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Complete Guide to Safely Cleaning a Violin, Viola, Cello or Bass
Not sure how to properly clean and care for your instrument or how to sterilize it? You’re in the right place! Below you will find a thorough video about how to properly clean your string instrument and how to sterilize it safely. Under the video, you will also find step-by-step directions on General Cleaning, Using Instrument Polish, and Sanitizing Your Instrument.
GENERAL CLEANING
Cleaning your instrument is a straight forward process and all you need is a soft, clean cloth. We recommend using a cotton cloth.
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Each time you play your instrument, wipe the rosin residue off when you are done. You will need to wipe off the strings and the top of the instrument between the bridge and the fingerboard. If you play the cello or the bass we suggest wiping the bridge down too.
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About once a month you should take your soft, clean cloth and wipe down your entire instrument to prevent the buildup of dust and rosin in other places. Don’t forget to wipe the stick of your bow down as well (but do avoid wiping the hair on your bow).
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Once a year, you may also want to take your instrument and items out of your case and vacuum any bits of rosin or other debris that slowly builds up in your case over time. We suggest doing this to keep your case clean and to make sure that any items that are too old to use are disposed of and not cluttering up your case.
USING INSTRUMENT POLISH
While we generally do not recommend using instrument polish, keep the following things in mind should you choose to use it on your instrument.
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Every instrument maker has a different recipe for the varnish they use and every instrument polish uses a different recipe as well. Sometimes the chemical compounds in the varnish and react to each other, which can cause the varnish to come off of your instrument. You do not want the varnish to come off as it will change the sound of your instrument, can be very time consuming and costly to fix, and there is no guarantee that your instrument will return to the sound you loved after the varnish is repaired to the best of your luthier’s ability. Because of this, we recommend testing any polish you use in a small and less visible area, such as around the button or endpin. If your instrument is made by a maker who is still living, we suggest contacting them to ask them if they have a polish that is made specifically for their instruments or if they have a brand of polish that they suggest.
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Use caution and when in doubt don’t use it.
If you have any follow-up questions, don’t hesitate to contact us! Email us at: