Your piano is a great investment in your music education, as well as a cornerstone of your home decor. Learning the correct way to care for your piano can help your instrument last a long time. Because your piano is probably made out of high quality wood, it’s bound to expand and contract when the seasons change. Similarly, your piano has multiple moving parts that shift every time you play and eventually affect the sound of your instrument.
Here are a few tips you should consider to help your piano sound and look its best.
Choose the best room for your piano
Picking a room with a stable temperature through the seasonal changes will help you keep your piano in good condition. You might have heard that you should pick “an internal wall” to place your piano against. This is because internal walls, away from windows and exterior doors, keep your piano away from drafts, humidity and excess sunlight.
Keep the keys clean
Regardless of whether your piano has ivory or plastic keys, you should try to keep your piano keys free of lint, dust, and body oils from your hands. To clean plastic keys, use a solution of water and white vinegar. To clean ivory keys, use a solution of warm water and a little bit of dish soap. Always avoid using strong chemicals in or around your piano keys and don’t use paper towels when wiping them down.
Regulate your piano regularly
Tuning takes care of the strings and pins, but regulating your piano helps service the rest of the parts of the piano and helps you keep your piano in great playing condition. During a regulation service, your piano will have all the wood, wool, felt and cloth elements serviced.
Tune your piano
You should have a dependable technician who can not only provide regulation services, but also help you tune your piano professionally at least once a year; but more if you play daily or if your piano has been moved.
Resist the temptation to turn your piano into a shelf
Heavier objects placed on top of the piano can affect the music, and its tone. Plants, drinks and other liquid containing objects can spill liquid inside the piano and damage it’s mechanics. Other decorative elements like books or pictures can cause scratches to the surface.