Cleaning Mildew

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Eric Knapp
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Location: Wisconsin, USA
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Cleaning Mildew

Post by Eric Knapp »

Hello, I have an old guitar that has some mildew on the finish. What’s the best way to remove it? It has a satin finish and is a classical guitar with several spots that have been polished by use. The mildew is not heavy but I don’t want to wreck the finish. Any tips?

Thanks,

-Eric
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Barry Daniels
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Location: The Woodlands, Texas

Re: Cleaning Mildew

Post by Barry Daniels »

Lots of stuff would work. A mild household cleaner or even a bit of dish soap on a damp rag would be fine. I use mineral spirits on gunk that water won't dissolve and it is safe on all finishes.
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Eric Knapp
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Location: Wisconsin, USA
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Re: Cleaning Mildew

Post by Eric Knapp »

Barry Daniels wrote:Lots of stuff would work. A mild household cleaner or even a bit of dish soap on a damp rag would be fine. I use mineral spirits on gunk that water won't dissolve and it is safe on all finishes.
Thank you, Barry. This sounds good.

-Eric
Alan Carruth
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Re: Cleaning Mildew

Post by Alan Carruth »

A soft rag dampened with 10% bleach solution should work, and will kill it so it won't come back (maybe). We used that once on a nice 'cello that had been stolen and left in the woods through a hot summer in it's fiberglass case. Once we got the mold off and dried it out it was just a matter of glueing it all back together and touching up the finish. It didn't look new, but it sounded fine.
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Eric Knapp
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Location: Wisconsin, USA
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Re: Cleaning Mildew

Post by Eric Knapp »

Alan Carruth wrote:A soft rag dampened with 10% bleach solution should work, and will kill it so it won't come back (maybe). We used that once on a nice 'cello that had been stolen and left in the woods through a hot summer in it's fiberglass case. Once we got the mold off and dried it out it was just a matter of glueing it all back together and touching up the finish. It didn't look new, but it sounded fine.
Thank you, Alan. Another good tip from experience. Those are always great to get.

-Eric
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