Cleaning pianos

[Greg Granoff RPT]

Hello Kieth,
This from a sister campus up north of you:  I've found that after cleaning, an
application of Cory's Satin Sheen available from most suppliers is a big help
in protecting the black laquer pianos. (Deepens the color quite nicely too.)
It won't end your cleaning duties entirely, but occasional applications will
slow the accumulation of goo down considerably.  Be sure to spray on the cloth
rather than directly on the piano, then wipe-- that stuff is not good for
decorative metal surfaces such as hinges, etc.  I still attack the pianos at
intervals with cleaning solution in the area of the arms/cheeks/fallboard/front
stringer area where the hand oils accumulate most rapidly. I try to get the
entire case of the grands once a year if time permits.
Good luck,

Greg Granoff  RPT
Humboldt State University

Keith Jones wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>  I'm the part time assistant tech at S.F. State University, and for the
> last year I've been trying to clean off years worth of accumulated grime
> from our pianos. I've finally removed most of the worst crusty black goo.
> What I'm wondering is what I should do to protect the finish and make
> future clean-ups easier. I've been thinking that waxing the practice room
> P-22's is the thing to do. What about classroom grands with black lacquer
> finishes, can I put wax on those, or is there something better for the flat
> black finishes (mostly Steinways). Do most of you have a regular cleaning
> schedule, or do you just clean up as necessary?
>  Since working here I have been continually amazed at 1) how quickly the
> piano majors can knock a piano out of tune, and 2) how quickly the pianos
> get filthy.
>  Thanks,
>  Keith Jones, Associate Member PTG