How to Clean a Flute

Cleaning the transverse flute in the best possible way is the solution to avoid many mechanical and aesthetic problems.

In this small guide on ” how to clean the flute ” we will travel together the best way to keep your valuable work and entertainment tool clean.

INDISPENSABLE ACCESSORIES

What is needed for cleaning the transverse flute are very few but indispensable things.

• The cloth for external cleaning that must be in an excellent dense microfiber that ensures a complete elimination and without scratches of fingerprints, drops of sweat and slight shading due to the touch with the skin.
• The wooden stick for drying inside
• The absorbent gauze to be inserted in the slot of the wooden stick

Not essential but supportive:

• Cleansing alcohol (the classic pink alcohol you find in the supermarket)

HEAD DRYING

1. To dry the headboard internally it is necessary to put our accessories (wand and gauze) in the best possible conditions. When inserting the gauze in the loop of the stick, try to create a “ball” with the gauze (see video below).
2. In this way you create thickness with the gauze. Entering the head to remove the water, this thickness will help you to perfectly dry the upper area near the tuning cork.
3. The more cork is preserved from getting water, the longer it will last over time. You will avoid the annoying movement of the crown that will inevitably change the position of the cork, changing the pitch of the whole flute.
4. After having dried well near the cork, proceed to do the same with all the rest of the internal part of the head.

EXTERNAL HEAD CLEANING

1. After the inside we go outside. Take the microfibre cloth and pass the body of the headboard, gently near the bushing.
2. Eliminate fingerprints and shadows.
3. Always with the cloth cleaned inside and outside the joint of the headboard. It is an operation that few do but it is very recommended to preserve the joints in the best way. (see video below)

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CLEANING OF BODY AND FOOT

• The body and the foot are easy to dry internally.
• I advise, in the body, to enter both from above and from below with the stick and the gauze.
• Clean the keys carefully, follow the shape as if you were drawing them.
• Clean the body in small circles and short, concentrated movements in small spaces.
• For the noefiti don’t be frightened, with time the familiarity naturally arrives.

FLUTE BUFFER TRAVERSE CLEANING

The cleaning of the pads concerns the mechanical aspect. The need for cleaning pads stems from the fact that some pads can make the classic “cik-ciak” noise very annoying or even stick to the fireplace (called the suction effect). The swabs can be cleaned with a cottonfiok and alcohol, very carefully and slowly. In case of urgency of having to ring and not being able to disassemble the flute you can use the talc maps like those suggested below:

CAN THE FLUTE BE WASHED WITH WATER?

Of course, the stem of the flute, obviously disassembled, can be cleaned with water. Water is a natural detergent and the result is positive. However, cleaning with water does not mean polishing but simply cleaning the metal from dust and sweat.

CONCLUSIONS

I am sure that after reading this tutorial you will now be able to clean the flute correctly , be it in silver or something else. I advise you to carry out the procedure every time you finish playing it. For more serious problems I advise you to make an appointment with our specialized laboratory with Japanese technicians Muramatsu. Below instead a cleaning kit recommended for the purpose. Good music!