Amrit Music

How to Properly Clean and Care for Wind Instruments?

Wind instruments require proper cleaning and care, as it’s necessary to maintain their lifespan. To properly clean them, you’ll need to follow some steps, like regularly swapping or wiping the said instrument. You may also need some extra cleaning tips for the whole exterior and interior of the wind instrument. This is important so that all the moisture, along with fingerprints, can be removed with many other things. You may also need to disassemble the instrument before washing the body, as that’s important for the inside of the tube as well.

Are you still confused about the right way to properly clean and care for your wind instrument? Well, this blog explains all the information you need to care for and clean that instrument of yours with ease.

Daily and Regular Care

Swab and Dry:

This is important to do after every playing session you have with your wind instrument. This helps remove moisture from the inside of the wind instrument, where a swab can be used. This helps prevent these things in the instrument, which happen when not cared for:

  • Mold
  • Germs
  • Damage to pads

Wipe Exterior:

Many kinds of things can be found on the exterior of the instrument because of exposure, so wipe them off.

You can use a lint-free cloth, which is soft wipe off these things:

  • Fingerprints
  • Sweat
  • Dust

Clean the Mouthpiece:

  • The mouthpiece also needs some cleaning, which can be done with a small, related brush.
  • You need to use the brush to wash it with mild soap and warm water, to work with the mouthpiece.

Grease Corks:

You can apply cork grease to the tenons and the mouthpiece, which helps a lot to prevent issues. This won’t let brittleness happen in the future, which helps keep them supple as well.

Polish the Surface:

Polishing is important to give that shiny finish people like in wind instruments, which can be done with a microfiber cloth.

For specific finishes, you can use a polish designed for these:

  • Lacquer
  • Silver
  • Nickel

How to Properly Clean and Care for Wind Instruments?

Periodic Deep Cleaning (Monthly or Annual)

  1. Disassemble:

For this to work, you may need to remove most of the removable parts in the instrument, including the slides and valves.

  1. Wash the Body and Slides:

You also need to soak the instrument’s body with the slides for this to work, as that’s important. Make sure not to soak the valves along with them in a solution. This solution will include warm water and mild dish soap, which is super important for wind instruments.

  1. Scrub Internal Tubing:

Make sure to scrub the inside of all the tubes, along with the parts as well, which can be done using:

  • Flexible cleaning snake
  • A brush
  1. Rinse Thoroughly:

The next step is to finally rinse everything off completely, while using clean water so nothing’s left on any part.

  1. Dry Completely:

All the wet parts need to be dried completely for the next part, which can be done with a towel. Now, you need to reassemble all the removed parts of the instrument.

  1. Lubricate and Reassemble:

This part is equally important as the others, so don’t try to skip while making sure all the slides are lubricated.

Some Key Tips For Woodwind And Brass Instruments

Woodwinds:

In the case of Woodwinds, you need to be extra careful with things like moisture, which is known to swell.

You can use a pad cleaning paper, which is known to help against moisture from showing up under pads of:

  • Flutes
  • Saxophones

Brass:

For brass ones, you may need to use brass-specific cleaning brushes and soaps, which are available.

Damage can be avoided if you are gentle with the disassembling and reassembling, which is known to cause that.

Professional Cleaning:

You can also have your wind instrument cleaned professionally, once every year, if you can’t do it properly.

Conclusion

Are you wondering how to take care of your wind instrument regularly? Well, after reading this blog, everything about cleaning and properly caring for your instrument will be clear. You can swab and dry the instrument after each session, while following different steps for deeper cleaning.

FAQs

Q – Can I keep my wind instrument in front in cold places?

A – No, storing your wind instrument in a cold place is something always advised against to avoid damage.

Q – What is the main step to clean my flute?

A – The most important step for cleaning your flute is wiping down the tenons of the flute.

Q – Why is moisture even bad for woodwind instruments?

A – This is so because the wood can swell this way, as it’s known to absorb water even in instruments.

Q – Where do I get the best wind instruments that last long?

A – Amrit Music has the best wind instruments, which are known for their longevity as they are made with:

  • High-Quality Materials
  • Experience and Expertise
  • Skilled Craftsmanship
  • Modern Technology and Tradition