PianoTech Archive

  • 1.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 08:15 
    From "Annie Grieshop" <annie@allthingspiano.com>

Good morning, y'all, and happy "Goodbye February!"  (The first of March,
here in Ioway, looks ickier than the last of February, but it's still the
first of March. <g>)

A local community center has two grands with quilted cotton duck covers that
have been treated about as you'd expect -- so the covers are dirty and a
great upset to the Powers That Be.  Can they (the covers, that is) be washed
and dried in commercial machines, or do they need to be dry cleaned?  No one
seems to know where the covers were purchased or from whom or anything else.

Thanks!

Annie Grieshop


  • 2.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 10:57 
    From Willem Blees <wimblees@aol.com>

For the sake of being careful not to damage the cover even more,?I would suggest you take it to a professional cleaner. And besides, why are you asking us? We're piano tuner, not dry cleaners. :)


Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Honolulu, HI
Author of 
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
www.pianotuning.com



    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
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  • 3.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 11:53 
    From "Annie Grieshop" <annie@allthingspiano.com>

What, you never do the laundry at your house, Wim?

Actually, I figured that those who work in/with universities would have run
into this problem, too, as a cover that hits the floor more than once is
likely to need cleaning eventually.  And I wondered whether those
organizations send their covers out for dry cleaning.

Annie G.
  
    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
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  • 4.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 12:42 
    From "Porritt, David" <dporritt@mail.smu.edu>

Annie:

 

We have some dirty covers but the worst one is also in the worst shape
(torn) and I think replacement is going to be necessary.  I too have
wondered if they could be cleaned but as heavy as they are (ours are the
padded kind) the cleaning expense might be more than replacement.  If
you find out anything from a local cleaner/laundry facility, please let
the rest of us know.

 

dave

 

____________________

David M. Porritt, RPT

dporritt@smu.edu <mailto:dporritt@smu.edu> 

 

From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Annie Grieshop
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 12:53 PM
To: Willem Blees; Pianotech
Subject: RE: piano cover cleaning

 

What, you never do the laundry at your house, Wim?  

 

Actually, I figured that those who work in/with universities would have
run into this problem, too, as a cover that hits the floor more than
once is likely to need cleaning eventually.  And I wondered whether
those organizations send their covers out for dry cleaning.

 

Annie G.

	
    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
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  • 5.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 13:56 
    From "Annie Grieshop" <annie@allthingspiano.com>

Will do.  I'm still hopeful that someone on the list already has the answer,
but failing that, I will certainly post whatever I learn elsewhere.

My guess is that careful washing and drying (e.g., don't bake 'em) will work
just fine, although the sheer size and weight of large covers might keep
them from getting thoroughly clean, even in a big industrial washer.  Cotton
duck (the top layer of these particular covers) gets softer with washing, so
it might even improve their flexibility and, hence, ease of handling.

We've been talking about locking the covers on the pianos with cables, and
someone suggested using the cables to keep the covers off the floor by
lifting them into the flyspace.  I love the elegance of that solution,
'though I'm not sure it's actually feasible.

Annie
  
    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
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  • 6.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 15:10 
    From Mark Dierauf <pianotech@nhpianos.com>

   I tried washing one of these in my home machine once, with less than
   stellar results. It came out pretty wrinkled and may have shrunk a
   little as well - it's hard to say for sure as we were using this
   particular M&H A cover on an S&S L. It certainly wasn't destroyed but I
   remember thinking that if I needed one cleaned in the future I'd take
   it to a dry cleaner and see what they said. Let us know how you come
   out.
   Mark Dierauf
   Concord, NH
   Annie Grieshop wrote:

   Good morning, y'all, and happy "Goodbye February!"  (The first of
   March, here in Ioway, looks ickier than the last of February, but it's
   still the first of March. <g>)



   A local community center has two grands with quilted cotton duck covers
   that have been treated about as you'd expect -- so the covers are dirty
   and a great upset to the Powers That Be.  Can they (the covers, that
   is) be washed and dried in commercial machines, or do they need to be
   dry cleaned?  No one seems to know where the covers were purchased or
   from whom or anything else.



   Thanks!



   Annie Grieshop


  • 7.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-01-2008 15:54 
    From "Annie Grieshop" <annie@allthingspiano.com>

Ah, the voice of experience... thanks, Mark!  Anything smaller than an
industrial, front-load machine would probably have (and cause) problems with
something that size.  But I hadn't even thought about wrinkling, which
certainly wouldn't be an issue with dry cleaning.

Annie
  
    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
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  • 8.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-05-2008 08:14 
    From "Michael Magness" <IFixPianos@yahoo.com>

I just ran across the posts from a few days ago about cleaning/washing piano
covers. In the inimitible words of Elmer Fudd be vewwy vewwy careful! I have
2 instances where the covers were washed by well meaning people and they
both faded and shrunk terribly! Hot water is definetly out!
In case number one it was one of the older brown duck covers and it was
filthy from years of being in a school, high school, so the vocal instructor
took it home and washed it in hot water to help get the stains out. It faded
and shrunk to the point that it barely covers the piano and is a light tan
now.
The second case was a newer black duck cover in a hotel setting that had
something spilled on it so they sent it to the in-house laundry, I'm told
it shrunk and faded so badly they won't use it, I haven't seen it since.
I thought to check with Paul Jansen & Son since they manufacture the covers,
their answer is, to NEVER wash or dry clean the covers. Only shake or vacuum
them. Washing and or dry cleaning will loosen the lining from the duck in
addition to the problems I mentioned above.
Hope that helps,
Mike

-- 
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike@ifixpianos.com


  • 9.  piano cover cleaning

    Posted 03-05-2008 08:27 
    From "Annie Grieshop" <annie@allthingspiano.com>

Ah, a definitive answer -- just what I've been waiting for!  Thanks, Mike.

If Jansen says don't do it, then that's exactly what I'll tell the customer.
Shake or vacuum it is.

Thanks again.

Annie
  
    
                                                
    
					
                                                    

        
                                                
				
    
                                                
    
                                                    
                                                        
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