I’m sure we can all attest to the beauty of a piano. Whether new or antique it is a magnificent instrument. And that’s only the cabinet, the intricacy of the machinery and the music it produces are wonders in their own rights as well. One of the many things that these three elements have in common however is that their beauty diminishes when the piano is not properly cleaned and maintained.
As there are many components to a piano there are many aspects to its maintenance. From its cabinet and brass work to the strings and the action mechanism. And A piano is a very complex instrument; any single note has about 36 moving parts. This means cleaning your piano is difficult because many hard to reach places are blocked by fragile parts.
Dust and dirt can trap moisture and cause strings to rust which will increase the risk of that string breaking in the future.
The cabinet of your piano can also be affected by dust and improper cleaning products that may damage the finish, cause stains on your piano or even result in a wax build-up.
Furthermore, pianos are a favourite target for many animals and insects such as mice, rats and moths, who can easily cause severe damage to your piano’s wood and felt. Especially the felt.
Much like a car a piano requires regular maintenance to function properly. It’s as important to tune your piano as it is to fill up your petrol but your piano also requires a service in order to keep playing beautifully. The longer a piano goes without a service the worse the problems may become and the more work it will require later to repair it.
Some may assume that if they don’t play their piano very often it won’t require a service as often or at all. In fact, the opposite is true. If you play the piano regularly you are more likely to notice problems it is experiencing and attend to them sooner, but if you seldomly play it is crucial to have your piano serviced regularly so that your technician can spot any problems before they become serious.
A piano needs to be serviced at least every 5 to10 years for normal playing. Pianos that are played regularly for example at schools need to be serviced at least every 3 to 5 years. A service entails:
- Stripping the entire piano (preferably on your premises)
- Vacuuming and even sometimes using a compressor to blow out years of dust.
- De-rusting and cleaning the strings.
- Cleaning all the keys, key-bed, action, pedal mechanism, cabinet and back frame.
- Polishing and feeding the cabinet and polishing all brass work.
This is not to say that you can never clean your piano by yourself. You should of course clean your piano cabinet and key-tops. To clean your piano simply dust the piano lightly with a feather duster. Or wipe lightly with a soft damp cloth (not very damp) to pick up the dust, followed immediately with a dry cloth. Piano sanitizers are specially formulated from essential oils. It will clean, sanitise and protect your piano and it is also good for all wood furniture. And always remember to wash your hands before playing.