Whats the best way to clean your speakers ?

zoraduntov

Pledge for the wood but what about the drivers etc...:question:

mrbigbluelight

Hold off on the Pledge; you'll be getting some expert advice soon, I'm sure, on the wood & drivers cleaning.

tonyb

What better excuse to buy new speakers. " Honey, the speakers are looking shabby and company is comming over". I'll get right on it sweety.

F1nut

NEVER use Pledge on anything. Nasty, nasty stuff.

As for the drivers, what speakers do you have?

pitdogg2

Why is Pledge nasty stuff? I've never used the stuff but granny used it for 50yrs on all her good wood items never noticed any bad gremlins from it. Just curious Jesse.

F1nut

Ever wonder why after you touch a piece of furniture that has been polluted with Pledge that it leaves fingerprints and smudges? It's the silicone floating on top of the clear coat finish. Silicone also causes real problems if the item needs touch up repairs or refinishing. Silicone has no business on furniture.

pitdogg2

thanks Jesse I never knew about the silicone... makes sense.

Face

Microfibre cloth.

F1nut

Furniture polish is not needed, it does nothing to "help" the finish and in fact, can't. A damp soft cloth is all that is required to dust/clean furniture. If one is hell bent on using a furniture polish when dusting, Guardsmen makes a water based polish that does not contain silicone, leaves no residue and never builds up.

evhudsons

anything out of an aerosol can can't be good for wood. I've used lemon oil, but I was advised that is just mainly mineral oil. I'm curious too as to the best ways and why. This is not my area of knowledge for sure. I have heard one person say they simply use an olive oil and vinegar solution, essentially a base salad dressing. I'm not going to advocate anything other than a little water and buffing.

Syndil

My speakers only ever get dusty. Slightly damp cloth takes dust off just fine.

Drenis

I use Swiffer Dusters on everything including drivers. Warm barely-damp cloth for anything other then surface dust.

cnh

You mean you don't like "dirty" drivers?

It "adds" Character to your speakers, doesn't it? Just think of them as "Ratso Rizzos". lol

cnh

heiney9

Fill the tub up with Ivory soap. Submerge the entire speaker (laying it on its back) rub a dub dub......speakers in the tub. Loofa the entire cabinet, rinse, dry and look at them sparkle.

H9

dkg999

Car Wash. Be sensible, use the low pressure wash setting. Blue Coral wax is preferred and has been proven to enhance the sound of your speakers. I've found that the use of the spot-free rinse is a fallacy akin to thinking that power cables can improve the sound of your system.

Drenis

heiney9 wrote: »

Fill the tub up with Ivory soap. Submerge the entire speaker (laying it on its back) rub a dub dub......speakers in the tub. Loofa the entire cabinet, rinse, dry and look at them sparkle.

H9

You know, long ago I heard a story...lets call it a folk tale cause I can;t verify it... but the story goes that BOSE used to take their flagship 901's and dunk them in a pool, pull them out and crank tunes.

If that's true then you best change your advice. hah

dkg999

Drenis wrote: »

You know, long ago I heard a story...lets call it a folk tale cause I can;t verify it... but the story goes that BOSE used to take their flagship 901's and dunk them in a pool, pull them out and crank tunes.

If that's true then you best change your advice. hah

I believe that was the Bose 801 commercial sound system speaker. The 801's had the drivers forward facing and were virtually indestructable. I used to use 2 pr in a college party DJ system driven by Crown amps. On a warm day you took them outside and used a garden hose and scrub brush to clean the spilled beer and other unidentifiable crud off of them.

steveinaz

I use a well-wrung chamois on both the finish and drivers (if excessively dusty). I also only use a chamois on all of my equipment, to include my plasma screen. A chamois will protect from scratching soft plastic display faces. My CD player is 9yrs old, and the display face looks brand new.

rebuy

If you have to move a big speakers use rubber gardening gloves to get a grip.

duct tape for cleaning drivers

Drenis

dkg999 wrote: »

I believe that was the Bose 801 commercial sound system speaker. The 801's had the drivers forward facing and were virtually indestructable. I used to use 2 pr in a college party DJ system driven by Crown amps. On a warm day you took them outside and used a garden hose and scrub brush to clean the spilled beer and other unidentifiable crud off of them.

That sounds right. I guess I was wrong about the model but perhaps who told it to me had the story a bit off. Well I'll be damned it's true. Interesting.

dudeinaroom

Windex will work for most problem spots, apply a squirt or 2 on to a cloth then wipe.<<<<NOT FOR UNTREATED PAPER DRIVERS!!!!!! Windex will also remove light smoke residue.
"AWESOME" aka L.A.'s Totally Awesome will remove heavy smoke residue left from burning wood and plastics. It can also be used for deep cleaning of grill cloths (This involves time, a shower, a spray bottle with awesome, soft to medium nylon bristle brush, some towels, and a blow dryer).
For general every daily/weekly cleaning, a damp towel will do just fine.

steveinaz

rebuy wrote: »

If you have to move a big speakers use rubber gardening gloves to get a grip.

duct tape for cleaning drivers

Duct tape? You're a BRAVE man.

halo71

On real wood veneer etc I'd feel safe using lemon oil. Used it for years with good results on speaker cabinets as well as rosewood and maple boarded guitar necks.

F1nut

Lemon oil is nothing more than mineral oil with a lemon scent. Another product that has no business on wood.

halo71

Why does it not have any business being on wood? Lemon oil, gun stock oil and linseed oil work wonders on wood guitar necks.

Drenis

Snake oil *whistles*

Timothy Smith

For cleaning I have had good luck with Windex and Simple Green spray cleaners for cabinets and drivers.

For real wood cabinets try Howards Restore-A-Finish after cleaning.

F1nut

Any wooden item that has a clear coat finish does not need any oil or polish product applied to it in some attempt to help the finish. The cured clear coat finish cannot be "helped" by such products. They do nothing other than sit on top of the finish.

Think of it like this. The clear coat finish is like using a plastic bag to protect whatever is inside of it from such things like water, etc. Applying oils/polishes to the plastic bag cannot penetrate it nor help it in any way.

The typical guitar neck is finished with lacquer and needs nothing applied to it. If it is unfinished wood, then and only then would those products you mentioned be helpful.

halo71

^ I am with ya then! The speaker cabinets had no clear coat. And most of the necks on my guitars had no lacquer. And the ones that did, I removed the lacquer on the back. Oiled, used steel wool and had a much smoother neck. I was thinking you meant lemon/mineral oil in general was bad for wood.....unfinished wood that is.

evhudsons

great clarification and makes perfect sense.

halo, did taking the lacquer off change the sound of the guitar? My acoustics are natural finish so I do use something on them, but have been told by many guitar gods that oiling the guitar with lemon oil is not the best because you want the wood to actually be somewhat dry. There are guitar treatments that still protect the wood without effecting the dryness.

my electric is lacquered, and for some reason accumulates ick. I simply use a wet cloth to buff it out.

halo71

Removing the lacquer from the back of the neck and oiling it makes the neck smoother, faster. Rubbing it down with 0000 steel wool or fine sand paper afterwards. It did not change the tone at all. Just made the neck more comfortable. Many of the old Kramer/Charvel and ESP guitars I have owned over the years had this lacquer. Most guitarists don't care for it. Like how a Fender strat is lacqered....way to thick to me. I'd leave the lacquer on the board itself though. I never found the need to do this to an acoustic though.

I have NEVER heard a guitarist say you want the wood to be dried out. What I am saying about oiling the neck, I am not meaning the neck is oily or greasy afterwards making it smoother or slicker to play. After all is said and done the neck is dry but very very smooth.