How do you clean/maintain your uke?

Choboy

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Hello fellow friends!
I'm sure everyone has their own strategy in how they clean their ukes and how often they do it... So I wanted to start this thread and see which strategies are most popular.

I've never cleaned a uke yet (as I am new), but I have played guitar for the past five years "on and off". I was going to clean my uke every time I change my strings. I was thinking maybe using guitar polish on the body and head and lemon oil on the frets. I heard lemon oil is popular for cleaning the frets. Should I also lemon oil the neck?

Lastly... I'll probably change my strings once a month or once every two months... as I am very lazy with changing strings. So should I use guitar polish more frequently than 1-2 months, or is polishing your uke once a month or every two months fine? My uke also has a matte finish, will that effect anything?

Do you guys even clean the tuners as well?

Thanks~!
 
i have never polished my uke once. the only thing i did was just use a special cloth and wipe the body down.
 
The proper Island way is with an old pillow case...

On the satin finished ones I use Lemon Oil rubbed with a microfiber rag... Don't use silicone based products......
 
me too...

i have never polished my uke once. the only thing i did was just use a special cloth and wipe the body down.

Aloha,

I'm with brad32593....i've only wiped down the uke after play with a soft cloth.

a word of caution though...sometimes "cleaning agents" even ones specifically advertised for instrument use can soften, weaken, or eat away at the finish depending on the compound.

best,
Shawn

http://ukulelefriend.com
 
Okay, I'm making this suggestion before Deach does...

My uke goes in the washer, with the "whites", after I remove the strings. I hand wash the strings. Everything is then air-dried out on the clothesline (think Green).


Sorry for being silly. I've recently read that silliness stems from UAS.
 
Okay, I'm making this suggestion before Deach does...

My uke goes in the washer, with the "whites", after I remove the strings. I hand wash the strings. Everything is then air-dried out on the clothesline (think Green).


Sorry for being silly. I've recently read that silliness stems from UAS.


You forgot "Rinse and repeat"!!!!!
 
I hire bikini-clad college girls to soap it up hose it down in my driveway on a sunny day. Then, they do it to each other.
 
microfiber soft cloth. does the trick for me.(it better cuz i payed ten bucks for it).


its good to use these cloths if you have a gloss finish on a ukulele cuz it make the fingerprintz go away.
 
for all my gloss finished instruments: for quick cleaning I use Pledge furniture polish(fresh scent :p) and a microfiber cloth. I use ghs fast-fret for the fingerboard and strings, and when i'm really in the cleaning mood i use car wax = Glorious! haha!
 
All I do is blow off the dust and use the GHS fast fret on the strings every once in a while. There's some smudges (they look like grease) and some vicious scrapes on the edges, though. I never really took the effort to get rid of it.

...I'm such a horrible person.
 
Guitar polish and fretboard oil. Currently using Dunlop products, but most brands work as well. Lemon Pledge is reputed to work well, too.

Martin makes (or made - haven't bought any for a few years) a special low-impact polish for its guitars that would be better for some custom finishes.
 
I use the Sham-Wow.

do you really, because if you want some just pm me your adress i have a bunch!!!


deach: since you help out so many others, i want to help you out
 
I hire bikini-clad college girls to soap it up hose it down in my driveway on a sunny day. Then, they do it to each other.

and I hope you have them save you for last!
 
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