Cleaning and polishing a guitar is the first thing every player should learn. It's the most basic maintenance task which, if done properly, will help retain or even restore an instrument's looks and value.

Prevention is better than cure
If cleaning is carried out regularly from the time a guitar is new, it is a simple task, taking only a few minutes to keep things in top condition.

Levels of cleaning
There are four levels of cleaning: wiping down, light polishing, cream polishing and cleaning. While that may sound like it's a lot of work, in reality if you wipe your guitar down regularly and give it a light polish occasionally, cream polishing is rarely needed and cleaning almost never.

Before any cleaning or polishing
Make sure that dust and grit is blown or dusted off the guitar before you do any cleaning or polishing - otherwise you may scratch the finish by dragging it over the surface with the cloth as you polish.

Wiping down
Make it a habit to wipe down your guitar's finish and strings after you play with a clean, dry cloth to remove fingerprints, sweat and smoke. If necessary, a little "breath mist" will help remove more stubborn marks. Done regularly, this avoids the need to do heavier cleaning and will make your guitar strings last much longer.

Light polish/cleaner
When the grime is tougher than the dry cloth can handle, use a light polish. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to apply and then polish off with a dry cloth. This should only be necessary once a month or so, but can be done daily if you prefer.

Cream polishing
If you play your guitar, you will gradually dull the finish with a multitude of tiny scratches from normal playing wear and tear. Cream polishes restore the gloss by filling these small scratches with a wax. The wax also protects the finish by leaving a protective layer and is resistant to being removed by light polishes, so you will usually only need to use the polish once or twice a year. Cream polish can also remove small amounts of dirt, but if the guitar is very dirty, rather clean it before polishing, to stop the dirt from being trapped under a layer of wax.

Cleaning
Over time, small deposits of sweat, grease, smoke and dust can build up and harden, making normal polishing more difficult and dulling the finish. Use a cleaner and elbow grease to remove the grime, and then follow up with polish.

Cleaning Tools
Cloths
Microfibre or soft cotton cloths are the best things for cleaning guitars. I use my old cotton T-shirts, as long as they are pure cotton, clean and soft. The cloth should ideally be lint free so it does not leave particles behind as you are cleaning.

Light polishes
Light polishes are designed to clean small amounts of dirt from both the finish and any hardware, leaving little to no residue. They can be used daily if necessary without fear of any kind of build-up.

Cream polishes
Cream polishes contain waxes which fill in small scratches, leave a protective coating and even seal cracks without penetrating into the wood itself. Because they leave a protective layer, it is best not to use them too often, as there is a chance of build-up developing, sometimes even trapping dirt under the protective coating.

Cleaners
The best all-round cleaner is Naphtha (lighter fluid/ paraffin oil). Naphtha is strong enough to remove most oils, dirt and grease, but is gentle enough to use on even the most delicate finish. It can be used to clean unfinished fingerboards like rosewood or ebony safely and can be used to soak and clean metal hardware such as bridges and saddles.

Do NOT use
Regular furniture polishes - they often contain silicon or other oils that make a guitar feel greasy. They also tend to penetrate finish cracks or screw holes, getting into the wood and making the finish lift. Silicon also tends to make any future guitar repair work such as refinishing, refretting or gluing extremely difficult.

"Dashboard" polishes - not even on your guitar case, as these are mostly silicon oil and tend to get everywhere else too, carried by your hands.

Solvents like isopropyl alcohol or surgical spirits - some (especially expensive) finishes can be damaged by them and they remove the natural oils from fingerboards, drying them out, making them more prone to cracking.