Home Remedies for cleaning fretboard and hardware?

[waytoodeep03]

Anyone have some cheap but yet effective solutions to the above problem?

I have dust everywhere on my bass, the hardware is gold plated and I want it to sparkle and of course clean the gunk of the fretboard that has collected.

[Stumbo]

I'd start by gently wiping everything down with a dust free soft cloth (microfibers are good). That should take a lot of the stuff you see off the body. Buff it a bit like a car finish. Also, car wax works.

Use a little bit of lemon oil to wipe down the fretboard. For gunk between the fret wire and the fret board, gently try a credit card/soft rag or a soft tooth brush/0000 steel wool.

For the gold hardware, most say don't use anything but a soft cloth or the gold will be removed. You can wax them to prevent more tarnishing.

YMMV. Use at your own risk.

Check out the following threads for more detailed instruction/info.

Gold Plate cleaning:
Aging gold hardware?? - Telecaster Guitar Forum
Gold Hardware Tarnish/Oxidation--Can Anything be Done? - The Gear Page

Fretboard:
Umm Naptha to clean rosewood fretboard?
Guitar Tricks - Cleaning the fretboard
Cleaning your fretboard? - Guitars101 - Guitar Forums

Body:
Warwick cleaning/polishing etc
How to restore finishes and plastic parts?
Caring For Your Bass

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