WD-40. Miracle worker. (and no, I'm not endorsed by WD-40)

One of my absolute favourite things to use around the shop is WD-40, also commonly called (by the dyslexic, I suppose) DW-40. It's a miracle-product and does way more than just repel water (yes, it really is simply a water-repellent). Here's what I (and my esteemed colleagues) use it for:

• Cleaning old sticker residue: Sometimes a guitar has been hanging on the wall in the store for quite a while and the price tag looks all ratty and, I'm convinced, does nothing to make the guitar more appealing to a customer. So when I get it on my workbench, I like to remove the old sticker and apply a new one. However, as is the case with most stickers, there's a sticky mess left behind and nothing takes it off better than WD-40! Spray a bit on, let it soak in for 30 seconds to a minute, and then use something like a piece of wood with a good angle on it (wood won't leave scratches) to scrape it off. You can then use a piece of toilet paper, or whatever to wipe it clean. Keep using WD-40 until all glue is gone. (PS this is great for removing stickers of bands you no longer like...)

• Cleaning rust from, and easing the movement of, metal parts: Some parts of a guitar (like the bridge, for instance) seem to attract rust. Actually, it's mostly because you sweat when you play, and some people sweat A LOT, trust me. Anyway the little screws and springs and things on the bridge collect the sweat, and then rust up and seize, making adjustments difficult and even impossible. Something to try if you feel inclined, before giving up and buying new parts, is a good WD-40 bath. Find a container (as small as possible), plop the part into it, and submerge in WD-40. Let sit overnight. Gently try to turn the screw again, small movements at a time, in both directions (like those old washing machines...). Afterwards, you can keep the old WD-40 and reuse again in the future.

• Cleaning pots and switches: YES, FOR REAL! I get a lot of snobby reactions to this, but whatever. If you feel like buying overpriced contact cleaner, that's your business. All I can say is that I do this many many times a week and it works. If you don't know where the electronics cavity is on your guitar, you might wanna skip this... anyway open up the electronics cavity and locate the dirty pot. Spray WD-40 (using the red precision thingy) into the opening of the pot, as indicated in the (amazing, Photoshopped) picture on the right. Then turn that knob left and right, on and off, until the sucker sounds clean. On a switch, you can spray directly from the top of the guitar, right into the switch, and then flick it around in all positions. If that doesn't work, then the trace is finished and the pot/switch needs to be replaced.

• Makes Tolex look new again! Spray on, wipe, BAM! And the dirt is gone! Your amp looks new!