Hello I have a client whose house was vandalized recently. The person did some damage to the piano, especially the keys. There is a substance of unknown origin all over both the white and black key tops (they're plastic) . I've tried wiping it off, but it leaves the surface of the key so slippery that I feel they'd be unsuitable playing surfaces. It appears to be sort of a thick waxy oily liquid. Could be some sort of furniture polish or liquid floor wax, but I'm not really sure. Some of it seeped down the sides of the keys and of course has penetrated the wooden portion of the key. It also pooled in the keybed and has damaged some of the front rail bushings. A little bit has gotten on some of the bass strings, a few dampers are stained, and there is a fair bit of it on the tuning pins. Any idea on what I should use to clean the keytops so they aren't so slippery, and how to remove the stuff from the keybed? Should I clean the tuning pins? I was thinking lemon juice or vinegar for the keytops, and trying to chisel then sand the wooden part of the keys and the keybed, perhaps some fine steel wool for cleaning the bass strings. Any suggestions on what to do or what to tell my client would be much appreciated. Thanks Barb barb-hall@home.com
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