How To Keep The Piano Keys clean

The piano is a big part of the music world and is an essential music instrument. As a piano owner, one of the most critical things which keep your piano for a long time is to keep the keys clean. I’ve been playing the piano for 11 years, and one of the biggest problems is the dirty hands with the oil that stays on the piano after you play.

Read through this article, and you will know how to keep the piano clean, look brand new for a long time, and clean it without damaging the keys. 

The easy way to keep the keys cleaner 

This tip is simple but a handy one,  Just wash your hands before playing. As I already stated, there is oil that can even damage the keys in the long run. The simple way to reduce it is to wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. 

Keys types

The key type is another crucial thing to consider and know about your piano. Although it’s rare and illegal in most places today, there are pianos keys covered with ivory. For this key type, you need to care more since the ivory can absorb oil from the fingertips, and they become yellow as they get dirty and can be cracked and peeled if not taken care of properly. This key type is more problematic when cleaning since it can react badly to some cleaning materials.

Today most pianos have plastic keys, which are much easier to clean and more durable than ivory, and they can even stay in good condition for more than 60 years. If you have an old piano with an ivory layer on the keys, you can install the plastic keys for around 500$.

How to clean the keys 

If you have the ivory type keys, don’t scrub the keys, don’t use too much water on the cloth(in too much, I mean wet cloth), don’t use spray, and be careful while wiping the keys so the fluid won’t get between the keys(you should wipe the keys from the bottom to the top).

Firstly clean the dust with a soft brush or a soft duster. Then you need to use a bit of gentle soap on a barely damp cloth(don’t use colored clothes) for the white keys and dry it right away with a dry cloth, and use another damp cloth for the black keys since the black can be smeared on the white. Use another cloth to dry the keys right away gently. 

You probably would have the plastic keys, and it’s much easier to handle, but still, you need to be careful that the fluids won’t get in between the keys. And use the same method mentioned above with the ivory cleaning.

To sum up

Pianos can be costly both materially and mentally, so we should keep them clean and clean them in the appropriate way mentioned above. As a music lover, the piano is one of my favorite instruments, and I love to play and hear. I love to keep it new and clean.