How do you care for and clean an acoustic or digital piano?

How to clean piano keys, step by step

Keys collect finger oils, sweat, and dust. Gentle cleaning every one or two weeks, depending on use, is enough. Here is how:

1. Wash your hands and, for a digital piano, turn it off and unplug it.
2. Use a white or light-colored microfiber cloth: colored cloths can transfer dye to white keys.
3. Dampen it lightly with water and wring it out thoroughly. It should be damp, not wet. For stubborn dirt, add a drop of mild soap to the water.
4. Wipe each key from back to front, never side to side: this keeps water and dirt out of the gaps between keys.
5. Clean the white keys first, then the black keys, using a different part of the cloth or a separate cloth so you do not transfer dye or dirt between them.
6. Dry immediately with a dry cloth, wiping in the same direction.

If your piano has ivory keys

Some older pianos have ivory keytops, with a fine grain and each white key's surface made from two pieces. Ivory absorbs moisture and can crack or come unglued, so use even less water. Yellowing over the years is normal: lemon juice, bleaching products, and toothpaste will not fix it and can damage it.

Dust between the keys

Use a soft, dry brush between the keys. Avoid compressed air: it pushes dust into the action or, on a digital piano, toward the sensors.

The cabinet, lid, and interior

A piano's finish is delicate. Glossy finishes, such as classic mirror-black, show every fingerprint and scratch; satin or matte finishes become marked if rubbed with polishing products.

• Remove dust with a soft duster or dry microfiber, without pressure. Rubbing dust with a rough cloth leaves fine circular scratches.
• For fingerprints, use barely damp microfiber and dry immediately. If you want to use a product, choose one made for piano finishes and apply it to the cloth, not the cabinet.
• Do not use silicone-based furniture waxes or oils: they leave a greasy film and make future finish touch-ups harder.
• Do not put vases, plants, drinking glasses, candles, picture frames, or a vibrating phone on top. Liquid spilled inside a piano leads to some of the most expensive repairs.
• If you want to cover it, use breathable fabric rather than plastic: plastic traps moisture.

Do not clean the interior (strings, hammers, dampers, and action) yourself. Do not touch the strings with your fingers, because skin oils encourage rust. Keep pencils, paper clips, and coins from falling through the music desk slot or under the lid: they can jam keys or cause buzzing. The technician removes interior dust during a service visit.

Where to place it: humidity, sunlight, and heat

An acoustic piano is largely wood under tension. The soundboard and pinblock (the piece that holds the strings' tuning pins) swell with humidity and shrink in dry conditions. Sudden changes therefore throw it out of tune, make keys stick, and, in extreme cases, crack the wood.

• Against an interior wall rather than a street-facing wall, which is usually colder and damper. Leave a few centimeters of clearance.
• Away from direct sunlight: it fades the finish, heats the wood, and dries it out. Use a curtain if there is a window nearby.
• Away from fireplaces, electric heaters, air-conditioning vents, kitchens, and bathrooms.
• On a firm, level floor, away from doorways and areas where people walk carrying things.

As a guideline, manufacturers recommend moderate relative humidity, with ranges varying by brand from 35 to 55 % (Yamaha) to 45 to 70 % (Steinway), and above all, stable conditions. A small digital hygrometer on the piano tells you what's happening in your room. For humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and other tips, see our guide to storing instruments for Colombia's climate.

Piano care in Bogotá and warmer regions

The same piano needs different care depending on the city it is in.

In hot regions, air conditioning helps control humidity, but switching it on and off every day also causes sudden changes: ideally, the piano should not sit in front of the vent. If you move between climates, for example from Bogotá to the coast, do not tune it as soon as it arrives. Give the wood a few weeks to adjust, then call the technician; tuning it sooner will only mean the pitch shifts again.

Tuning and technician visits

An acoustic piano goes out of tune even when no one plays it, because the tension of its more than 200 strings changes with humidity and temperature. The general recommendation is to tune it at least once a year, or twice if you play daily, if it is exposed to major climate changes, or if it is new, because new strings keep stretching.

Signs you need a technician

• Notes that sound “wavy” or metallic: in the middle and upper registers, each key strikes two or three strings, and when they are out of tune with one another, you hear beating.
• Keys that do not return, respond slowly, or sound twice.
• A note that does not sound, keeps ringing after you release it, or buzzes.
• Pedals that squeak, feel loose, or no longer stop the sound.
• Octaves and chords that sound out of tune in your pieces, even if each individual note seems fine.

A good technician does more than tune: they regulate the action so the keys respond evenly, check the hammers and dampers, and let you know if there is moth damage in the felts. If the piano has not been tuned for years, it may need its pitch raised gradually over more than one visit.

A digital piano never goes out of tune. Unresponsive keys or a faulty pedal usually point to sensors, contacts, or cables: an electronics repair service handles these, rather than a piano tuner. If you are still deciding which type to have at home, we compare them in how to choose your first piano or keyboard.

What you should never do to a piano

• Cleaning it with alcohol, bleach, disinfecting wipes, or all-purpose cleaners.
• Spray any liquid directly onto the keys or cabinet.
• Spray lubricant on pedals, hinges, or the action. If something squeaks, leave it to the technician.
• Try to tune it yourself with a tuning hammer bought online: it is easy to break strings or damage tuning pins, and piano tuning requires training.
• Move it by dragging it on its casters. On many pianos, these are almost decorative, and moving this way can break a leg or damage the floor. Hire piano movers when relocating it.
• Leave a digital piano plugged in during thunderstorms or without a voltage regulator.
• Use it as a table, shelf, or desk.

Most importantly, play it. A piano in use gets checked and tuned, and lets you know when something changes. If you are getting started, your teacher will also show you how to sit properly in your piano lessons; we explain more in correct hand position at the piano.

Frequently asked questions