\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. If they dont clean out their instruments on a regular basis, black mold can build up inside and cause a condition called Saxophone Lung. At the conference, researchers described a case of a clarinetist who neglected to clean his instrument for some 30 years and suffered the consequences. With this step, youll remove moisture and buildup from your pads and check your seals. Here are a few dos and don'ts do help guide you along the way. I now enjoy sharing information with others and providing answers where I can. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Molds can cause allergic reactions, and skin infections are a risk, too, he says. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. AMRO MUSIC 2023|Memphis Web Design by Speak. Everything you wanted to know about cleaning and taking care of your acoustic guitar in one place, with links to more in-depth articles if you need them. Work each key to make sure the hinges are moving smoothly. To detect a leak, you could play the scale and listen if you hear any notes that are a little off. ", "It told me what to do. That way youll have a back up when if youre washing one. Do not oil screw sockets. I generally wash them in warm soapy water and then follow up with a good wipe down with either peroxide, or clorox (only if the keywork is NOT silver). Hot water will set the stain and make it harder to get out. Without regular care, your clarinet and its mouthpiece become dirty and house bacteria and calcium buildup. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You may notice water within the bore, or inside, of each segment after you take it apart. Charlotte Moore is a Clarinetist by profession and has over time offered lessons on how to play the clarinet among other musical instruments. Scrub with a brush or scouring pad. This can damage the pads, causing the instrument not to play at all, and actually accelerate mildew growth. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). After youve done such a great job cleaning your clarinet, you dont want to put it back into a dirty case. You should clean your instrument after you play, and cork greases it at least once a week. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Doesnt that feel great? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Clean inside each of the tone holes, making sure to get inside the undercut spaces. Purchase a clarinet stand. Then rinse it off with water. To confirm whether the mouthpiece is clean enough, run a Q-tip along the corners of the mouthpiece and check for any dirt or residue. Another test is to cut off a thin slice of paper. Next, use a vacuum on anything still left in the case. You dont want to disturb them. By cleaning it often, you easily avoid any intonation problems, Ensure that the tubing of the tone holes are always clean, The tone holes for keys #9, #10, and #12 need to accumulate dirt easily. Cracks start small and can be remedied if caught quickly. Instead, it builds up on the pads and ton holes. What are the pads made from? If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Be sure to remove any dirt or grime that may have accumulated on these parts. When using hydrogen peroxide, ensure to rinse the reed thoroughly to clear its strong odor and taste. To clean a plastic clarinet, you will need a soft cloth, warm water, and a mild soap. In a small container, big enough for the mouthpiece, put together a solution of half water and half either vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. With a pull-through swab thats dry and clean, apply a few drops of bore oil near the string (this is where having a second swab comes in handy). Approved. Whatever you do, don't add cork grease. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. You can also purchase cleaning supplies at your local musical instrument store. Regularly cleaning your clarinet helps you avoid a bacteria and mold build up. Also, by putting the mouthpiece cover on while not playing, you reed will be protected. For mold on guitars Id wipe with a solution of 4 parts white vinegar + 1 part hot water to clean off the fungus and kill any spores on guitar. Dont use hot water when mixing a homemade solution. In this blog post, well go over the steps for cleaning a clarinet to make sure that it stays in top shape and sounds its best. Also undo the barrel 2. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. How much does it cost to have a clarinet cleaned? What should I do if my clarinet sounds scratchy? "Fantastic. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e5\/Clean-and-Maintain-a-Clarinet-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-and-Maintain-a-Clarinet-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e5\/Clean-and-Maintain-a-Clarinet-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid55331-v4-728px-Clean-and-Maintain-a-Clarinet-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"