Guitar Polishing Cloths

A guitar polishing cloth removes dust, sweat and fingerprints from the finish, fretboard and strings without scratching the finish. On this page, you'll find polishing cloths made from microfibre and cotton flannel by Fender, Dunlop, MusicNomad, D'Addario Planet Waves, Ernie Ball, RockCare, Taylor and other brands. Fine microfibre traps dirt and grease within its fibres instead of simply spreading them around the instrument. You can use the cloth dry or with a cleaning product or polish.

Which guitar polishing cloths suit gloss and matte finishes?

For guitars with a gloss finish, Taylor recommends the plush Premium Plush cloth. Dunlop Plush Microfiber Cloth and Ernie Ball Ultra-Plush Microfiber Polish Cloth also have a dense plush pile, with the latter intended for delicate surfaces according to its manufacturer.

The wrong cloth can buff patches of a satin or matte finish to a shine. Taylor therefore recommends the suede-textured Premium Suede cloth for satin-finished guitars. According to the manufacturer, the MusicNomad MN202 microfibre cloth is safe for gloss, satin and matte finishes. MusicNomad MN241 has two sides: a plush side for the body and neck, and a suede-textured side for the strings.

Microfibre or cotton flannel?

Fender Factory Microfiber Cloth is the same type of cloth that Fender uses on new instruments during production. It is lint-free, and the manufacturer states that it is also safe for nitrocellulose finishes and chrome. Cotton flannel is a traditional polishing material: D'Addario Planet Waves PWPC 2 is made from cotton flannel with a pile on both sides, while PWPC 1 has a cleaning agent embedded in the fabric, so you don't need any additional polish. The MusicNomad MN200 flannel cloth has a non-hemmed edge to prevent a seam from scratching the finish, and is also suitable for wiping the strings after every playing session.

What size cloth do you need?

• 30 × 30 cm – RockCare Microfibre Cloth, Ernie Ball Ultra-Plush (12" × 12") and MusicNomad MN241 for a quick wipe of your instrument before and after playing.
• 30 × 40 cm – MusicNomad MN200 and MN201 cover the entire guitar body.
• 40.6 × 40.6 cm – Dunlop Plush Microfiber Cloth is Dunlop's largest cloth, for both guitar and bass.

You'll find cleaning products, polishes and guitar care kits in the guitar cleaning and maintenance category.