Few people know this, but guitars can smell bad, especially the strings. In fact, many times they smell so bad that it’s hard to enjoy playing them.
But what makes guitars smell bad in the first place? And more importantly, how can you get rid of the smell for good?
Why Do My Guitar Strings Smell Bad?
Guitar strings can smell bad because of the materials they are made out of and the sweat from your hands. The oils from your fingers can easily get stuck in the strings and cause them to smell over time.
Sweat from your hands can degrade certain kinds of strings much faster than others. For example, steel guitar strings tend to break down relatively quickly because sweat causes them to rust.
Some guitar strings are more prone to smelling bad than others. For example, many people complain that they have problems with coated strings, which they say always tend to smell rather badly after playing for a while.
However, this is actually not true. Generally speaking, all types of guitar strings can start smelling bad over time if you leave them not cleaned every time.
Why Do My Guitar Strings Make My Hands Smell?
Guitars can make your hands smell because of the natural oils from your skin. Your natural skin oils come off during use, which means they will get stuck to anything you touch.
In this case, the guitar strings are the culprits because they absorb these oils over time, which can cause your hands to smell really bad the next time you play on your guitar.
When you play the guitar, these natural oils get transferred onto other objects around you as well. For example, the fretboard will also absorb some and can start smelling bad because of it.
How Do You Get The Smell Out of Guitar Strings?
You can get the smell out of your guitar strings by cleaning them with a name-brand guitar strings cleaner. Simply put some on a microfiber cloth and rub it in. Never use household cleaning products on your guitar this may damage your guitar.
While you’re at it, you might also want to clean your guitar fretboard. As the fretboard can also cause a bad smell.
Although cleaning your strings helps, the best and easiest way to get the smell out of your guitar strings is by just replacing them with some new ones.
It’s advised that you replace your guitar strings every 100 playing hours or around every 3-4 months if you haven’t been playing so much.
Once you replaced them, to make sure that every time you played on your guitar you clean de strings with a microfiber cloth, so they stay like new as long as possible.
Should I boil my guitar strings?
It’s ok to boil your guitar strings to clean them and to get the smell out, however, this won’t be as effective and safe as cleaning them with a cleaner that is made for that purpose.
Boiling your guitar strings too long or too often might have a negative effect on the sound and durability of your strings.
To boil the strings of your guitar, simply use a pot of water and put them inside. Put it on the stove for about 3-5 minutes.
After boiling your guitar strings, let them cool off for some time to prevent accidental burns then wipe them with a clean microfiber cloth and you’re ready to go.
Can you clean guitar strings with wipes?
Never use normal wipes or even worse, moisturized wipes for your guitar. Normal wipes cause fluff to get stuck in your strings, this will make your guitar strings sound flat.
Instead, like said earlier, use a microfiber cloth to clean your guitar strings.
Can I use hand sanitizer to clean my guitar strings?
No, never use hand sanitizer on your guitar strings. It might take off the coating of your strings and it contains alcohol that can damage your strings and fretboard.
Use a microfiber cloth instead to clean your guitar strings if you want to make sure they stay like new as long as possible.
Can you clean guitar strings with rubbing alcohol?
Never use alcohol on your guitar strings. Don’t even let it touch your strings to prevent any damage or other problems it may cause.
You can clean your guitar strings with a microfiber cloth and specially made cleaner instead, such as Dunlop 65 Ultimate Guitar String Cleaner.
Can you put lemon oil on guitar strings?
No, never put lemon oil on your guitar strings because it might do more harm than good. You will risk getting the coating of your strings off and making them dull.
Instead, as stated earlier use a microfiber cloth to clean your guitar strings, and don’t forget to apply some Dunlop 65 Ultimate Guitar String Cleaner afterward.
Why Does My Guitar Body Smell Bad?
Your guitar might smell bad is because of the wood that it’s made out of, which absorbs odors over time. It can also start smelling bad because of being in a humid environment for too long.
It has been said that a little bit of vanilla extract can help take away some of these smells, but it will not last very long before the odor comes back.
You should try to keep your guitar stored in a case when you are not playing it, to help prevent your guitar from getting any smelly.
Conclusion
Guitar strings start smelling bad because of the sweat that gets in them.
While there are a few ways to clean and get the smell out of your guitar strings, the best and easiest way is by just replacing them with some new ones.
It’s advised that you replace your guitar strings every 100 playing hours or around every 3-4 months if you haven’t been playing so much.
Clean them off with a microfiber cloth every time you use your guitar and you’re good to go!
Thanks for reading!