Piano Care Tips

Posted by nabeelshaukat on October 13th, 2010

 Proper care and timely maintenance of piano is very important to prevent it from underperforming and to avoid any inconvenience. Over time, piano loses its sound, but proper maintenance and keeping it cleaned up and tuned up means it will give its beautiful sound in the long run. Following are some tips to take care of pianos properly:

Ø Piano’s tuning is very important, and it should be tuned atleast twice a year even it is not in use. There are above 200 strings in piano that make beautiful sound, so it is very important that you take services of a piano technician to tune up your piano as technicians are trained enough to adjust the tension of each string.

Ø If a piano is used more frequently, like if it is being used throughout the day for piano lessons, or if it is being used by a professional pianist who practices many hours a day, it would be necessary to tune it up for 3 to 4 times every month. If you have purchased a brand new piano, you must tune it up 3 to 4 times in the first year. This is because the new pianos with new strings tend to stretch as they are being worked in, which causes the piano to go out of tune more frequently.

Ø Make sure to place piano in a place where it is away from radiators, heating ducks, or anything that emits hot air. This can cause cracks in the wood of piano and can affect its tuning. Moreover, avoid placing your piano in a place where direct sunlight can reach easily. Direct sunlight can affect the finish of your piano.

Ø If you want to clean or polish your piano, do not use furniture polish. Use piano polish or take a damp micro fiber cloth for this purpose. You can get the micro fiber cloth from your local auto parts store, or from the automotive department of your local departmental store.

Ø Use a damp cloth to clean the keys of your piano and make sure to clean them from top only. If you are finding it difficult to clean them, use a mild soap solution. Make it sure that water does not spill down the sides of the keys, and all the keys should be dried thoroughly. Moreover, never use any cleaning fluid or chemical to clean the keys.

Ø It is advisable not to clean the interior of your piano yourself. Take services of a technician to clean the piano’s interior. There are many parts in a piano that can break if not taken care properly, so it is better to let technicians do this job.

These are some unique tips which will keep your piano in an excellent condition and as long as you follow these tips, you can not only save high maintenance costs, but also enhance the life of this magnificent instrument.  

So, don’t forget that you need to take care of your piano properly. It is not going to clean itself, tune itself, and it is not going to place itself in a correct place, you have to do all this.