Piano Care & Maintenance
Placement of Your Piano
Like any piece of fine furniture in your home, your piano should be kept away from drafts whether from outside walls and windows or heating and air-conditioning vents. Also, direct sunlight can cause problems, in some cases by lightening the color the wood. And direct sunlight during the day and lack of sunlight in the evening hours subjects the cabinet’s finish and the tuning stability of the piano to extreme temperature changes.
Tuning
Protecting the investment in your piano includes having it tuned on a regular basis. In most home environments having your piano tuned once a year is a good idea – twice a year is ideal. Most tuners can put your name on a schedule to remind you when it’s time to have your piano tuned. Waiting until your piano is out of tune to call the tuner is pretty much like waiting for your car to start making funny noises before you decide it’s time to change the oil.
Cabinet
Like any piece of fine furniture in your home, your piano will need to be dusted. Avoid using any type of furniture polish, especially the highly advertised sprays. The best way to dust your piano is to take 2 clean pieces of very soft 100% cotton cloth. We emphasize clean cloths because the dust left on the rag from last week’s house cleaning can scratch any wooden surface. Lightly dampen one of the pieces of cloth with plain water. Using the dampened cloth wipe off a small area of the surface, then remove the residue moisture by wiping with the dry cloth.
Key Tops
The same combination of wet and dry cloths will keep your keys looking great. If the keys become very dirty or grimy dampen a cloth in a very weak solution of mild dish washing soap. Wipe the keys with dish soap dampened cloth, then with the water dampened cloth and finish by wiping them dry.
Use of Your Piano
Pianos are designed and built to be played. Playing you piano is a enjoyable way to ensure it’s long life. However it’s important to keep your piano tuned on a regular basis, whether you are using it or not. As an investment, your piano loses value with every passing year of neglect.
General Maintenance
Pianos should be well maintained regardless of the age or skill of the piano player. A piano that is out tune will have an unpleasant tone, or an unresponsive touch both of which will discourage even novice musicians. One of the best ways to reinforce interest in playing the piano is to maintain its overall performance with regular tunings and maintenance as suggested by a qualified piano technician.
