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Alternatives to denatured alcohol for string cleaning (not boiling)
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
I just buy a new set…they don’t seem as expensive as they were when I was younger….way less bills/zero debt these days.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Acetone can wreak havok on finishes, so be careful!
A point to consider, once you have completely removed every vestige of oil & contamination
from your strings, they become vulnerable to the powerful skin acids on your fingers !
from your strings, they become vulnerable to the powerful skin acids on your fingers !
I always wondered what would happen (and this would surely work better on strings with NO silks . . . . ) if I caught my local garage the day the SafetyKleen guy just left after reloading it with fresh fluid if that parts cleaner would work. I also thought about dropping them in a bucket of carb cleaner.
Otherwise, for me, when they were gone, nothing was going to bring them back.
Otherwise, for me, when they were gone, nothing was going to bring them back.
@kesslari
If you can find an affordable ultrasonic cleaner large enough to fit a coiled-up string, that will absolutely dissolve all the gunk without requiring any solvents at all. The tiny jewelry ones are cheap, but they're not big enough for bass strings.
Don't use WD-40: it leaves residue on your strings.
Same with lemon oil, silicone, or any of the other oils: you're just substituting one kind of gunk for another.
Acetone is the best solvent, but as pointed out, you must make sure it's completely cleaned off your strings or the residual will mar the finish of your bass. I wouldn't risk it, myself.
Of the "safer" solvents, it's easy to buy 90% isopropanol at any drugstore, and you can easily buy anhydrous (99%) isopropanol online.
If you can find an affordable ultrasonic cleaner large enough to fit a coiled-up string, that will absolutely dissolve all the gunk without requiring any solvents at all. The tiny jewelry ones are cheap, but they're not big enough for bass strings.
Don't use WD-40: it leaves residue on your strings.
Same with lemon oil, silicone, or any of the other oils: you're just substituting one kind of gunk for another.
Acetone is the best solvent, but as pointed out, you must make sure it's completely cleaned off your strings or the residual will mar the finish of your bass. I wouldn't risk it, myself.
Of the "safer" solvents, it's easy to buy 90% isopropanol at any drugstore, and you can easily buy anhydrous (99%) isopropanol online.
I’m married. I’m not going to boil my strings in alcohol. It’s a fire hazard and my wife would complain about the smell for weeks. It’s not worth it. I’m just gonna buy new strings.
Maybe I could wipe them with lemon oil or silicon or WD40 if I did it in the garage. But I’d still get complaints about the smell.
Maybe I could wipe them with lemon oil or silicon or WD40 if I did it in the garage. But I’d still get complaints about the smell.
I play on rounds, too. They can indeed get grippy. I keep a commercial string cleaner/lubricant in my case to use before a gig when it's a little humid. Finger Ease, Fast Fret, something like that (at the moment, Finger Ease is what's in my case, but I'm not locked into that.)
First, actual string damage occurs over time in the core of the string at the witness point on the bridge saddle. This is the main culprit killing string brightness and intonation. No amount of any solvent procedure can undo it.
To remove organic gunk accumulation, almost any good mild solvent should work. I don’t do it, because my thyroid issues have left my hands on the dry side. Isopropyl is great, because it leaves no residue. Acetone does leave a residue; otherwise an excellent solvent. Personally, I would probably just get some UNSCENTED baby wipes at Target, and use those. They will def get the gunk off, and are super easy to use; as well as being harmless. My $0.019.
To remove organic gunk accumulation, almost any good mild solvent should work. I don’t do it, because my thyroid issues have left my hands on the dry side. Isopropyl is great, because it leaves no residue. Acetone does leave a residue; otherwise an excellent solvent. Personally, I would probably just get some UNSCENTED baby wipes at Target, and use those. They will def get the gunk off, and are super easy to use; as well as being harmless. My $0.019.
If that's what you're used to using, make a point of getting several bottles of it the next time you drive to Nevada or Arizona.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,119
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
Once I found how well a few days soaking in denatured alcohol restores life to strings, I found it a nice way to cut down on buying new ones. I play pressurewounds, have a few sets, take the current one off, soak them, and put another on while they soak. After a few days I hang 'em up and they're back in the rotation.
I use lacquer thinner as a general purpose solvent around my shop - no water, it cleans up gunk faster than alcohol, it evaporates fairly quickly, and doesn’t leave a smell like some solvents.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,119
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
Eliminated at the start because when I tried it, the hassle-to-results ratio was way higher than denatured alcohol, for me.
If it works for you, great!
Agreed. One easy way to tell how much life is left in a set of rounds is to just look at the part of the string that contacts the frets. It will give a good visual representation. The wear is hard to miss.
I put my strings in a forced air oven at 250 °C (480 °F) for about 20 minutes to rejuvenate them. This really works, just try it to get convinced.
I've been using Naptha (basically lighter fluid) for years. It is sold locally in Australia under various brand names, the most common local brand name is "Shellite" and it's often in hardware stores. It evaporates almost instantly and works as a mild solvent.
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a friend of mine (pro, full-time) just told me on saturday that he's started using this stuff and that he's very pleased with the improved "string life." he'd also been a denatured alcohol guy, but said: "i went from treatment to prevention."
i've used the stuff before --- years ago, but didn't get the same results (user error?), and stopped using it. just throwing it out there because he (and others: the stuff is ubiquitous) finds it useful.
good luck finding the right stuff!
This is exactly what I used back in my gigging days and rarely had a need to change strings. Wipe some Fret Fast on before a show, and wipe it down with the little microfiber towel it comes with just before putting it in the case. I play with pick and fingers, never had a build up issue and strings always felt nice and supple after this stuff. It lasts for a long time too, if you keep it sealed and don't let it dry out.
IMO, if you can't use denatured alcohol, a rubbing alcohol like ethanol or isopropanol would work just fine - it's been said before that they'll all contain water in varying levels. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
If you just want to CLEAN your strings, almost any kind of degreaser would work - I'm inclined to think that most of the gunk is just oil and grease from our skins, and whatever other stuff managed to stick to all of that over time. Given the skin to strings contact when you're using them, I'm not sure how many actual degreasers beyond Simple Green or maybe something that Muc-Off (for bikes) would make that I'd actually recommend. I think you could try maybe something citrus based?
Other options could include prevention with stuff that might leave a thin film on top of your strings. Honestly not sure what I'd recommend on that one, either, other than perhaps Ballistol - I've heard that stuff isn't so bad as other gun-related products. I think that @JRA is probably onto something, there - but it would probably make more sense if you're using more expensive strings.
If you just want to CLEAN your strings, almost any kind of degreaser would work - I'm inclined to think that most of the gunk is just oil and grease from our skins, and whatever other stuff managed to stick to all of that over time. Given the skin to strings contact when you're using them, I'm not sure how many actual degreasers beyond Simple Green or maybe something that Muc-Off (for bikes) would make that I'd actually recommend. I think you could try maybe something citrus based?
Other options could include prevention with stuff that might leave a thin film on top of your strings. Honestly not sure what I'd recommend on that one, either, other than perhaps Ballistol - I've heard that stuff isn't so bad as other gun-related products. I think that @JRA is probably onto something, there - but it would probably make more sense if you're using more expensive strings.
