Cleaning Tips

I suggest using 0000 Steel Wool (pronounced "four-oh" or "four-aught" or maybe "four-zed" for the canucks) to clean finger-dirt off the strings and fingerboard.

 

Though plentiful these days, four-aught was indeed tough to come by during the Great Steel Wool Shortage of aught-four... Lean times, they were...

In the meantime, if the clean towel has been doing the job on the bass, sounds like you've got a fine method. Dampen it for intensified cleaning action (tm) and less scratching. If you do reach for a cleaner or polish at some point, make sure to *avoid anything containing silicone,* and just to be safe, try to avoid wax-containing products as well. Your bass (and your luthier, in particular) will thank you down the road when it's time to have a crack repaired or seam glued.

 

I usually use lemon oil VERY sparingly. It can attract dirt so best not to leave any residue.

 

http://www.newstandardbass.com/care.htm