[pianotech] how to clean keys?

Susan Kline skline at peak.org
Thu Dec 16 20:50:35 MST 2010


On 12/16/2010 6:17 PM, Julian Blackman wrote:
> Hi ,i live in the caribbean and i need to clean  some piano keys and 
> keep it clean  any suggestions? 

Hi, Julian

I use a barely damp shop towel or old washcloth -- wet the corner, then 
squeeze it into the rest -- with just a small dab of toothpaste on it. 
This is a very mild abrasive which can cut through grease. I do two or 
three keys, wipe them off with the rest of the rag, put another small 
dab of toothpaste on another place, and do a few more.

Afterwards, it sometimes is good to take a fresh barely damp washcloth 
and wipe them all down. They should end up dry and clean. If they feel 
gummy afterwards, you didn't get quite all the toothpaste back off.

After you do this, just the damp washcloth or small towel should clean 
them just fine. Most smeary greasy residue takes years and years to 
build up.

If you have old tape or masking tape to deal with, you can carefully 
scrape it off with a single-edged razor blade in a holder. The sticky 
stuff (or fossilized hard stuff) left can be removed with a little bit 
of citrus solvent on the damp towel. It's safe for ivory -- minimize the 
water -- but for plastic you should probably test it in an inconspicuous 
place. It never has hurt plastic keys when I've used it, but keys are 
made of many kinds of plastic.

Susan Kline
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