I know that when I bought my viola part of the set up was to clean all the wood, was just wondering if you can actually polish a viola? and if so what with?

Nicia

You can wipe it down with a clean lint-free cloth and that should be enough to keep it dust free and keep the natural shine of the varnish.

If you feel it really needs a polish, use a little violin polish on a clean cloth and rub all over (you shouldn't need to do this very often - I usually take mine for a clean once a year at the luthier's shop when he checks my set up for me).

one thing worth adding, if you don't already know: do not use anything containing alcohol (ethanol) to clean it, as even a small amount will strip the varnish off if it comes into contact with the body. this applies to the fingerboard and strings too--even if you're careful, it's easy for some to drip onto the body.

personally, unless i was really sure of what i was doing (which i'm not), i'd avoid using anything to clean my instrument other than a cloth, even if it was special "violin polish".

Thankyou for your advice.

The luthier I bought my viola from does a free check up and clean once per year so think I'll just get it done then.

Nicia