Lemon Oil

:evil: spray-on insect repellent - hard on some finishes, esp nitrocellulose lacquer
I'm glad you added that one! I once ruined a nice coffee table by resting my legs across it, when I had sprayed on Cutter insect repellant. It acted about like Stryp-Eeze. I'd imagine an arm with the stuff on it would do a really bad number on a guitar.

:evil: spray-on insect repellent - hard on some finishes, esp nitrocellulose lacquer
I'm glad you added that one! I once ruined a nice coffee table by resting my legs across it, when I had sprayed on Cutter insect repellant. It acted about like Stryp-Eeze. I'd imagine an arm with the stuff on it would do a really bad number on a guitar.

A "bad number" is right. This was aerosol Deep Woods Off. Fortunately, it was on my Beatercaster, and so it simply looks a little more beat on the lower bass bout. Even more fortunately, I didn't get any on the neck, which also is nitro'ed. Did not seem to bother the polyurethane finishes, which most of the modern guitars have. I switched over to Off family-friendly wipes, which seem benign to everything.

I think the coffee table was finished with nitrocellulose lacquer, BTW.

All good info here guys. I guess I been too lazy to search the info, I've had bottles of Gibson goo, fret eaze and all the other snake oils I paided top dollor for. :roll:

Just to make sure:
1.So baby oil on a rosewood fretboard would be fine? (I'll look for that lax type 1st)
I just saw something on Sicence ch or something that confirms that.All human consumsion grade oil it the same except for the scent.

2.Olive Oil? I'm no cook at all ,so if I'm wondering around a Wal mart and see Olive oil I can't go wrong? or is this some 100% pure thing I need to look for?

3. Are regular dust sprays bad in any way for just cleaning the body? The lemon scented cheap stuff sold for dusting. I looked & no ingredience listed.

4. What about strings? Any of these oils would be bad for strings wouldn't they?
I understand that putting these on a fretboard may only be needed during a string change anyway ,but am I right that these oils should not touch my strings?

1. Yep.

2. Yep. Normal olive oil.

3. Some of those spray furniture cleaners (and some of the "guitar specific" fretboard and string treatments as well) contain silicone, which is fine until one day you decide you want your guitar refinished, then it makes things a lot harder.

4. Nope. Won't hurt your strings. In fact, my habit is to wipe down all new strings with olive oil. I believe it makes them last much longer. As with the fretboard, wipe off the excess.

I know a guy who routinely sprays PAM Cooking Spray on his strings and fretboard as he plays, as others do with Finger Ease and such. Nothing's in it that can hurt your guitar.

Wow, I think you all have saved me alot of cash.

I was looking around in my wife's kitchen and found a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. I ran in her bathroom and stole a cottonball and did my fretboard. I think I've found what I needed. It seems to be perfect. As a matter a fact it goes on nicer,feels better and I believe even looks better than what I've used.

Now, if I could just get back all the cash I've wasted on fancy labels and advertising. I was quick to pull out my wallet for that cottoncandy. :oops: I probably use twice what most people use too, because I use a woodburner alot in the winter.

I think I'll stay away from those furniture polishes unless I know forsure there's no silicone.. I've only used it a couple times out of desperation really. The dog was let in out of the rain and he did the shake. little beads of water left unwiped are killer on a finish. I had the wife make me a kinda guitar jacket thing that wraps around the body with velcro to hold it place.Now I can leave my go-to gtr in the stand and avoid that from happening again. It looks like my gtr is wearing a pen-stripped suit though. :lol:

Thanks ALOT! Great site.

I just treated the strings on my new reso with olive oil. Figured I'd better get to it quick as I played it for several hours already yesterday and the 80/20 brass wound strings were already showing a few black spots. They tarnish really fast!

I just treated the strings on my new reso with olive oil. Figured I'd better get to it quick as I played it for several hours already yesterday and the 80/20 brass wound strings were already showing a few black spots. They tarnish really fast!
Wow! It works on strings too? How about something like Old English for furniture?

I dunno about Old English Oil on guitars. Smells like it's got some kerosene or mineral spirits in it, and the kinds we've had around the house are pigmented. I'm a bit leery of mineral oils on wood, which is why I started using olive oil, but I feel like the white light mineral oil must be OK since "lemon oil" has been used so much. But don't overdo anything.

Thank you gnease for the pretty definitive reply - now I can keep my money and not buy "lemon oil" :-)