Cleaning and swabbing a wind instrument
Cleaning and swabbing a wind instrument
Every wind instrument fills with condensed moisture as it is played. Left there, it corrodes metal, swells wood, degrades pads and produces the smell that makes second-hand instruments unpleasant.
Swabbing after every session takes under a minute and is the single habit that determines an instrument’s life.
Flutes
Take the instrument apart into its three joints. Thread a soft cloth through the eye of the cleaning rod, leaving a little poking through, and wrap the remainder around the rod so no metal is exposed.
Push it gently through each joint and rotate. The wrapped cloth is essential: a bare rod scratches the bore, and on a wooden instrument that matters a great deal.
Wipe the outside with a separate soft cloth to remove fingerprints — skin acids tarnish silver plate over time.
Never soak a flute
The pads are absorbent and glued in place. Water on them swells them, changes their seating and eventually ruins them. Nothing wet should go near the keywork.
Recorders
Plastic recorders are the most forgiving instruments on this list: they can be dismantled and washed in lukewarm water with a little mild detergent, then dried thoroughly.
Wooden recorders must not be washed. Swab the bore with the rod and cloth supplied, and let the instrument dry at room temperature.
Either way, do not blow hard through the windway to clear it while it is dismantled — the fipple block is a precise fit and does not benefit from being disturbed.
Joint grease
Joints should turn with firm, even resistance. Too tight risks cracking a wooden joint; too loose leaks air. A thin smear of joint grease on the cork or tenon, occasionally rather than constantly, keeps them right.
Whistles
Metal whistles with plastic heads can usually have the head removed and rinsed. Anything sticky in the windway responds to warm water and a little mild detergent, followed by thorough drying.
Avoid pushing objects into the windway. It is a precisely shaped channel and scraping it changes how the instrument speaks.
Harmonicas
Harmonicas are the exception to almost every rule: many should not be washed at all, particularly those with wooden combs, which swell. Tapping the instrument mouthpiece-down against a palm after playing clears most moisture.
Playing after eating is what shortens a harmonica’s life. Rinsing your mouth first does more than any cleaning routine.
Electronic wind instruments
The mouthpiece is usually removable and washable; the body is electronics and must stay dry. Where a maker provides a drainage path for condensation, use it as instructed.
Storage
Let an instrument dry before closing it in a case. A swabbed but still-damp instrument in a closed case is exactly the environment that causes smell and corrosion.
Store cases somewhere with stable temperature, away from radiators and exterior walls.
A short routine
- Swab the bore after every session, with cloth-wrapped rod.
- Wipe fingerprints off the exterior.
- Never let moisture reach flute pads.
- Wash plastic recorders; never wash wooden ones.
- Grease joints occasionally, not constantly.
- Let everything dry before the case is closed.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: Electronic Wind Instruments, which currently holds 5 listings between $56.35 and $259.99. The whole of it is picked and packed at Venuti's Music Store & Studios, 2539 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA, during Tue, Thu–Fri 2pm–7pm, Sat 11:30am–5pm, closed Sun, Mon and Wed — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((215) 336-2698.
From our shelves
- SUNRISE MELODY M1 Electronic Wind Instrument, Beginner-Friendly Digital Saxophone with 26 — $119.00
- KONIX Electronic Wind Instrument, DC02 Pro Digital Wind Instrument with 10 Musical Tones — $59.99
- MK EWI, Performance-grade Electronic Wind Instrument, Wind Synth With Bulit in OTG — $259.99
What we get asked about this
How fast are refunds?
We issue the refund within 5–7 business days of the return arriving. Your bank then takes its own one to five days to show it.
Can I cancel an order?
Yes, before it is picked — usually within about 12 hours on a business day. After dispatch it becomes a return.
Read next
- Choosing a first flute or recorder
- Tin whistles: keys, and why D is the default
- Electronic wind instruments: practising at two in the morning
Ordering from Venuti's Music Store
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $5.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (215) 336-2698. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.