7 Tips For Taking Care of Your Piano

A piano is a mechanical marvel made from organic parts including wood – which expands and contracts depending on climate – as well as felt, cloth and wool. Each time a key is played, its internal workings shift slightly changing the tone and quality of the instrument in subtle ways. Pianos will surely go out of tune and their sound will change over time but to help increase the life of your instrument, here are 7 Tips For Taking Care of Your Piano.

1. Choose Proper Placement

Consider where your piano will live. Positioning your piano in a room that has a fairly stable temperature will help to keep in well maintained. Place your upright piano against an internal wall. This is because internal walls tend to be more stable in temperature than external walls. Avoid exposure to too much sunlight because it can cause fading, warping, and cracks in your piano's finish.  Excess moisture can destroy metal components such as strings, tuning pins, and vital action components.  Do not place your piano in direct air currents from vents, doors, or windows, which can dry your piano out.

2. Keep Your Piano Clean Inside & Out

Regularly wipe dust from the piano’s surface with a clean microfiber dusting cloth. Keys may be cleaned with a lightly dampened cloth, completely wrung out. Keep liquids away from your piano including drinks, flower vases, fish bowls, and silicone furniture polish sprays. The oils on our fingers can corrode metal components inside and our pianos and should not be touched. The action, strings, soundboard, and other internal components should be left to a qualified piano technician to clean and service. Do not perform any repairs on your own, and resist the urge to clean the inside of your piano.

3. Keep Temperature & Humidity Consistent

Don’t expose your piano to variations in heat and coolness. Avoid placing your piano on a wall which is west-facing and exposed as these walls can get hot in summer and can cause variation in temperature. Keep your piano away from the air conditioner, heater and open fireplace. Try to maintain a fairly consistent temperature and humidity level inside of the room where your piano is placed. Do not place your piano in direct sunlight as it creates temperature extremes, wears on the finish, and can cut down the life of your piano by decades. Most pianos are meant to thrive in an environment of 42% relative humidity.  A humidifier or dehumidifier can be used to help if you live in an especially wet or dry climate. Investing in a Damp Chaser Humidity System (for pennies a day) can add years of life to your piano, by helping to stabilize your piano’s humidity levels year round, thus keeping your piano better “in tune.”

4. Tune Your Piano Regularly

Pianos should be tuned regularly – we recommend 2-3 initial tunings during the first year, and then 1-2 times per year after that.  A piano’s pitch falls out of tune every year due to the swelling and contraction of its soundboard. The more consistently a piano is tuned to A440hz [international pitch standard] the more your piano will stay in tune year round.  Your piano tuner can advise you on what your piano needs if it hasn’t been tuned for a while. 

5. Have Your Piano Regulated Occasionally

Over time, changes in the wood, wool, felt and cloth elements can affect how your piano feels to play and how it sounds. Regulation is like an in-depth service for your piano. Tuning is about pitch and focuses on the strings and pins, while regulation means adjusting the mechanical parts of a piano. These piano care tips can add years of life to your piano, and life to those years. Heeding these important reminders will result in an exceptional instrument of durable quality and will avoid the cost of any unnecessary repairs. Keeping your piano not only tuned but well regulated will add more enjoyment when playing and extend the life of your piano.

6. Play Your Piano Regularly

Play your piano more often. You’ll receive more enjoyment from it, and will be able to notice smaller problems before they escalate into much larger problems later on. You will also reach your musical potential much faster by regular practice.

7. Only Use Expert Piano Movers

Moving a piano on your own could cause great to harm to yourself, your piano, and to others around you. Hire a professional mover who has the tools, the knowledge, not to mention the proper insurance, to transport your piano, safely, from one place to another. We have been moving pianos all Texas and the US for over 90 years. We also provide piano tuning, storage and hire. Call our friendly team at 844-251-1922 to discuss your needs.