How should you store your instruments for Colombia's climate?

How humidity and temperature affect instruments

Wood constantly absorbs and releases moisture: it swells in humid air and shrinks in dry air. The leather in drumheads and key pads, along with felt and adhesives, also reacts. The problem is less the climate itself than a rapid change from one extreme to another.

As a guideline, luthiers and technicians generally recommend moderate relative humidity for wooden instruments, roughly between 40 and 60 %, and above all, stable conditions.

Bogotá, the coast, and hot regions: different risks

Bogotá and colder cities

The risk isn't just cold but variation: chilly mornings, strong midday sun, dry seasons, and rainy seasons with high humidity. Add electric heaters that dry out room air, and apartments with damp walls, where a case stored against the wall can develop mold.

• Don't put the instrument near a heater or by a window that gets afternoon sun.
• Don't store cases against exterior walls or on the floor of damp rooms.
• If your wooden wind instrument has been in the cold, warm it in your hands before blowing into it.

The Caribbean and Pacific coasts

Heat and high humidity almost year-round, plus salt air near the sea. Strings rust within weeks, metal tarnishes, pads swell, and closed cases smell damp.

• Always dry the instrument after playing and leave the case open in the shade for a while to air out.
• Wipe strings, keys, and chrome-plated parts with a dry cloth after each use.
• A room with air conditioning or a dehumidifier offers more protection than any trick inside the case.

Hot inland regions

In warm inland valleys, the main risk is direct heat: an instrument on a sunny terrace or beside a window can become much hotter than the room's air. Play and store it in the shade, in the coolest part of the house.

Hygrometers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers

The first step isn't buying a humidifier: it's measuring. A small digital hygrometer inside the case or in the room where you keep your instrument shows you the actual humidity throughout the week.

• Never use a soaking sponge that drips: direct contact with water stains and warps wood.
• Don't use a case humidifier on the coast or during the rainy season without measuring first: you could make the problem worse.
• Refill case humidifiers according to their instructions; a dry one does nothing, and a neglected one can grow mold.
• For an acoustic piano, ask your piano technician whether a humidity-control system would be appropriate.

Where to store instruments at home

• In their cases if you won't use them for several days. For daily practice, a sturdy stand in a safe corner is fine.
• By an interior wall, away from windows, exterior doors, the kitchen, and the bathroom.
• Away from heaters, fireplaces, stoves, and air-conditioning vents.
• Out of reach of pets and small children, and never leaning against a wall or lying on a bed.
• Keep the piano by an interior wall, out of direct sunlight; if you move it, expect it to need tuning.
• Connect digital pianos and amplifiers to a voltage regulator or surge protector.

If you store several instruments, a ventilated closet by an interior wall is usually better than a storage room against the building's exterior. For instrument-specific care, see our guides to acoustic guitars, violins, pianos, and clarinets.

Road trips: trunks and cars in the sun

A closed car in the sun gets very hot very quickly, much hotter than the air outside. That heat softens guitar and violin adhesives, can loosen bridges and seams, warps reeds and pads, and makes brass-instrument grease run.

1. Keep the instrument in the passenger compartment with the air conditioning, rather than in the trunk.
2. Shield the case from sunlight through the window with a blanket or cover.
3. Don't leave it in the car when you stop for lunch or run an errand, even with the windows partly open.
4. When you arrive, bring the case indoors and leave it closed for a while before opening, especially if you've gone from cold to hot conditions or vice versa. This helps avoid condensation and sudden changes.
5. On a weekend trip, such as going from Bogotá to a hot region, check the instrument's tuning and condition on arrival and before heading back.

Flying with an instrument

• Before buying your ticket, ask the airline whether your instrument can travel in the cabin and under what conditions. Policies change and depend on its size.
• If it can travel in the cabin, take it with you: you'll avoid impacts and temperature changes in the cargo hold.
• If it must go in the cargo hold, use a good-quality hard case, pad empty spaces so the instrument can't move, and label it fragile.
• For guitars, tiples, and other string instruments traveling in the cargo hold, many musicians lower the tuning slightly to reduce tension without completely loosening the strings.
• For wind instruments, remove the mouthpiece, reeds, and strap, and put them in their designated case compartments.
• When you land in a different climate, keep the case closed for a while before opening it.

Keep a basic kit in the case: a cloth, spare strings or reeds, a small hygrometer if your instrument needs one, and your phone with the online tuner ready to use. If you take violin lessons or lessons on another instrument, your teacher can also help you spot climate-related problems early.

Frequently asked questions