Made by one of the most renowned European families in the instrument making industry, this cleaner is very effective in getting rid of the stubborn rosin between the bridge and fingerboard. Made in England. This is the original Hill Cleaner and Polish, not an imitation!
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Customers like the ease of use, rosin removal, and safety of the violin cleaner. For example, they mention it's easy to apply, and works perfectly. Some appreciate the quality, saying it does a great job cleaning varnish and restoring the color and finish. That said, opinions are mixed on the smell.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
93 customers mention87 positive6 negative
Customers are satisfied with the quality of the cleaner. They mention that it does an amazing job of restoring the color and finish of their instruments, while also leaving a nice shine. It also does a great job cleaning varnish and leaves the wood looking like new again. Some say that the effect was satisfactory.
"...It cleans perfectly, leaving the surface so smooth and shiny.Effective and gentle...." Read more
"This stuff is great. My fiddle was looking dingy and ugly after a couple of years of heavy use...." Read more
"Smells nice like linseed or sesame oil. Leaves a brilliant finish and makes the fingerboard smooth for efficient playing. Restores original varnish...." Read more
"...This cleaner did an amazing job of restoring the color and finish while also leaving a nice shine...." Read more
9 customers mention9 positive0 negative
Customers are happy with the safety of the product. They say it's effective and completely safe for varnished instruments. Customers also mention that it leaves a protective shine and does a great job.
"...Removes damage from other products. Overall, great product." Read more
"Five stars. Really excellent cleaner and completely safe for varnished instruments...." Read more
"Its a way of showing your violin that you love it. Safe and easy to use. Cleaning your violin is a good way to do a midwinter inspection." Read more
"Great product to protect your violin. I've used it for years on my grandfathers 100+ year old violin and it's in great shape." Read more
6 customers mention6 positive0 negative
Customers find the violin oil simple and easy to use. They mention that the odor isn't bad and goes away quickly. Customers also say it's easy to apply and rub to a gloss.
"...Has a bit of a strong smell, but it's not overpowering. A little bit of the cleaner goes a long way so this small bottle should last forever." Read more
"Its a way of showing your violin that you love it. Safe and easy to use. Cleaning your violin is a good way to do a midwinter inspection." Read more
"...A UK luthier recommended Hill. This Polish was easy to use and safely removed the sticky rosin film from my violin...." Read more
"Cleans the rosin off the fiddle great! Easy to use. Odor isn't bad and goes away quickly." Read more
4 customers mention4 positive0 negative
Customers are satisfied with the rosin removal of the cleaner. They mention that it takes off excess rosine that would otherwise have caked on. Some customers also say that the cleaner is a safe and effective rosinate remover and polish combo. However, some customers report that areas near the bridge were still sticky after using the cleaner and polish.
"More of a polish rather than a cleaner. Could remove light rosin buildup, but areas near the bridge were still sticky after the cleaner had been..." Read more
"...Plus it keeps off some of the rosin too. And it smells nice!" Read more
"This cleaner definitely takes off excess rosin that otherwise would have caked on! A little bit goes a long way!" Read more
"Safe,effective rosin remover and Polish combo!..." Read more
4 customers mention4 positive0 negative
Customers are satisfied with the size of the instrument cleaner. They mention that it is true to size and the bottle is really small, but you will need not more than one drop to clean.
"...The bottle is really small, but you will need not more than one drop to clean the whole surface, so it is going to last almost forever...." Read more
"...For me this product is a great fit for my needs." Read more
"...it (my teacher tried), but the bottle arrived well packaged, true to size." Read more
"Very good violinolish. Easy to apply and easy to rub to a gloss. Small bottle, but a powerful pm leaning tool" Read more
24 customers mention16 positive8 negative
Customers are mixed about the smell of the cleaner. Some mention it smells nice, while others say it has a strong smell.
"Smells nice like linseed or sesame oil. Leaves a brilliant finish and makes the fingerboard smooth for efficient playing. Restores original varnish...." Read more
"...I also like the smell of it very much-not very strong, woody with a kind of faintly floral after-scent." Read more
"...Effective and gentle.The smell can be a little strong, but it goes away very fast, so is not a problem.Recommended!" Read more
"...After a day or so, to me the odor is gone, but the cleaning power is worth the smell which I don't find bad at all...." Read more
Really brought the life back to a century-old violin
Got an amazing deal on an antique violin on Facebook Marketplace, but it needed some work to get it playable again. Likely hadn't been cleaned for decades. This cleaner did an amazing job of restoring the color and finish while also leaving a nice shine. I was also surprised that it seems to have removed all but the deepest scratches. Has a bit of a strong smell, but it's not overpowering. A little bit of the cleaner goes a long way so this small bottle should last forever.
I bought this product for the maintenance of my violin and i have to say that it does the job very well. The bottle is really small, but you will need not more than one drop to clean the whole surface, so it is going to last almost forever. Just be careful to drop it on a fabric and not directly on the violin and you will see the results immediately. It cleans perfectly, leaving the surface so smooth and shiny. Effective and gentle. The smell can be a little strong, but it goes away very fast, so is not a problem. Recommended!
This stuff is great. My fiddle was looking dingy and ugly after a couple of years of heavy use. I play outdoors in the summer, and it's humid and I sweat, etc. (The fiddle is over 100 years old, so there is that too.) A little tiny bit dabbed on a soft cloth and gently rubbed does the trick. Work in very small sections, a couple of square inches at a time. Then buff the whole thing with a clean soft cloth.
Next time I will do this when I change strings, to make it easier to do. Just have to make sure the sound post doesn't get knocked down while I'm handling it :)
Smells nice like linseed or sesame oil. Leaves a brilliant finish and makes the fingerboard smooth for efficient playing. Restores original varnish. Removes gunk (especially when using it on fretted instruments where dirt builds up next to frets). Removes damage from other products. Overall, great product.
It came in a surprisingly large box with lots of padding inside, and was wrapped with bubble wrap so tightly it was hard to get open! It does smell a bit at first, a floral scent, and leaves little wipe marks kind of like fingerprints. This is because you have to wipe it off as well for it to work. Overall, it’s an amazing polish and I would get it again once I run out!!
Five stars. Really excellent cleaner and completely safe for varnished instruments.
This came badly packaged by Amazon -a little glass bottle just rolling around in an egregiously oversized box with no protective packaging inside-but it was not damaged. I won’t deduct a star because this wasn’t the Hill company’s fault-it was a Prime box.
This polish worked like a charm on my violin! My violin wasn’t horribly dirty or anything, but for everyday cleaning it is great. I used a soft rag to clean it. I have also used it on a couple of my students’ instruments that really needed a polishing and it perfectly did the trick.
It does not leave the instrument shiny, but it does do a nice deep cleaning and you can tell a big difference when you’re done. I also like the smell of it very much-not very strong, woody with a kind of faintly floral after-scent.
Got an amazing deal on an antique violin on Facebook Marketplace, but it needed some work to get it playable again. Likely hadn't been cleaned for decades. This cleaner did an amazing job of restoring the color and finish while also leaving a nice shine. I was also surprised that it seems to have removed all but the deepest scratches. Has a bit of a strong smell, but it's not overpowering. A little bit of the cleaner goes a long way so this small bottle should last forever.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really brought the life back to a century-old violin
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
Got an amazing deal on an antique violin on Facebook Marketplace, but it needed some work to get it playable again. Likely hadn't been cleaned for decades. This cleaner did an amazing job of restoring the color and finish while also leaving a nice shine. I was also surprised that it seems to have removed all but the deepest scratches. Has a bit of a strong smell, but it's not overpowering. A little bit of the cleaner goes a long way so this small bottle should last forever.
This stuff works very well, cleans the instrument very nicely, and would recommend it to anyone. It does have an odor though for those who are sensative, might not care for that as they are cleaning. After a day or so, to me the odor is gone, but the cleaning power is worth the smell which I don't find bad at all. I would definitely recommend this cleaner for it works great on my violins and violas. DM
It really worked well. I hadn't cleaned my violin for about 5 years so there was a good amount of rosin that had accumulated. The only question I have about it was if it is safe to use on the fingerboard? There is also rosin on there but I'm worried if the varnish would damage it.