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
Cleaning Mildew
- Eric Knapp
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- Barry Daniels
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Re: Cleaning Mildew
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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Re: Cleaning Mildew
Thank you, Barry. This sounds good.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.
-Eric
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Re: Cleaning Mildew
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.
- Eric Knapp
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Re: Cleaning Mildew
Thank you, Alan. Another good tip from experience. Those are always great to get.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.
-Eric