CLEANING
Pianos can be extremely attractive objects when they are clean and cared-for; but with so many hard-to-access areas and delicate parts, it takes real expertise to keep them looking their best. By booking a professional cleaning, you can rest assured that only safe and proper techniques will be used. Once a piano has been thoroughly cleaned, it should not need it again for a number of years. Instead, smaller individual jobs from the list below may be added on to your regular tuning slot as and when required.
Please Note: A minimum call-out fee of £50 applies for any appointment, so it may be more cost-effective to schedule smaller cleaning tasks alongside other work.
Click on the options below for more information
A quick & easy way to add a little sheen, this efficient polish removes dust and finger-marks from the most visible areas of your piano.
Allow approximately 30 minutes
This least costly option aims to remove the worst dust and debris from a piano in a short space of time. The casework will be removed so that the main cavities and the full length of the key-tops can be vacuum-cleaned of dust. The piano will then be reassembled before being given an exterior polish.
Allow approximately 1 hour
This is generally the recommended option for removing dust and dirt from a piano. It goes further than a light clean-out by removing both the action and the keys so that they too can be vacuum-cleaned while the piano is apart. Other areas are also afforded a more thorough dusting before the piano is reassembled; these areas include the tuning pins, the pin-block, the soundboard, the frame, the keys, and the dampers (in a grand piano).
Allow approximately 2 hours
Tiny amounts of natural oils from your fingers are inevitably left on the keys each time that you play. Eventually, these oils can build up to create stubborn grimy marks on both the tops and the sides of keys. To remove this dirt most thoroughly, the keys must be completely removed from the key-frame; key-tops are then scrubbed and polished while the wooden key-sides require light sanding.
Furthermore, the jet-black stain on the side of accidentals often wears away leaving the bright wood underneath exposed and contrasting. Removing the keys for cleaning provides an excellent opportunity to restain them if required.
See example images in photo-reel below.
Allow approximately 90 minutes
In contrast to more modern cellulose or plastic key-tops which simply wipe clean, ivory key-tops actually absorb the natural oils from a pianist’s fingers over time. This can cause a grey or yellow-brown discolouration which is best improved through light abrasion on a buffing wheel. In addition to removing staining, buffing key-tops with the appropriate compound also restores them to a smooth, bright and glossy finish.
See example images in photo-reel below.
Allow approximately 90 minutes
Over time, the steel and copper of piano strings will oxidise, tarnish, and gather dust. As a result, they eventually look dull and lacklustre; this is especially true for grand pianos where the interior is so much more exposed. To give your piano a visual lift, strings can be cleaned to bring back their shine. Occasionally, cleaning may even improve the sound quality of older strings to provide a double benefit.
Please Note: String cleaning creates a lot of dust particles in itself and also affects the tension of strings. Consequently, a tuning and at least a light clean-out will be required afterwards.
See example image in photo-reel below.
Allow approximately 90 minutes
As with strings, any brass or other metal fittings will also oxidise and tarnish over time. The effect of polishing these, however, is much more noticeable and eye-catching than that of cleaning the strings. If you are looking for the maximum visual impact from any single cleaning job listed here, this would be my recommendation.
Brass is commonly used for the following piano parts: pedals; manufacturer logos; hinges; agraffes; locks and buckles. Other metal parts often include: frame and action bolts; hitch, bridge and tuning pins; pressure bars.
See example image in photo-reel below.
Allow 2 hours to 1 full day depending on quantity of brass & metalwork
To provide the most extensive in-situ piano cleaning service, each of the following items from the list above would be considered:
- Standard Clean-Out
- Key Cleaning & Restaining
- Key-Top Buffing (where appropriate)
- String Cleaning
- Brass & Metalwork Polish
Depending on which options are required, you should allow two or three days for this to be completed in total. The result will be an instrument which looks as close to new as possible, inside & out.
