Cleaner/polish for violins?

October 28, 2025, 9:02 PM · Most people are going to tell you to take it to your luthier to get professionally cleaned, and they would be right to say that.

However, if you can find it I like the Psarianos cleaner from Psarianos violins. I used to buy it from Concord music but they stopped carrying it. I eventually found it again since Psarianos violins sells it themselves, but I don't know if they still do. Last time I ordered it was a few years ago and I bought a few bottles of it just in case. I had to call them to place an order. It works very well and it's made by a luthier so I trust it.

Some people like Hill polish, but I wasn't a fan. I've heard good things about Laubach cleaner as well, but I haven't tried it myself. There's a YouTube video of someone showing them using it on their (not inexpensive) instruments and it looked like it did a good job. If her channel is still active I believe it's called the Violinista. I may buy a bottle and try it on my beater violin before I use it on my more expensive instruments, but I've been telling myself that for years now.

October 28, 2025, 10:12 PM · Most likely it is caked rosin dust that's been deeply ingrained in the wood over years. I would not try to clean that yourself especially if this is your new violin. For just minor polish and clean, you might try one of the ones Christian suggested; my luthier has used both Hill and Laubach and I prefer Laubach, but Hill did ok. It probably needs new strings too since if they were that caked, rosin probably got in between the windings of the string and it's dampening the sound a lot.

October 28, 2025, 10:51 PM · For my strings I use 0000 steel wool with very gentle strokes, and I use the small "prep pads" that diabetics use to clean the site of insulin injection, you can buy them in a box of 100 at CVS. For both you hold the violin upside down so that you don't get steel wool bits or alcohol on your violin. Purists will tell you not to do any of that but it's worked well for me for as long as I've been playing the violin.

You took a risk wiping down your violin with a damp cloth. Some varnishes do not like that, although I believe they are in a vanishingly small minority. I recommend for now that you just make sure you aren't getting your violin dirtier than it already is, and you can do this by: (1) using a soft microfiber cleaning cloth to wipe down your violin gently after each use to take care of loose rosin dust and the occasional fingerprint, and (2) handle your violin only by the neck and the button, so that you don't have grubby fingerprints all over the bouts and ribs that need wiped off.

Next time you have your violin at the luthier for some other work that involves removing the bridge, etc., you can get it professionally cleaned then.

October 28, 2025, 11:00 PM · Most of the violin-cleaning fluids I have seen are creamy-looking. That suggest to me (as a chemist) that they are emulsions. Likely components might include water, turpentine, alcohol, and an emulsifier (i.e. a detergent). I can smell the turpentine in the Hill product.

Super Nikco is another product that you'll see. I believe this has a similar composition (perhaps an oil other than turpentine) but it includes an abrasive. Fiddlershop disclaims it as "intended for professional luthiers only" but it's readily for sale.

October 29, 2025, 1:09 AM · Thanks guys!
Paul, it was a barely moistened cloth. I did take a small alcohol pad to the strings and fingerboard. Loads of brown dirt came off. After I played it, I wiped off the strings again with my cleaning cloth but I couldn’t get all the rosin off.
Richard, you may be right about the strings, they may have been on this violin for years. I got a lot of dust out of the pegbox with a Q tip.
Still, this violin sounds great!

Edited: October 29, 2025, 5:49 AM · I've got a bottle of Hill, but I've never used it. I understand that the less you use of it the better (accidental joke).
I used to use eau de cologne every few weeks on my strings when I was a beginner. The pseudo -science of why you shouldn't use alcohol apart, I did it recently for the first time on the current set of 4-month-old strings and it just made them sound new and in need of breaking-in again, so I won't do that any more unless they are positively caked. In theory a dry microfiber cloth is best for them after every playing session, so they never get caked, but I always forget.

As Paul implies, cleaner basically contains varnish and solvent. In theory it removes rosin and replaces any varnish it removed with the rosin. Use it in microscopic amounts on tiny patches - fingertip on nearly dry cloth. Use it only where you identify rosin. Imagine you are restoring a Rubens painting, not currying a carthorse. Never use water on antique wood - you seem a bit too keen on that. Note that we don't know you. Is it possible you are a clean-freak?

Notice how good I am at theory when I have said I've never practised. Otoh, sometimes it's good to know enough theory to dissuade you from practice. I understand jumping off cliffs isn't healthy.

October 29, 2025, 8:26 AM · Andrew, being a nurse,yes, I am a clean freak. I would only use water very judiciously, if at all. My violin teacher got caught in the rain playing for an outdoor wedding, and her violin was spattered with raindrops. It made spots that she was very concerned about, even though it’s very old and far from pretty.
“Currying a carthorse “, that’s a good one. I used to be a groom on a show horse farm. My string of horses shined better than the average violin.
I’m glad y’all are helping me, and each other, solve our issues.

Edited: October 29, 2025, 9:42 AM · Even if not dirty, strings do wear out. Get a fresh set. They will be easier to keep in tune, and give more honest response.

Microfiber cloth (sold by Shar, Johnson Strings, and others) is a good thing to keep around. Also use it to clean the stick of your bow.

One maker told me he uses mineral oil with a bit of toothpaste to clean varnish, but you're better off letting a pro get the serious gunk off. When it is really clean, the microfiber will hold you for quite a long time.

October 29, 2025, 10:42 AM · Cleaning violins is a deceptively complicated task. By the time that a violin becomes palpably or visibly dirty, it has typically accumulated much more dirt and grime than is realized, and what seems like a simple matter of removing some deposits in a small patch quickly leads to a more encompassing treatment. If the violin can’t be wiped clean with a dry cloth, there’s almost certainly more gunk on it than you expect.

As is often pointed out, there are all kinds of cleaning products available, from household or workshop cleaning products to specially formulated varnish cleaners. Violin varnishes differ considerably, though, so a product that may work on one may destroy another.

Cream polishes tend to contain various abrasives that build up a sheen by cutting into the surface layer of varnish and scratching it until it gleams. Some are coarser than others, and they can take color off of a violin in short order.

Polishes that aren’t creamy usually contain solvents and oils. The solvents are intended to dissolve dirt, rosin, and grime and remove it from the surface, while the oils are intended as carriers so that the solvent doesn’t just strip the varnish off. However, sensitive varnishes can still be damaged by solvents even with a carrier. If the instrument has had any damage and the surface of the wood is exposed (e.g. open cracks, closed but unfilled cracks, nicks, scratches, or portions chipped or worn off), the cleaner will penetrate. Glue joints can fail and wood can be contaminated, which will compound the damage over time. Also, the oils used as carriers typically leave behind deposits that are near impossible to completely remove, and the deposits actually attract more dirt.

Detergents and degreasers attack dirt and oil and remove a lot of it, but they are not necessarily gentle on varnish, even if they aren’t abrading it. Some affect the pH balance enough to make the outer layers of the varnish turn gummy, which can lead to disaster quickly. Even the more neutral versions can be aggressive enough to wear into varnish.

There simply isn’t a cleaner or polish that works for everything, so any time you attempt to clean with one of them, you assume the risk of damaging your instrument further. This is why it’s so strongly recommended that the cleaning be done professionally, similar to the approach toward caring for paintings.

October 29, 2025, 12:39 PM · A bit of a sideways suggestion, but it may be a good opportunity for building a relationship with your local shop - take it in, and ask them to look it over for any issues, give it a good wipe down, and recommend some strings. If you call ahead, it could be an in and out job.

October 29, 2025, 4:30 PM · Thanks Esther. The Violin Shop is a short 25 minute drive away. The only day that is practical for me is Saturday, their busiest day. They did make time to straighten my crooked bridge, last Saturday and I had called ahead. I was ready to leave when it was done, there was a very annoying teenager showing off how well he could play on only the E string. My violin probably needs a good going over. Stephen , ill be changing strings soon, I already have a brand new set waiting in a drawer. I could just leave it with them, if necessary, because there’s nothing wrong with my student violin, I can play it in the meantime.
I did call the owner of the Atlantic Strings store about the polish they use. They got a weird batch, and the new violins are sticky and fingerprint badly. I wiped off as much as I could from the one they were gracious enough to loan me for two weeks. He said any high quality polish or wax is okay, used very sparingly, and not very often. They don’t use any in the older violins. Smart.
Thanks Rich.

I feel like an “expert “ now.??

Edited: October 29, 2025, 6:45 PM · Nickie, I love cleaning shoes and polishing the furniture, but I guess somebody impressed on me early on that violins are different. I tie a handkerchief round the instrument's waist when practising, wipe strings, neck etc afterwards, and use the smallest dab of cologne on a soft cloth for build-up on strings, when necessary. Rich outlines the risks of inexpert cleaning really clearly above.

October 29, 2025, 9:13 PM · Thanks Richard. I grow more cautious with each post!