How to Clean and Maintain Your Key Flute

 

 

Tips

• If possible, clean your flute after every use.
• Serious flute players should own two cleaning cloths. Clean handkerchiefs work great, too.
• If you're using your flute for marching band, then you do not need a professional flute; a gently used one will work just fine.
• If you have a wooden flute or piccolo, consult an experienced player or repair person for additional advice regarding appropriate wood care and cork grease.
• Tie a cleaning cloth to the handle of your case, if there is no room inside. Beware- it might get dirty.
• A lightly colored pipe cleaner is useful when it comes to cleaning between the rods. Fold it in half and beware of sharp ends when using it, though.

Warnings

• Never clean the body of a flute with any product that contains bleach. You will destroy the finish on the flute. The entire finish will lose its lustre and shine.
• Avoid squeezing the keys when you play. It will wear the pads faster and slow your playing. If you find that squeezing the keys improves the tone, get the flute serviced. You probably have a leak.
• Don't use silver polish on the head joint! If a polishing cloth doesn't do the job, try a bit of rubbing alcohol, applied to a soft cloth. Again, don't get it on the pads. If this doesn't work, then leave the polishing to your repairman when you take it in!
• Be very careful when you are cleaning your flute. Repair can be very expensive. Do not try to bend or press anything that doesn't seem to be moving easily, because, chances are, it is either bent, or it isn't supposed to move at all.
• Be careful not to bend any keys when you are dismantling the flute. Be especially careful when removing the foot joint, because it has a very complicated and delicate key connection that is easy to bend and is expensive to replace.
• When taking apart your flute do not grab a part and twist it off forcefully. You could bend keys. Beginner and even high school players often make the mistake of holding the flute by the keys. If you need to adjust the head joint, for example, do not grab/hold your flute by the Ab key or elsewhere in that area. This can cause the flute's keys to break and bend, which can cost a lot to get fixed. Instead, hold the flute where the 'logo' is at the top of the body joint. There are no moving parts here, so you won't break anything by adjusting the head joint. For removing the foot joint from the body joint, hold the end of the foot joint where there aren't any keys.
• Also while playing a flute, do not roll it in your lap- leave it resting with all keys face up. Also consider getting a flute stand.
• Woodwind instruments can't get wet! If you let your flute get wet, the pads will swell up, and the flute won't play.
• Never use a dollar bill to clean pads. They have oils on them and that will ruin the pads, and then you have to get it repaired.
• Avoid storing a soggy cleaning cloth inside the case with the flute. Store it in the outer case, or if that's not possible, tie it to the handle or spread it to dry before putting it away.
• Avoid overly greasing your flute at the joints. If you do they could start falling off while you play. It is best to wipe the joints with a polishing cloth to remove as much gunk as possible. If they still get stuck when put together use a little cork grease or nose grease if you're in a fix.
• Avoid leaving pad savers in your flute after cleaning. The moisture will cause your pads to rot. If you choose to leave the pad savers in they must dry before you put it back inside your flute! It is still better to not leave the pad savers in the flute, even if dried out, because they collect dust and other stuff.