How do I clean my fretboard properly?

Fretboard cleaning gets more complicated advice online than it needs, mostly because people conflate "finished" fretboards (maple, usually with a lacquer coat) with "unfinished" ones (rosewood, ebony, and similar woods left raw). Treating them the same way is how fretboards get damaged.

Finished (lacquered) fretboards

Usually maple. Since there's a finish layer sealing the wood, treat it basically like the rest of a finished guitar — wipe with a slightly damp cloth, dry immediately, done. No oil needed, because there's no exposed wood for oil to condition.

Unfinished fretboards

Usually rosewood, ebony, or similar. This is raw wood, exposed to your hands, sweat, and dead skin every time you play, and grime builds up in the wood's pores over time, especially around frets where it's hardest to reach. This is where actual fretboard cleaning matters.

The realistic process

Remove strings (or slack them enough to work around), wipe down with a dry or barely damp cloth to remove surface dust and grime first, then use a small amount of an actual fretboard conditioner if the wood looks dry or dull — not a random household oil, and definitely not linseed oil or anything not specifically made for the job. A little goes a long way; you're conditioning, not marinating the wood.

What not to do

Don't drench unfinished wood in oil "just to be safe" — over-oiling can actually be worse than under-oiling, leaving a gummy residue that attracts more dirt. Don't use furniture polish, cooking oils, or anything not specifically designed for fretboards. And don't oil a finished maple board at all; there's no exposed wood for it to help.

How often

Whenever it looks dry, dull, or visibly dirty — not on a strict schedule. A fretboard that's played regularly and wiped down after sessions needs far less intervention than one that's been neglected for a year.