Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Cleaning a VERY dusty Piano Lid

After doing a search, I really couldn't find what I was looking for - so I'm adding another piano cleaning thread to the mix.

We have some serious construction going on at our house. I closed the Steinway lid of course, but didn't quite get to putting blankets on it until after the major dust went flying (in the next room, no less).

See the picture below where you can see the small black circle - showing the actual lid color.... the gray is heavy dust. My question is - how do I clean this off without damaging the satin ebony finish? Using just a microfiber towel seems inadequate and maybe even a little risky. Anyone? Thanks for helping.

[img]https://www.flickr.com/photos/53143950@N05/22041857435/in/datetaken/[/img]

Doug

I can't see your picture, but with a large dust build-up I'd run the vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment on it first to get as much dust off as possible before doing any other cleaning. Maybe even try to loosen and sweep the dust off with a brush, too. The big danger would be rubbing gritty stuff into the finish.

If it's really fine dust (from sanding drywall or cement dust) then be careful if you try to vacuum it. The dust is sufficiently fine that it will pass right through the bag and the rest of the vacuum and, if it doesn't burn out the motor on the way through it will come back out of the exhaust vent and fill the room with flying dust again.

If you have a Shop Vac you can get special bags for it that are designed to collect very fine particles. Unfortunately, I don't know of a really soft attachment that would be suitable to run over a surface like a piano -- perhaps you could wrap a nylon sheet on the end of the vacuum hose to protect the surface?

Open a pair of windows and/or doors on opposite sides of the room. See which way the air moves through them, and set up a big fan or two to increase that air flow. Then put the nozzle on the air compressor and have at it. You can go 120 - 150 psi for that.

While you're at it, perhaps pull the action, open the lid, and blow out the whole interior.

Go more gently if you also blow out the action. Tighten the flange screws so you don't blow away any shims. Use just enough pressure to get the dust off.

Compressors will collect moisture sometimes. Make sure you are blowing dry air.

Shop compressors aren't the cleanest things in the world and can blow machine oil droplets out along with the air. Not a big problem when you're inflating a tire or driving an impact wrench, but if you're trying to clean a piano you might want reconsider that as an idea. That sort of compressor isn't intended for use in a clean environment.

Also, a compressor could blow the dust further into the instrument rather than getting it out and then what?

I would never consider using a compressor to clean a piano, myself. "Canned air" that you get from places like Staples and whatnot works great for small things like computers and audio amplifiers, but I don't think you would want to clean a whole piano with that either.

Right -- I forgot to mention to have a dryer bulb in the line. I always do.

I suggest having it professionally cleaned; Inside and out.

I agree with JohnSprung... I've used my shop air compressor to clean my used pianos that were really dusty and dirty. There is a slight risk of getting oil or condensation moisture into the air line and out the spout, but I have a special filter on the compressor for that.

And, even the compressed air will not get the sound board under the strings squeaky clean... you still have to use a damp cloth and a special tool to wipe the sound board clean.

Dave, when you say have a piano professionally cleaned, what exactly does that entail?

Besides, a plain old feather duster can do a good job on the easy to get to places.

Also, I use a small paint brush to clean the dust off the bridges and plate around the bridge pins and tuning pins, while holding a small hand-vacuum cleaner to pick up what dust the brush removes. It works great.

Of course, if you can afford a Steinway, hire the pro!!

Rick

Can't see the photo,

"Yahoo makes it easy to enjoy what matters most in your world"

Exactly what I thought :-/

I would use my air brush compressor to blow off the dust.
Air brush compressors have an air filter so it will be dry and without particles.

Make sure you blow in a direction that does not bring more dust into the piano.
The dust in the piano can be blown out of the piano the same way.

The dust may be abrasive so I would not touch it (with a brush or anything)

Then use a microfiber cloth to get rid of the remaining dust.

And make a mental note always to cover her if anything similar is happening!

When I had my rewire done the pianos were covered with their normal covers and then with a snooker table bed cloth. Of course it is always easy to be wise after the event!

You want to put as little downward pressure on the dust particles so they don't scratch the surface. I used a hairdryer (set on cold) in one hand to blow away the dust and a light feather duster in the other to just loosen it as gently as I could. That was many years ago with a brand new black upright, and I couldn't detect any scratching. The dust was as a result of floor sanding, so could have been less abrasive than brick dust.

If you move dust or dirt mechanically, with either a feather duster, rag, or even compressed air, it will motivate any abrasive particals that are present to make scratches in any wood finish. These scratches may be very thin, but a collection of them created by a wiping action form a swath of micro lines which are quite noticeable given the right lighting conditions.

On somewhat of a seemingly non related note, I spent a good amount of $$ on my glasses. If everytime they appeared to be dirty I just broke out a rag and scrubbed away, before too long I'd have myself a set of lenses that looked like the clear lexan protection sheets above the boards at each end of the New York Rangers ice hockey rink at the 'Garden; all scratched up.

There's really only one way to clean them without forming scratches, and that's by first either emersing or showering them with water, then introduce dish washing soap to break down any oils and provide a further mechanism for any abrasive particals to literally float off the glass surface and away in a constant stream of rinse water.

If the piano in question has a good ~non~ permiable finish such as lacquer or polyester, then it should be able to withstand an introducion of soapy water in the form of a spray mist. Using a simple mild solution of Dawn dish washing soap and tap water in a readily available (such as those typically found at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc) spray bottle, working diligently in a small area at a time, saturate the surface, then utilizing a clean cloth surface with each constantly upward rolling wipe motion of said cloth (this is important to avoid the dirt you're removing becoming a source of scratches), use only light pressure to remove the offending dust/material in one consistant direction only, to avoid making swirls. When finished, inspect for any missed spots, then when all is well, buff with a clean microfiber cloth.

The water is what breaks the attraction between the dust and wood, much in the same way that simple water motivates and carries off black soot from boiler sections without any mechanical or physical exertion.

=8^)

We usually blow dust, vacuuming as possible on the other side;

The feather brush is used before cleaning with a cloth as the dust is making micro traces (dust is a little abrasive)

air lines have filters to avoid oil and water , if no just send some air for 30 seconds in the line to dry it, and do not blow for too long (depending of the size of the tank)
But a simple filter is mounted generally, and oil is not very present in the air on adequate quality equipments

My piano/organ glasses - I was convinced by my optometrist to have a non-reflective coating. Extra $$ of course. The coating (was 2 yrs old), which was initially invisible became noticeably crazed. Back to the supplier who asks if they've been exposed to steam? (well, possibly when I cook - every day, or coffee mugs), hot water? (yes, I wash them, sometimes in warm water with detergent), left in a hot car? (hmmm yes, I park the car in the sun after Church and they're in my music case).

"Sorry, each of them will void the warranty - but we can order you new glasses if you wish". (rubs hands together with $$$ signs in his eyes). Nope.

Yea, I hear you...

I'm at the point of purchasing my RX lenses pre-cut and installing them in the frame of my choice myself. I like the rimless frames with the drill-mount and compression bushing.

I was at a business seminar years ago, and the presenter, an MBA/PhD in business, commented that Lasik surgery would make eyeglasses obsolete in a few more years. That was about 10 years ago. I recon it has a few more years to go...

It's amazing how some folks that are really smart and educated are just plain wrong at times.

Sorry for the OT.

To get back on-topic, I still say blow with compressed air, and then wipe and clean with soap and water. (minus action parts, strings and sound board ). I use 0000 steel wool on plain steel strings, and a small, brass wire brush on the wound strings.

Rick

Rick,

I imagine the lid is clean by now! Have you ever directed your compressed air at the pins and coils on any of your pianos? If not you may find it adds some sparkle to the tone.

Lasik doesn't address the hardening of the lens, which is why we need different glasses for far, mid-range, and close work. I've had my lenses replaced, with no laser work on the corneas. I don't need glasses for distance and driving, only for mid and close. It turned out fine, I recommend it.

Rick,

The problem with using a brass (which is harder than copper) brush to clean or remove the tarnish on your copper wound strings is that once you remove the tarnish, you've just created a fresh new raw and porous surface that is even more susceptable to discoloring from unknowing finger touches and airborne moisture than the original oxidation you brushed off.

As difficult as it may be to look under your piano lid to observe darker bass strings than you'd like to see, they're probably better off left alone. In some extreme instances of heavy corrosion, grime, dust and dirt, wire brushing the strings changes their tonal qualities to such a degree that it leads to the complete disatisfaction of the owner.

Years ago when I was in my yute, a friend unknowingly ran his fingers, fingerprint side down, along a number of the new bass strings of my recently rebuilt early 1900's George Steck Aeolean grand thinking he was just innocently making that typical "harp" rif, and even at age 17, I about had a heart attack. I wiped the strings down with a clean dry cloth and thought all was well. But sure enough, and to my horror, in three weeks time I could clearly see the dark streaks across a number of those shiney new copper strings. I was fit to be tied. I tried the wire brush trick as lightly and as diligently as I could, but the color of the cleaned copper wasn't as orange as the untouched ones. And there was just no way no how that I was going to go over every single string, like I could get to all of them anyway? Ugh.

Being a welder/fabricator with some knowledge of metals, I looked back at those strings over the years as I got older, but realized that I'd never ever make those stings look alike, so I closed the lid and tried not to think about it, sigh.

So now, if the top's open and anyone goes near my C7D with the slightest percieved intensions of stroking its strings with any open hand they're gonna' get shot

LOL.

Regards,
Andy

Andy, you are right about everything you said. I am not going to use a brass wire brush on my copper wound bass stings any more.

I noticed this YT video on cleaning copper wound piano strings on the tuners forum earlier.

Cleaning old copper wound bass piano strings

As far as shooting someone who touches your copper wound bass piano strings, you don't want to get blood on them either.

All the best,

Rick