These tips will drastically increase the lifespan, as well as the resale value of your piano. Doing these 4 things will make playing your piano far more enjoyable for you, and whoever you pass your piano on to.
1. Humidity
Humidity is one of the biggest factors in your piano’s overall health. Maintaining proper humidity levels will save you heaps of money, and frustration.
Acoustic pianos are made primarily of wood. If wood is exposed to high humidity, it expands. When exposed to low humidity, or a “dry” environment, the wood shrinks.
There are hundreds of small moving parts in a piano. When any of these grow or shrink in size, the precise engineering behind each note goes out the window.
Excessive humidity or dampness is very detrimental to pianos, causing rusting, sluggish actions, bursting of case parts, etc. This is especially harmful when followed by the excessive dryness of artificial heat in winter, and precautions should be taken in homes where there is extreme heat. Avoid excessive changes in humidity as much as possible. Via PianoWorld.com
Sudden changes in humidity will have the biggest impact on your piano’s overall health. When a piano experiences a sudden swing in humidity, the frame and soundboard quickly grow larger or smaller. This stretches the strings out of tune, and can actually cause parts of the soundboard to crack!
There are a number of easy solutions to avoid these humidity related problems.
First, you must be able to monitor and keep track of the humidity in the room the piano is in. Pick up a hydrometer from your local hardware store, and keep it close to your piano. A good idea is to keep a record on a weekly basis of the humidity levels in the room. This will let you keep track of any swings in humidity, as well as increase the resale value of the piano (proof of proper humidity is a big plus)!
Using an air conditioner in humid summer months and adding a humidifier to your central heating system will reduce the extremes of high and low humidity. Room humidifiers and dehumidifiers, as well as systems designed to be installed inside of pianos will control humidity-related disorders still further. Via Piano Technician’s Guild
2. Tuning
Your piano should be tuned at least once a year, but preferably twice. Depending on how often you play the piano, and how picky your ear is, sometimes three or four times a year is necessary.
Once a year piano tunings hold true even if the piano is no longer being played! Piano strings are meant to be under a specific level of tension at all times. When a piano sits for years at a time without being tuned, that perfect tension is lost, and parts of the piano can begin to warp.
A piano tuning is the equivalent of your piano’s annual doctors appointment.
Some issues are undetectable by players, so having a qualified professional look inside your piano on a regular basis can prevent small problems from evolving into major damage. But remember: not all piano tuners are piano technicians, and vice versa. If you want your piano looked at in-depth, find a tuner who has been trained to handle piano maintenance. Via About.com
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3. Cleaning The Outside Finish
Your piano will inevitably collect dust. Using a gentle duster as suppose to wiping the piano with a cloth to remove dust will help prevent small scratches caused by the small dust particles. Once the dust has been removed, there are a few ways to remove fingerprints and polish up your piano.
A microfiber cloth and piano polish works well for getting a pristine shine on lacquer finished pianos. A clean damp cotton cloth will also do a good enough job. Be cautious with satin finish pianos, as cleaning the piano “Against the grain” will leave noticeable marks in the piano finish.
4. Cleaning The Keyboard
This is the part of the piano you will have the most contact with, so it will inevitably dirty the fastest. Even if you play with perfectly clean fingers each time, and you keep your sticky fingered nephews away… even natural hand oils and sweat can take a toll on the piano keys.
- Avoid store-bought chemicals or furniture polish. These are too abrasive, and can lead to grainy textures and discoloration. Use mild soap diluted with filtered water.
- Always use a soft cloth such as cheesecloth, flannel, or chamois; avoid paper towels at all costs.
- Cloths should be only slightly dampened, and keys should be wiped towards you. Wiping side-to-side can allow moisture to seep between keys and cause damage.
- Clean one octave at a time, and dry immediately before moving onto the next octave.
- Avoid colored cloths that may bleed when moistened. Colors can easily transfer onto the white keys, causing a discoloration that is very difficult to remedy
Always use separate cloths on black keys, or simply clean them last. Paint from the black keys or unseen dirt can be transferred onto the ivories. Via About.com
