With COVID-19 complicating our lives right now, we are ALL looking for ways to keep ourselves safe and unaffected by it! If you have a piano and a variety of people in your house who play, it may be time to think about how to clean and disinfect your piano keys, so that the piano can continue to provide music and joy in our homes as we hunker down and weather the storm of the virus.
First and perhaps Most Important – place a sign on the piano reminding everyone to wash their hands BEFORE touching the keyboard. That is the easiest and best solution to deter spread of germs! If however, you have doubts about the cleanliness of your keyboard now – here are a few simple instructions to clean and disinfect the keys of your piano:
#1. DO NOT USE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
Chemically-based cleaners or polish, Paper towels, Cloth with lots of lint, Spray disinfectants.
* These can all cause harm to the keys and action of your keyboard!
2. Determine whether you have plastic or ivory keys.
Plastic keys generally have a lighter, smoother appearance – almost like they have a clear coating.
Ivory keys may look more off-white, and will have 2 parts joined together.
#3. Gather the following items:
(a) 3 Lint-free cloths, (b) White distilled vinegar, (c) Water
* Optional – soft tooth brush, white toothpaste (not gel or colored)
#4. Mix 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water in a deep bowl.
#5. Remove any dust from the keys – brushing from the innermost part straight to the end of the key (- Never side to side!).
#6. Wet one of the cloths in the vinegar solution and WRING OUT WELL! You do Not want any drips coming from the cloth.
#7. Wipe WHITE KEYS ONLY from the innermost part straight to the end of the key, taking care to not allow any excess water to drip between keys, which will swell and damage the action.
* Rinse and repeat wiping as needed.
#8. Repeat washing with procedure with DIFFERENT CLOTH on the BLACK KEYS ONLY.
#9. For Ivory Keys – you may also use a mild solution of simply warm water with a little bit of dish soap.
***Also for Ivory Keys – if they have yellowed, you can use white toothpaste to clean and whiten the ivory. Do NOT use tooth gel or colored creams, as they may corrode and further discolor the ivory.
#10. Once cleaned and basically dry, buff any residue from the keys with another clean, dry, lint-free cloth
#11. Now that the keys are clean – enjoy your piano and fill your home with music!