get rid of the odor. You’ll need a spray bottle and a fan to help get the solution inside and then dry it out again.
Some musicians opt for a few drops of a pleasant-smelling essential oil on a cotton ball. You can put this inside your guitar to help re-odorize it. If you have the time, setting your guitar and case out somewhere the air is fresh, and there’s a breeze may be all you need.
Ultimately, regular careful cleaning is the best way to remove and avoid bad guitar smells. When in doubt, clean the strings and fretboard first.
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How Do I Freshen My Guitar Strings
I have seen people recommend isopropyl rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball for freshening strings too many times. It doesn’t matter why your strings smell; using a cotton ball is never the best choice. A wipe with rubbing alcohol is fine, but it shouldn’t be ‘quick.’ You need to remove the strings to use alcohol on them.
If you want fresher guitar stings, use a proper string cleaner instead. These special formulas are less likely to do damage to your fretboard and strings. Additionally, you need to make sure you use a nylon-string cleaner on a nylon-stringed guitar just as you need a steel string cleaner for steel strings.
You’ll love the Fender Guitar Super Care Kit for your whole instrument, strings included. This four-step kit gives your instrument everything it needs for a pegs-to-strap-button cleaning. Plus, it leaves no hazy residue behind to mar the natural beauty of your guitar. The high-quality carnauba formulas have no silicones, bonding agents, resins, polymers, or alcohol, so they’re gentle on your instrument. To learn more on Amazon, click right here.
Preventing Stinky Strings
Sometimes a little prevention is better than a whole lot of fixing a problem after the fact. One of the most basic ways to avoid getting finger oils on your strings and fretboard is to wash your hands. Not just before you play, but take breaks during and wash sweaty hands.
Keep a microfiber towel around when you practice or play. Whether you toss it in your gig bag or back pocket, having this small accessory will let you dry your hands as you play. You can also use an excellent, unscented lotion to prevent dry hands and help them stay in good shape for playing.
For some people, finger guards help reduce bad smells as well. However, covering up the problem isn’t as good as preventing it from happening. Instead, make sure you clean your guitar and hands regularly.
What Household Items Can You Use To Clean Guitar Strings
When your guitar strings smell, and you don’t know why it’s easy to grab for the nearest thing around the house to wipe them down. Unfortunately, this is often the worst thing you can do. There are a couple of useful items, but you need to use products made for cleaning your guitar.
One of the most obvious options that you can find around the house is a clean cloth. Since you’ll be wiping down your guitar and cleaning it regularly, you need something to wipe with. However, lint can be a problem. Opt for a microfiber cloth to prevent your cleaning rag from causing more buildup.
In a pinch, you can use dish detergent, isopropyl alcohol, or plain boiling water. Make sure you let strings air dry completely before you restring your guitar. Unfortunately, resorting to this too often isn’t good for your guitar or strings.
If you absolutely must use household cleaners, I recommend removing the strings from the guitar first. Many ingredients like soaps, alcohol, or ammonia can damage your fretboard and guitar body’s wood.
No WD40 Please
WD40 is a bit like Windex. People use it on all sorts of things, and it’s useful for most of them. However, when someone suggests it for guitar strings, please do not listen.
Although WD40 is great for metal, there are three problems here. First, not all guitar strings are metal. Nylon strings will just get covered in slippery goo, and it won’t help lift the oils from your fingers very well.
Secondly, the strings of a steel-string guitar would be fine with WD40 on their own. However, you have a wooden fretboard. WD40 is great at locking out oil and other problems, but it can interact with stains, and it won’t allow you to oil your fretboard and maintain your guitar.
Third and most importantly, WD40 is bad for your lungs and skin. Since you’ll be touching and breathing over your guitar, choosing a ‘cleaner’ that can irritate your skin and lungs is a poor choice.
If you keep a PRS Guitars Guitar Care Bundle from Amazon around the house, you’ll never have to improvise with household cleaners. Best of all, you can use these cleaners on nitro or standard PRS finishes. Have a box shipped to your door fast by clicking here.
Best Guitar String Cleaner
Choosing the best guitar cleaner for smelly strings is important. No one wants to turn heads as they walk by for the wrong reasons. Not only is it good for your instrument, but it’s good for your image as well.
Keep in mind that hacks and knockoffs are rarely the best choices. Instead of settling for something that will ‘sort of’ do the job, get a high-quality cleaner that can handle it without a doubt. Good instrument care will help you save time, trouble, and money in the long run.
There are many excellent guitar cleaners. The MusicNomad Kit I recommended above is especially beloved and trusted. However, when it comes to cleaners’ absolute pinnacle, I have to say the best is Virtuoso. This brand can handle delicate older instruments in a way modern cleaners might destroy, but it’s also powerful enough to clean new guitars.
I recommend Virtuoso Premium Instrument Polish & Cleaner Combo. This trusted formula is both gentle and powerful. Specially developed for vintage guitars with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, this premium cleaner also works on modern instruments. You’ll appreciate the incredible overall shine in addition to your stink-free strings. Get yours from Amazon by clicking here.
Final Thoughts
Ditch that uncleaned instrument smell before anyone, other than you, notices. You don’t want to be the stinky kid by accident, but smelly guitar strings are something that happens to every musician. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution.
Unless you are slow, relaxed, and always in arctic AC, your strings will probably smell after a few good practices. Cleaning and polishing your guitar is part of regular maintenance. However, you may want to clean a little more often when it’s warm outside. I suggest keeping microfiber cloths in your gig bag or guitar case.
Ensure you always check to see that the cleaners you choose are compatible with your fretboard, guitar finish, and string-type. A few seconds of extra caution can prevent any unintentional damage to your instrument.