2022’s best guitar cleaning kits & tools: keep your instrument looking and sounding great
When you first start playing the guitar, you may want to perform live in a band or record your own songs in a studio. What you might not consider is cleaning and tinkering with your guitar, yet it is an essential element of being a guitarist. To keep your prized possession in the best possible shape, carry one of the best guitar cleaning kits in your tool bag for regular care and maintenance.
There are a variety of equipment, guitar cleaning kit solutions, cloths, and other accessories available to help you maintain your guitar not just looking wonderful, but also performing and sounding as well as it possible can. The best guitar cleaning kits will ensure that you have everything you need to do a proper job when restringing your guitar, changing the action (the height of the strings from the fingerboard), and intonation, or simply polishing it.
Most quality guitar stores will have a tech on hand to take care of restrings and setups, but this may add up over the course of a year, and there’s a certain level of satisfaction to be had from doing it all yourself. It also means that you can restring or set up your guitars precisely how you want.
Regardless of how far you want to go with guitar maintenance, whether it’s just doing a decent restring job, giving your guitar a full setup, or doing modifications, you’ll want to have some of the best guitar cleaning kit and maintenance tools on hand.
We’ve included some detailed purchase advice for guitar cleaning kits at the conclusion of this guide, so follow the link to learn more. Continue scrolling if you want to get right to the products.
OUR FAVORITE GUITAR CLEANING KITS AND TOOLS
The Dunlop System 65 Complete Kit may be the greatest care and guitar cleaning kit available. It includes everything you need to set up and restring guitars to increase feel and playability.
The Ernie Ball Musician’s Tool Kit isn’t nearly as extensive, but it does include some wipes for polishing your guitar and is significantly less expensive. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money but want to experiment with guitar cleaning and maintenance, consider the CruzTools Guitar & Bass Multi-Tool or the traditional GHS Fast Fret.
PRODUCT GUIDE FOR THE BEST GUITAR CLEANING KITS AND TOOLS
Dunlop DGT102 System 65 Complete guitar cleaning kit
Features
- This kit has everything a guitar player needs
- String Cutter, Stringwinder, Multi-Tool
- Gig Light, Fret Collars, Micro Fret Cloth
- String Action Gauge, Uni-Wrench, Screwdriver
- Microfiber Polish Cloth, Formula 65 Cleaner-Polish, Superlube Gel Pen
Specifications
| Brand | Jim Dunlop |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Jim Dunlop |
| Model | DGT102 |
| Product Dimensions | 22.86 x 15.24 x 7.62 cm; 900 Grams |
| Item model number | DGT102 |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Batteries Included | Yes |
| Batteries Required | Yes |
| Battery Cell Composition | Alkaline |
| Contains Liquid Contents | No |
| Manufacturer | Jim Dunlop |
| Item Weight | 900 g |
This does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a complete guitar cleaning kit for setting up your guitars. It includes everything you’ll need to fine-tune the action, change the intonation, and replace the strings, including tools for reaching those bothersome, hard-to-reach nuts and screws.
This set includes a screwdriver, multi-tool, string action gauge, string winder, and some other unique accessories. It includes fret collars and a fret cloth for polishing the frets on your fingerboard to make them as beautiful and sparkling as they were when it was new. Guitar techs will like the fact that this kit includes a light – no more stumbling along the side of a dark stage. You’ve also got some decent body polish, a lubrication gel pen for the nut, and a really useful uni-wrench for loosening or tightening volume and tone knobs.
Whether you’re a regular tinkerer or just want something you can rely on a few times a year for restringing and setting up your guitar, the Dunlop DGT102 set is one of, if not the, greatest guitar maintenance items available.
Ernie Ball Musician’s guitar cleaning kit 4114
Features
- All-in-one instrument care system
- Includes everything for string changes and set-ups
- Handy carrying case
- Ernie Ball String Cutter
- Microfiber Polish Cloth
- Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes (3) – String Cleaner, Instrument Polish, and Fretboard Conditioner
- 6” Stainless Steel
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Ernie Ball Music Man |
|---|---|
| Part Number | P04114 |
| Item Weight | 14.7 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 10.5 x 1.75 x 5.75 inches |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Item model number | P04114 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Black |
| Style | Tool Kit |
| Voltage | 240 Volts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Batteries Included | No |
This helpful guitar cleaning kit contains everything you need to do a restring and make any necessary changes to your activity. There’s a great set of string cutters that are powerful enough to use on bass if necessary, as well as a complete set of Allen keys – chances are, one of these will fit precisely. A 6-in-1 screwdriver, string height gauge, and string winder are all included. All of these tools should be sufficient for guitar setups and routine maintenance.
On the cleaning front, you get a microfibre cloth (guitarists should always have one of these on hand) and some Ernie Ball’s Wonder Wipes. Individual wipes specially developed for cleaning filthy strings, the fingerboard, and the guitar body – everything you need for a thorough cleaning!
The Ernie Ball Musician’s Toolkit is one of the greatest guitar cleaning kit and maintenance items available, as it includes almost everything a player will need to take care of string changes and setups, all in a convenient case.
CruzTools Guitar & Bass Multi guitar cleaning kit
Features
- 19-piece magnetic bit set and screwdriver style bit holder, with both inch and metric hex wrenches, screwdrivers, and sockets to handle virtually any make and model of guitar or bass
- A capo and 15-blade thickness gauge with integrated ruler permit neck measurement, which is essential to proper truss rod adjustment
- Also included are downsized string cutters and a string winder
- Everything fits into an uber-compact pouch that is ready to hit the road
Specifications
| Item Weight | 1 pounds |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 8 x 3 x 3 inches |
| Item model number | GTSH1 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Number of Strings | 6 |
| Material Type | Other |
This is something you can keep in your guitar case or gig bag and know it’ll be there when you need this guitar cleaning kit. It’s nice to have a variety of tools, but sometimes you simply want one small, multi-purpose piece of equipment that performs the job and doesn’t take up a lot of space.
It’s fashioned in the style of a Swiss Army Life, but jutting out of the body is a collection of tools that will make setting up and tweaking your guitar much easier. It has many Allen keys, which are useful for adjusting truss rods and various saddles and screws, a ruler for establishing string height, and a variety of screwdrivers. This is the kind of thing you’ll always want to have on hand, whether you’re replacing a faulty input jack or tweaking your intonation.
Dunlop 6500 guitar cleaning kit
Features
- Formula 65 guitar cleaning kit
- Country of Origin: United States
- Package Weight: 0.71 pounds
- The Formula 65 guitar cleaning kit contains the best-seller Formula 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner and Body Gloss Cream of Carnauba Wax
Specifications
| Item Weight | 10.4 ounces |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 3.8 x 2.2 x 5.2 inches |
| Country of Origin | USA |
This is a complete set of polishes and treatments for keeping your guitar looking and feeling new. The Dunlop 6500 System is one of the greatest guitar cleaning kits available, cleaning everything from the body to the fingerboard to the strings.
The cream of carnauba body gloss can be used to polish the body of your guitar while buffing away light scratches; it also works as a light barrier against moisture and stains. The polish is suitable for everyday usage, helping to clean and restore your guitar to its original state. Then there are a couple of cleaning and conditioning treatments, cotton cloths, and their Ultraglide string conditioner to keep your strings feeling and sounding new.
If you take pride on your guitar, this is an excellent package to keep on hand. You don’t have to do it every day, but applying polish on a regular basis and string conditioner every now and again will help keep your instrument in wonderful form.
D’Addario Guitar Repair Kit
Features
- High quality travel case
- Non-slip protective body mat
- String height gauge
- Includes other best-selling accessories such as: Pro-winder, Headstand, Multi-tool, Lubrikit, Fret Polishing System, and NS Capo Lite
- Bass version available
Specifications
| Item Weight | 14.1 ounces |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 7.25 x 2.25 x 9 inches |
| Item model number | PW-EGMK-01 |
| Color Name | Black |
This is an excellent all-in-one guitar repair kit housed in a very well-designed case. While it is not cheap, it provides everything you would need when restringing and setting up your guitars to a professional level.
To begin, you get a non-slip body pad and a neck cradle, so you may carefully place your guitar while you work on it. You get a handy multi-tool with a variety of hex keys and screwdrivers for making adjustments, string lubricant for the nut, a ruler and capo for checking string height and neck relief, and a string winder with a cutter on the end – basically, everything you could possibly need when changing strings and setting up your guitar.
All of your tools are neatly stored in the case, which has been quite nicely constructed. When working on your instrument, it’s all too easy to misplace a tiny screw, spring, or other component. D’addario has thought of everything and created a tiny pouch to keep all your small bits of hardware safe until they’re ready to go back on your guitar – a simple but elegant solution.
ADVICE ON BUYING THE BEST GUITAR CLEANING KITS AND TOOLS
Why should I clean my guitar?
You may believe that if your guitar isn’t broken, nothing needs to be done. However, the strings on your guitar will accumulate dead skin and dirt from your fingers over time, and your guitar, which is mostly constructed of wood and metal, will shift somewhat with variations in temperature and humidity. This is where the best guitar cleaning and maintenance kits come into play.
When items on a guitar move slightly, there’s usually a screw, nut, or other type of adjustment gadget that may be changed to get it back to where it needs to be. Over time, you may notice that the neck of your guitar begins to bow slightly; a quick adjustment of the truss rod can correct this. You may notice that notes aren’t fretting totally in tune, which indicates a fault with intonation (this is so important when recording). This is easily remedied by changing the string saddles by the bridge.
What kind of equipment do you require?
Getting one or two items from this list will ensure that you have the tools you need to keep your instrument in top shape. Of course, your decision will be influenced by how far you want to take it.
When looking for the best guitar cleaning kits and maintenance tools, consider what you want to accomplish. If you play guitar only occasionally, you might want to get something that keeps the strings feeling fresh so you don’t have to change them as often.
If you’re a little more serious about the guitar and play a lot, you might want to consider cleaning and maintenance products that you use frequently. You could check your action and intonation at the same time every time you changed your strings. You can save yourself a trip to your local guitar repair if you have the necessary tools.
Many musicians consider their guitar to be their pride and joy. You obviously want it to sound and feel wonderful when you play it, but you also want it to look fantastic! You didn’t spend all that money on a PRS to have that flame top blend in, did you? The best guitar cleaning supplies can help you maintain your guitar looking as new as the day you bought it. Some will even assist you in removing minor blemishes and scrapes.
Maintenance tips for guitars
Turning screws and adjusting crucial guitar parts can be intimidating at first, but it’s always a good idea to start small. Make small incremental changes and check after each one to ensure that what you’re doing is working as it should. There are also numerous online tools for learning how to set up and restring your guitars.
