Caring For Your Piano

1. Play your piano regulary      2. Use a feather duster or vacuum to clean your piano
3. Clean keys with a damp sponge, with water or a very mild soap. Disinfectant wipes work well and prevent the spread of germs
4. Keep food and liquids away from the piano
5. Small items such as money and pens frequently fall into the piano or under the keys
6. Do no store small items on your piano     7. Supervise children
8. Playing, even some banging will not damage your piano    9. Do not sit or jump on your piano   10. Keep toys and sharp objects away

11. Have a professional clean under your keys
12. Rodents may occupy your piano. If you detect an odd smell, have your tecnician check for them
13. Keep your piano well tuned and serviced. Neglecting tunes is similar to neglecting oil changes and lube jobs on your car
14. Never put a piano next to an outside door, in front of a picture window, near heating ducts, air registers, or radiators. Protect the piano against direct sunligh, humidity and changes in temperature
15. Ideally you should have a temperature of about 72 degrees and a humidity of about 40 percent

My Piano Needs Regular Tuning and Maintenance?

Seassonal and even daily changes in humidity cause wood parts to swell and shrink, affecting tuning stability and touch. Extreme swings in humidity can eventually cause wood to crack and glue joints to fail.

The many felt and leather parts in your piano's can change size, affecting regulation and friction, or stiffness. The drop in the dry season tends to exceed the rise during humid times, so the net result is a drop in pitch each year that the piano isn't serviced.

Most piano manufacturers recommend three to four tunings the first year, and at least two per year after that.

From The Piano Technician's Guild.