How to Clean Your Clarinet

Care After Playing Your Clarinet

When you are finished playing the instrument should be taken apart with the same care with which it was assembled.

Drying the Mouthpiece

Remove the reed, wipe off the excess moisture and place it in a reed case/holder.To clean the mouthpiece, insert a small cleaning swab through the joint cork end to remove moisture and dirt. When doing this, be careful not to scratch the tip of the mouthpiece. Remove the mouthpiece and store it in the case with the ligature and cap on it.

Drying the Body

Hold the clarinet upside down. Drop the weighted end of the swab into the bell and pull it through the bore of the clarinet a couple of times. If the swab catches inside, carefully pull it through a small amount at a time, without forcing it. (Be especially careful when working on the upper joint.) Moisture is likely to collect in the joints. This can cause cracking, so dry the joints carefully using a polishing gauze cloth, etc. Even during playing sessions, make an effort to dry the interior and joints if moisture builds up.

Drying/Cleaning the Pads

If a pad becomes sticky, it can be cleaned with cleaning paper. Take one sheet of the cleaning paper and insert it between the pad and tone hole. Lightly press the key closed while gently pulling the paper out. Repeat this several times. This will clean off residue and excess moisture.

Cleaning the Surface

Using a polishing cloth, wipe the length of the body, taking care not to apply stress to the keys. Be careful not to damage the pads in the key areas.

Weekly Maintance

Cleaning the Small Spaces

When you clean the body, also use the tone hole cleaner to clean small spaces such as the undersides of keys or the spaces between keys. The finger holes will accumulate dirt. This should be cleaned out with a tone hole cleaner. A great amount of care should be used. It is best to fold the cleaner and use the folded end to clean out the tone holes. Avoid using the sharp ends, as they may scratch the finish. When it gets dirty, fold a clean section of the cleaner again and continue.

Cleaning the Mouthpiece

Dirt buildup in the mouthpiece can be washed out with warm soapy water using the mouthpiece brush.

Monthly Maintance

Key Check

Screws may loosen naturally. Therefore, keys should be checked once a month. Tighten the screws if necessary.

Oiling the Keys

Add a small amount of medium key oil at the spots where the keys move. Be careful not to add too much oil.

When you are finished, move the keys so that the oil works in thoroughly.

If oil ends up on the front sides of the keys, thoroughly wipe the keys to remove the oil.

Important Tips

NEVER put the upper or lower joints of the clarinet in water! Doing so would result in costly repair. Joints should ALWAYS be put together and taken apart with a twisting motion. If this is not done, the fragile tenons may crack.

The mouthpiece and reed are a crucial part of tone production on the clarinet. A chipped or cracked reed or mouthpiece will hinder your ability to play properly.

Avoid squeezing the keys and rods.

If you have a wooden clarinet, additional accessories and care are needed. Please speak to one of our repair technicians for guidance.

Additional Tips for Wood Clarinets

Some clarinet bodies are made from Grenadilla (natural wood). Such bodies can crack or become more difficult to connect together when subjected to sudden changes in temperature or humidity. Therefore the following precautions should be taken.

In winter, wait for the entire instrument to adjust to room temperature before playing it. Rapid changes in the temperature of the instrument can cause the keys to stop moving or crack the body.

New instruments should not be played continuously for extended periods of time.
For the first two weeks, limit playing to about 20 or 30 minutes a day.

When you finish playing the instrument, thoroughly dry the body interior with a swab.

Also thoroughly dry the joint ends, then apply a small amount of cork grease to the ends as a moisture blocker.

Whenever possible, use a cleaning swab to dry the body interior during rests in playing sessions as well.