Your Favorite Ukulele Cleaning Method

[Ed1]

I'm about to gift a couple of ukes and would like to clean them up. One has a gloss finish and the other satin. They're both in good shape, but I would like to remove the very light marks on the body that light use has put on them. I've always used a slightly damp cloth but wondered if there are other, perhaps better approaches. Any thoughts?

[Dohle]

Buying a new one.

Just kidding. I semi-regularly simply wipe my ukes with a microfibre cloth after playing to keep them more or less clean. Usually satin finishes don't even require anything else. Gloss finishes are more prone to getting guff stuck on it. Usually I do what you do, i.e., just use a damp cloth. I haven't gotten any of my ukes so dirty that they'd need some sort of product but if I did I'd probably use the one from Music Nomad. They have some decent stuff overall for guitars and ukes and they have a cleaner for both types of finishes.

[dwizum]

Microfiber cloths make a big difference. I generally use microfiber cloths with a small amount of very hot water on them. This can cut through very stubborn years-old finger grease on fretboards (the joys of repairing other people's instruments!).

As a general rule, I don't use solvents of any kind unless I am 100% dead certain I know the exact makeup of the finish that was applied to an instrument. There's just too much risk in an incompatible solvent ruining a finish. Especially on ukes, since there's a pretty wide variety of finishes used by different brands and makers that can look and feel similar, yet have different levels of resistance to common solvents.

I also generally avoid any sort of polish, oil, wax, or other product that is intended to add shine or "protect" a finish, since it's pretty common for them to cause problems down the road (i.e. interfere with repairs or refinish work).

[clear]

If it's never, try a little https://www.musiciansfriend.com/acce...mate-lemon-oil on the fretboard. It'll make it look like new.
To apply, loosen strings, wipe on (just a little goes a long way); do not use too much.

[Nickie]

Spit on it and wipe it off with my sleeve. Nobody else picks up my ukes!

[Kenn2018]

I use a microfiber cloth and gently give my ukes a gentle wipe down.

If I inadvertently got some food or other schmutz on one of them, I use a barely damp cloth to clean it and then make sure it's completely dry afterward. Be very careful that the damp does not reach the sound hole, the insides of the body, some bridges, or the fretboard. Because usually, none of these parts have a finish on them. If that doesn't get it off, I'll use a little Music Nomad Guitar Detailer for Matte and Gloss Finishes. It's a cleaner and light polish.

[mikhou]

Throw it in the washing machine? Just kidding, of course.

[ghostrdr]

I like the music nomad stuff. Works well and smells nice. Supposedly safe on gloss or matte finishes.

[Counter]

Microfibre cloth and a very soft paintbrush for any dust around the nut and saddle. I have some Planet Waves Lemon oil which I used to use on a Mya Moe and a satin finish KoAloha I had once. That did make them look like new. One bottle of that will last a lifetime.

[UkerDanno]

When I change strings, I wipe them down with lemon oil, especially the fretboard, been doing this for years. Just wipe on and wipe off, I've used it on everything from an old Martin to new Kanile'a and Martin Iz, matte finishes. It will clean gloss with no problem too. Just wipe it off the body right away, won't hurt to let soak on the fretboard a little.