How to Clean Your Flute

Learn how to quickly clean your flute so that you can keep it in great shape. You'll be confident that the flute you put up to your lips is clean, and you'll add years of life to your musical instrument so that you can keep playing the music you love.

After you have finished practicing or rehearsing, clean your flute to keep it in good working order.

1. Take your flute cleaning rod. (Wooden or plastic cleaning rods are best because they will not scratch the inside of your instrument, but any cleaning rod will do.)

2. Thread a cleaning cloth through the eye of the flute cleaning rod.

Pull cloth through a little.

3. Wrap the cloth around the flute cleaning rod. (This is especially important if you have a metal cleaning rod to prevent scratches on the inside of your instrument.)

4. Push the cloth covered cleaning rod through the foot joint of the flute.

5. Push the cloth covered cleaning rod through the body of the flute.

6. Gently insert the cloth covered cleaning rod into the head joint of the flute. Rotate the rod a few times to wipe the moisture out of the head joint.

7. After you have cleaned the moisture out of the inside of the flute, you may want to wipe the outside of your instrument with a soft cloth from time to time to keep the metal in good shape. Use a soft flannel or soft cotton cloth to wipe away fingerprints and any dirt that may have accumulated on the surface of the flute. Be careful to stay away from the pads as you wipe the outside of the flute.

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 Tips

• A handkerchief makes a great cleaning cloth to clean the inside of your flute. You can also visit your local music store to purchase a flute cleaning cloth.
• Several companies make flute cleaning kits that you can purchase. These kits usually come with flute cleaning and polishing cloths. Sometimes they contain other items as well. Gemeinhardt, Yamaha, Conn and other musical instrument companies offer flute care kits. Purchase one if you like, but these kits are not absolutely necessary. If you have the items mentioned in this article, you have everything you need to keep your flute clean and in good condition.
• NEVER put your flute in water to clean it.
• Never use cleaners or polish (silver polish, etc.) of any kind on your flute. Your flute repair technician will be happy to clean the surface of your flute when you take the instrument in for service.
• Be careful with the pads on the flute, especially when you are wiping the outside of the instrument.

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Additional Resources

• Mcgee Flutes --Flute Care
• Gemeinhardt Flute Care Tips
• Flute Cleaning Video
• Miyazawa Flute Cleaning Tips
• Yamaha Flute Owner's Manual
• How to Care for Your Flute
• How to Put a Flute Together