How to Take Care of Your Musical Instruments: A Guide

Many people own musical instruments because they either have to take a music class for school or because they enjoy it as an occasional hobby. For others, though, music is their biggest passion, and they may have a vast collection of musical instruments.

No matter which category you fall into, it’s important to take good care of your musical instruments. After all, they aren’t cheap, so if you can manage to increase the longevity of your instruments, that’s a great idea.

Be careful when traveling with your instruments

Most people who play an instrument will regularly travel with it. They may need to go somewhere for a music lesson, or they may have rehearsals and performances if they are a professional.

If you will be the one transporting your instrument, whether by carrying it or by driving it, you don’t need to do much other than put it in its case, because you will know how to correctly handle it. However, things get a bit tricky if you need to hand your instrument off to someone else when traveling – such as if you will be taking your instruments on a flight or if you are moving house. If that’s the case, you should look into the best ATA cases out there when transporting your instruments.

Keep your instruments clean

Next, you need to make sure that you keep your musical instruments clean. Not only will this help you to take better care of them, but it will also help your music sound better if your instruments aren’t filled with dust and dirt. This is why you should regularly clean your musical instruments.

However, you shouldn’t over-clean them, and you should also be sure to use the right materials to clean them. For some tips on cleaning musical instruments, click here.  

Try to control the temperature

Extreme temperatures in either direction can cause damage to your musical instrument, so this is something to keep in mind as well.

Generally, if you store your instruments in a dry, cool, place out of direct sunlight, they will be okay. However, if you live in an area with severe temperature or humidity fluctuations, you may want to take things a step further and try to balance your home’s temperature. A moderate temperature is usually advisable, although different instruments have different optimum temperatures, so that’s something to keep in mind too.

Get into a routine with it

Getting into a routine with your musical instrument care-taking may sound a bit odd, but it will help you stay on top of things.

Try to get it tuned and serviced at regular intervals, and also write down the dates when you need to clean your instrument so that you don’t forget. When you’re done playing, put it back in its case and store it somewhere safe – even if you don’t feel like going through the effort, or you’re in a hurry. Some instruments, like electric guitars, can be more time-consuming to set up or take down, but it’s still worth the effort.