Guitar Strings and Corrosive Sweat

Max_H

Max_H

Inspired
Hey folks,

I dunno how many people are like me but I've found that I have highly corrosive sweat, to the point where if I play with new strings for just an hour or two, I can already see rust and grime forming on my strings. Note: I did a test where I put on new strings, washed my hands and then played.

For a long while I merely accepted this as the norm; my strings would be fucked after a day or two and then I would play uncomfortable rusty strings until I felt like changing strings again (edge trems can be a mild pain).

Pretty recently though I did some research into ways to halt or slow down this process and I came across a few things that may be common knowledge to you guys.

So, how I take care of my strings:

Before I play, I wipe my strings down with a paper towel
A simple ol paper towel seems to cause enough friction to get a lot of the gunk off

I play for a few hours and repeat. If I have a whole day to myself and practice, I might wipe my strings down 2-3 times in a 8-12 hour period.

Once I am completely done with guitar for the day, I wipe my strings down yet again and then apply some wd-40 to another paper towel and wipe YET again. This has become a ritual for me. The wd-40 seems to get a little bit more of the grime off and then it should prevent any rusting and grime buildup throughout the night.

Now, question time.
What do you guys (who know you have corrosive sweat) do to protect your strings? Anything? Nothing?

Anybody know of a better solution to my problem? Maybe there is a better material for wiping down strings than a paper towel? I know there are commercial string cleaning fluids but can they really be that much better than plain ol' wd-40 and a paper towel? Am I taking the caveman approach?

I would simply love it if I could find a way to keep my strings fresh as long as possible. Currently with my method, I change strings every 2-3 weeks, and they only have mild buildup at that time. I mean, where the strings should be shiny and silver looking, they're black and brown where it's obvious I play the most.

Anyhoo, let me know what you guys think.
 
I don't have this problem at all...but I have a couple comments on your post:

I'm not sure WD-40 is safe for your fretboard or guitar finish. You may want to consider a cleaner designed specifically for guitar strings. Otherwise you might regret it one day if you don't get all of it off your strings.

Paper products are probably not the best thing to wipe strings with, especially the wound ones. You'll end up with paper fibers clinging on... I have 2 small lint free cleaning rags that are a super durable material that are the best thing ever... But I couldn't imagine where to get them - mine are about 25 years old and acquired from an old job with computer systems and these were part of the cleaning kit for tape drives.

Your comment on Edge bridges (or really any floating tremolo) is true, but there are some things you can do to help:

  1. Use the same brand and gauge of strings
  2. Change one string at a time
  3. Make sure to thoroughly stretch each string and retune before moving to the next one
 
I'm using Elixir strings and GHS Fast Fret to clean the strings after playing. That way, a set can last me about 2-3 months. There's not much else that you can do besides buying coated strings and cleaning them with an established string cleaner such as the GHS Fast Fret or the Fender Speed Slick.
 
I agree with Mofo. Elixirs might be a good option. You could buy a set at the local music store to see if you like them. If they work for you then buy in bulk.
 
yeah I'd use pure white mineral oil instead of WD-40. It's safer for the fret board wood. Mineral oil is what is in GHS Fast Fret and most other fretboard oils. You can buy a bottle the pure stuff at the pharmacy for a few bucks in the digestive medicine section by the antacids and laxatives and such. Perhaps there is something in your diet that is contributing to the acidic nature of your sweat. You could ask a dermatologist if there is anything you could do to stop the problem at the source.
 
I have highly acidic sweat. My sweat is so acidic, even with wiping off the tuning keys with a baby wash cloth after every use of my Rickenbacker 4003 (that I have owned since 1987), my sweat eventually etched my finger prints in the chrome plating of the tuning keys.

To preserve my strings, I use a baby wash cloth sprayed with some furniture polish (I use the lemon scented Pledge brand) and wipe down the strings after every playing session. If you do it thoroughly after every session, there is no need to to do it at the beginning of the next session.

Doing this, my strings don't oxidize for several months. YMMV

I hope this helps.
 
unix-guy said:
I don't have this problem at all...but I have a couple comments on your post:

I'm not sure WD-40 is safe for your fretboard or guitar finish. You may want to consider a cleaner designed specifically for guitar strings. Otherwise you might regret it one day if you don't get all of it off your strings.

Paper products are probably not the best thing to wipe strings with, especially the wound ones. You'll end up with paper fibers clinging on... I have 2 small lint free cleaning rags that are a super durable material that are the best thing ever... But I couldn't imagine where to get them - mine are about 25 years old and acquired from an old job with computer systems and these were part of the cleaning kit for tape drives.

Your comment on Edge bridges (or really any floating tremolo) is true, but there are some things you can do to help:

  1. Use the same brand and gauge of strings
  2. Change one string at a time
  3. Make sure to thoroughly stretch each string and retune before moving to the next one
Click to expand...

I wasn't sure about wd-40 either haha, i'm merely using it until a better replacement can be found. I'll look into some of those rags, I used to use similar products in my cleaning job.

I do all the things listed for my Edge Zero trem, I have it down to a science, it just still takes a good 30 minutes of my time (i know, im a whiner)

Slammin Mofo said:
I'm using Elixir strings and GHS Fast Fret to clean the strings after playing. That way, a set can last me about 2-3 months. There's not much else that you can do besides buying coated strings and cleaning them with an established string cleaner such as the GHS Fast Fret or the Fender Speed Slick.
Click to expand...

I used Elixir strings for a little while. My only two issues with them was that compared to the D'addario strings I normally use, they just didn't sound as good. I can't really describe it, it might be in my head but i wasn't a huge fan. Also the strings near the bridge would become frayed within maybe a week from picking. I'll absolutely look into the various string cleaning products out there. Im sure they're much better than wd-40.

mr_fender said:
yeah I'd use pure white mineral oil instead of WD-40. It's safer for the fret board wood. Mineral oil is what is in GHS Fast Fret and most other fretboard oils. You can buy a bottle the pure stuff at the pharmacy for a few bucks in the digestive medicine section by the antacids and laxatives and such. Perhaps there is something in your diet that is contributing to the acidic nature of your sweat. You could ask a dermatologist if there is anything you could do to stop the problem at the source.
Click to expand...

I'll look into the mineral oil idea.

dr bonkers said:
I have highly acidic sweat. My sweat is so acidic, even with wiping off the tuning keys with a baby wash cloth after every use of my Rickenbacker 4003 (that I have owned since 1987), my sweat eventually etched my finger prints in the chrome plating of the tuning keys.

To preserve my strings, I use a baby wash cloth sprayed with some furniture polish (I use the lemon scented Pledge brand) and wipe down the strings after every playing session. If you do it thoroughly after every session, there is no need to to do it at the beginning of the next session.

Doing this, my strings don't oxidize for several months. YMMV

I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I'll give the pledge a shot as well, thanks for the tip!



Bunch of great tips here guys, thanks a lot. For some reason, google searching this topic doesn't yield a great number of useful results.

I'll be giving these all a try in the next few weeks and i'll report back with some (less than) scientific results haha,

cheers
 
Pledge has silicone oil in it. I would not use it anywhere near a guitar. Once it works its way into wood, it's very difficult to remove and can cause all sorts of problems with refrets and refinishing.
 
Last edited:
mr_fender said:
Pledge has silicone oil in it. I would not use it anywhere near a guitar. Once it works it's way into wood, it's very difficult to remove and can cause all sorts of problems with refrets and refinishing.
Click to expand...

this is good to know haha, thank you!
 
1. Post-play wipe down with Guitar cleaning cloth
2. Pass Dunlop string cleaner/conditioner (or isopropyl alcohol for cheapskates) along strings (& body if needs be, but wipe body after)
3. Dehumidify guitar's stored location (guitar case or whole room)
4. Always play with wristbands to absorb sweat during play - your friends may laugh bc you look like a tennis player, but you will save your strings.

I live in Brazil, so I can sympathize with humidity/acidic-caused rust problems
 
Max_H said:
I wasn't sure about wd-40 either haha, i'm merely using it until a better replacement can be found.
Click to expand...
Goo Gone® would be worth a try. It lifts out all kinds of crud, and it's safe on every guitar-related material I've tried it on, including rosewood fretboards and old, heavily-crazed lacquer.

But stay away from Goof Off®. It has a nasty habit of eating through things you don't want eaten through.
 
I use Caig DeOxit D5. I've used Caig products since the 70s when I worked in a stereo store and saw DeOxit used in the service department for cleaning pots, switches, input and output jacks, have used it for that ever since. DeOxit claims to polish the metal, fill in micro-pits, and remove corrosion, so I sprayed some on a microfiber cloth and wiped down the strings and it cleaned them nicely. What I do now is double up a corner of the towel, fold it around the string, shoot the DeOxit into the fold, grip the towel and string tightly, slide up and down the string until it stops squeaking, or very nearly. (Careful, you can burn your fingertips with the heat you generate doing this if you're too enthusiastic). This gets the string very clean, and I've found that where I used to change strings every couple of weeks (for tone, not corrosion, as I don't corrode strings the way some people do), that I can go a couple of months easily before I start to think about changing strings. This is playing on average a dozen hours a week. Also, I had wondered about the safety of the DeOxit to guitar finishes, haven't noticed any issue. Years after I started doing this I discovered that DeOxit now makes string wipes for guitar. I use the spray cans since I have them around anyway.
 
Philip34 said:
1. Post-play wipe down with Guitar cleaning cloth
2. Pass Dunlop string cleaner/conditioner (or isopropyl alcohol for cheapskates) along strings (& body if needs be, but wipe body after)
3. Dehumidify guitar's stored location (guitar case or whole room)
4. Always play with wristbands to absorb sweat during play - your friends may laugh bc you look like a tennis player, but you will save your strings.

I live in Brazil, so I can sympathize with humidity/acidic-caused rust problems
Click to expand...

I wonder if a wristband would actually help me because i think it's my actual hands and fingers sweating, not my upper-arm

Rex said:
Goo Gone® would be worth a try. It lifts out all kinds of crud, and it's safe on every guitar-related material I've tried it on, including rosewood fretboards and old, heavily-crazed lacquer.

But stay away from Goof Off®. It has a nasty habit of eating through things you don't want eaten through.
Click to expand...

Ooh sweet, I wouldn't have thought of goo gone for this purpose, I'll give that a go.

dgzieg said:
I use Caig DeOxit D5. I've used Caig products since the 70s when I worked in a stereo store and saw DeOxit used in the service department for cleaning pots, switches, input and output jacks, have used it for that ever since. DeOxit claims to polish the metal, fill in micro-pits, and remove corrosion, so I sprayed some on a microfiber cloth and wiped down the strings and it cleaned them nicely. What I do now is double up a corner of the towel, fold it around the string, shoot the DeOxit into the fold, grip the towel and string tightly, slide up and down the string until it stops squeaking, or very nearly. (Careful, you can burn your fingertips with the heat you generate doing this if you're too enthusiastic). This gets the string very clean, and I've found that where I used to change strings every couple of weeks (for tone, not corrosion, as I don't corrode strings the way some people do), that I can go a couple of months easily before I start to think about changing strings. This is playing on average a dozen hours a week. Also, I had wondered about the safety of the DeOxit to guitar finishes, haven't noticed any issue. Years after I started doing this I discovered that DeOxit now makes string wipes for guitar. I use the spray cans since I have them around anyway.
Click to expand...

Sweet, I'll pick up a can and give her a whirl.

Tahoebrian5 said:
Corrosive sweat.. Never heard of this. Are you sure you are not one of the X-men?
Click to expand...

If this is my super power... can i trade it in for like really fast fingers instead. Lame-est super power in the world haha
 
I have ultra corrosive sweat and I often clean my guitars cause it can be seen from strings to neck etc...
It's like playing is making creating matter :D

I only found one solution : Ernie ball coated titanium, and wiping regularly (and those strings are getting hard to find in france)
I destroy any other brand in no time and it feels like playing on charcoal.
 
Lax said:
I have ultra corrosive sweat and I often clean my guitars cause it can be seen from strings to neck etc...
It's like playing is making creating matter :D

I only found one solution : Ernie ball coated titanium, and wiping regularly (and those strings are getting hard to find in france)
I destroy any other brand in no time and it feels like playing on charcoal.
Click to expand...

Exactly that's my problem. After a day or so of new strings, if I don't clean them as best as I can, you can very much feel the grit and rust on the strings. Like you said, playing on charcoal.
 
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