This is true, but keeping your hands clean, and keeping the strings clean will help preserve them. leaving sweat and crud on your strings will help corrode and deaden them. But as peter says once they're dead, they're dead.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Sometimes, but mostly I just wipe them with a clean cotton cloth.
And my fingers don't get too oily or sweaty.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

I don't use any kind of liquid cleaners but, I do wash my hands before playing and wipe everything down, including the strings, with a soft dry cloth afterwards.

Washing your hands before actually makes the strings dirtier as the skin is softer and more likely to build up on the strings.

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

I use Finger Ease after I play and wipe it down with a guitar cloth. I also make sure I spray down the string with Finger Ease right after I string the guitar to get the chemical down in the string winds before I play it for the first time.

Maybe for most hands, but not mine. After a day in the shop there are all kinds of nasty things on my hands that don't belong anywhere near my guitars strings or the finish.

Yeah I meant if your hands appeared clean. Its a different story if you're covered in 5h1t bro.

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

reading all of this has made my mind up for me...I'm definately going to start looking after my strings better because i love the new string sound
and more than that i like being able to play with such ease as new strings give

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A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski~

I just use an old shirt or sock to wipe down my strings. Once that stops working, it means its time to change strings...

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

When I was younger I tended to get sweaty hands when I played. Still do from time to time. I developed the habit of wiping the strings down with a string cleaning cloth after playing, or else the strings would be toast in very short order. I used string cleaning cloths from Musician's Friend, but they don't sell them anymore. I still have some around and I keep one in each guitar case.

First to the original poster I cant understand how you would even be able to be in tune anywhere on the neck with your strings on six months and rusting that is waaayyyyy to long. Once your strings die not only will your ax sound dull and slides impossible but so will keeping it in tune. I have tried just about everything out there and for the most part the best way to go is to wipe down your strings by pinching the top and bottom with a cloth and ride up and down the string so you clean the top and bottom. If you dont get the bottom the build up will start cutting into your frets. I use Dunlop65 string cleaner with just a dab on a polishing cloth and then wipe it off with another. That is to just prolong them but I have never found anything that does not leave some kind of stickyness to it. Though I like the item Guitslinger mentioned and so far it works really good.