Written By: Ashley Southam
Properly taking care of your piano first involves making sure that it is stored in a suitable place. The first thing to do to look after you piano is make sure its stored in a suitable place. This means finding somewhere that isn’t too damp. Make sure you keep your piano away from fire places, heaters, as well as air conditioners. Also try and keep your piano (if it’s an upright) away from an outside wall of the house. Keep the piano out of long periods in direct sunlight too, as this will eventually damage the finish and also affect the tuning. This all sounds very particular but anything to do with heat and moisture will put your piano at risk of going out of tune and develop other long term negative side effects. Ideally you'll want the piano somewhere that the humidity and heat levels are at a pleasant consistent level. The contracting and expanding of the wooden parts will affect the quality of the piano.
You should definitely consider getting your piano tuned twice a year. Also, it helps to get it “re-conditioned” or “regulated”. This is when a professionally trained piano technician will come and fix and adjust any wear and/or breakage. It’s a very good idea to keep a piano properly maintained and your piano will love you for it, with many enjoyable years of service.
Avoid putting drinks or vases on your piano either. As we all know, it’s very easy to have an accident and extremely difficult to thoroughly clean up the mess it will make inside your piano. Sometimes the damage can be irreversible. Also be careful of objects that may scratch or damage the finish on your piano.
When you clean your piano, use a feather duster first. The dust that accumulates can cause tiny scratches when you polish it. Then use a soft damp cloth. Don’t use polish, despite what all the labels might say, because this can also sometimes damage the wood. Just get the excess moisture off with a dry cloth. This same process can be used on the actual keys as well. However use separate cloths for the black and white keys.
If you really want to get more thorough with cleaning your piano there are some products that are designed specifically for pianos. Take a trip down to your local piano shop or music store and talk to the people there. They will undoubtedly have the right products and advice for you.