TOPIC: My dirty guitar

The other day I was practicing in an unusually well-lit area whne I noticed that my geetar was, um, well.. filthy. It had smudges and dust all over the parts that I think should have been shiny. I cleaned it up as well as I could using a soft towel, but should I be using some sort of special cleaner or polish? I know its made of wood, but the finish is so shiny it seems like polish is not necessary?
Or I could just keep playing in dim light....

most music stores sell a variety of cleaning cloths that are specifically made for cleaning instruments. There are some specifically for wood and others for metal.
Having said that, I have a cleaning cloth that goes by the trade name of "miracle cloth" (not bought from a music store) that works well on just about everything. If you can find where to buy it I recommend it.

The polishes just have a bit of cleaner/degreaser in them which helps by not just spreading things around. Gibson or any number of other polishes with a clean cloth work fine. Metal parts need simichrome polish, which is the best.

playing in dim light is the easiest. I started by using regular furniture polish and a soft cloth and it worked okay. Then I got a nice kit at the music store whcih appears to consist of furniture polish and a soft cloth - but costs twice as much.

Playing in VERY dim light is actually the easiest, you can't see the dirt at all.

I'm no expert on the subject but most manufacturers do not recommend using furniture polish on your expensive guitar. You would think wood is wood right? I guess ultimately the choice is yours. I spend the little extra for the recommended products and use them sparingly.