Pianotech

  • 1.  Your cleaning process.

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-08-2021 20:43
    One of the previous threads evolved into excessive medical and political arguments, but it did prompt some important and relevant questions.

    What are your procedures for routine cleaning of piano interiors and keys?  Not major string and soundboard cleaning (unless you do this on every service call), but part of your annual or routine service call and tuning.

    I began carrying a "reusable grocery bag" with a spray bottle of diluted Spic n Span, Swifters and industrial disposable towels.  To stash the used towels I also include a plastic grocery bag which comes in quite handy for other debris like cut wire ends, paperclips and broken piano parts.  I no longer have to hunt through the customer's house for a trash can.

    My personal debate is whether or not to always bring along a vacuum.  Personally, if I drag out the vacuum I want to get paid, but others haul out the vacuum on nearly every job and yes, I see all that accumulated dust between the grand tuning pins.

    I do now believe that we should all be cleaning keys on every service call... just my humble opinion.

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    Blaine Hebert
    Duarte CA
    626-795-5170
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  • 2.  RE: Your cleaning process.

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-08-2021 22:43
    Blaine --

    I always dry dust the soundboard using microfiber dust cloth, sweeping it all over with a spring steel. (grand)
    I always dust the pinblock area using a quality bristle detailing brush. (grand)
    I always clean the keys with a light spray of the approved anti-covid quality of 70% alcohol, and then quickly give them a good wipe down.
    I always check the pedals, and adjust as necessary.

    I always, when possible, polish the fallboard brass using Flitz.
    Tip 1: DON'T polish the brass on a Bösendorfer with their wonderful, but unusual, satin finish. You will ruin the finish, making it shiny, near the brass. DAMHIK.)
    TIP 2: Always polish the fallboard brass before you clean the keys otherwise it will leave a small amount of very fine dust on the keys below, which the customer WILL feel when they sit down to play. 

    When I come across a piano that is too dirty to just brush and dust, I generally want the customer to be somewhat involved. Not to punish them so much as to just let them be aware of how much dirt is actually there and what it involves to get rid of it. I will first ask the customer if they have a dustbuster, or equivalent. Frequently the answer is no but they happily will bring out their regular vacuum. If their vacuum isn't up to the job then "suddenly" I  will remember that I have a small vacuum, (that also blows), in the car and go get it. I've never had a customer who wasn't apologetic about letting it go that long, and then being very grateful that I have taken care of it, since their previous tuner obviously never did.. 

    I almost always, depending on time and effort involved, do all this at no charge. 
    While I always write out this service on my invoice, I always verbally point out these extra efforts so that they are noticed. Not only do I get thanked for the extra work, but I sometimes get a tip that is more than what I might have charged for the extra work. Best of all, I usually become their new tuner.

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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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  • 3.  RE: Your cleaning process.

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-09-2021 12:19
    My billing is based on time, I don't flat rate things except for rebuilding projects and even then there are built in caveats.  If the piano needs cleaning I clean it: under the strings, action cavity, tuning pin area.  If it's really dirty it may take longer and if it takes long enough it will add to the bill.  I carry cleaning products in the tool kit for keys and case.  I have a small portable vacuum in the car which I can easily retrieve if they don't have the appropriate type--most people don't.  I've spent an hour or more cleaning a piano and sometimes it doesn't take any time at all so I wouldn't consider cleaning to be a "no charge" service.  I don't polish brass but if someone wanted me too I suppose I could.  I don't carry that type of product with me and, as you mention, I'd be very careful polishing any inlays on the fallboard as it's easy to change the sheen of the surrounding area.  

    I don't guarantee final fees as it simply depends on what the piano needs but if I'm trying to fit things into a one hour appointment then for most normal appointments (regularly tuned pianos) it only takes about 40 - 45 minutes to tune the piano and remaining time is devoted to whatever is most pressing.  I almost always review the voicing as I'm doing the final unison check (multi-tasking is good), light cleaning, and pedal adjustments, if needed, are pretty routine.

    Lately I am moving more and more toward full service appointments, though the transition is slow.  That means appointments are scheduled for two hours or more when possible and appropriate.  That allows me to do the things mentioned plus check the regulation and make some small adjustments, blow distance, let-off.  If hammers need filing the appointment usually goes to 4 hours as that adds quite a bit of time for not only filing but essential hammer/string mating and voicing.  I haven't quite gotten to Don Manino's 8 hour appointments yet: I'm not sure if I have that kind of attention span and not sure I could sell 8 hour service calls regularly especially with customers who service their pianos 2-3 times a year.  But a 2-4 hour appointment allows one to take care of a lot of things and keep the piano performing well especially if the piano is serviced regularly.  

    My general preference is that the piano is serviced at the level where you don't really wait for things to go noticeably out but rather stay ahead of things as much as possible.  Certainly with concert instruments you have to do that.  But with serious home players it's a good idea to do that too.  If what the piano needs requires more time than I've allotted I simply schedule a follow up.  Fortunately I live in an urban area and so access for follow up is easy.  If I lived in a rural environment where I had to drive an hour to each appointment I'd probably approach things differently and increase my mandatory basic appointment time (and fee).  

    In general how you leave the piano reflects on the quality of your work regardless of what the customer is or isn't willing to pay for or have done.  If someone comes to play that piano after you've worked on it and doesn't know anything about what the customer was or wasn't willing to have done may well reflect on you as you are the one who serviced it.  So I don't like to leave pianos in a state I'm not satisfied with.  The particulars of any given piano or customer sometimes limits what you can do but often those are pianos that I avoid.  

    Sorry, I got a little beyond cleaning but it's all part of the whole.

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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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  • 4.  RE: Your cleaning process.

    Posted 04-09-2021 12:29
    Hi, David,

    Spot on...a good outline of my own policies and procedures.

    Kind regards.

    Horace





      Original Message




  • 5.  RE: Your cleaning process.

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-10-2021 09:17
    Thanks David, You said it all.  A very excellent post.

    David Weiss

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    David Weiss
    Charlottesville VA
    434-823-9733
    davidweisspiano@gmail.com
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  • 6.  RE: Your cleaning process.

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 04-11-2021 08:13
    Thank You!  This discussion has merit and is beneficial for all technicians.

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    "PTG - Expand your Horizon. Share the Vision"
    "Promoting Quality Service for the World's Pianos"
    "Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest. 'Til the good is better, and the better best."

    George W.R. "Bill Davis", RPT, SERVP
    2315 Rocky Mountain Rd NE
    Marietta GA 30066-2113
    CP: 770-778-6881
    bill@pianoplace.net
    www.pianoplace.net
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  • 7.  RE: Your cleaning process.

    Posted 04-12-2021 09:55
    This is a really great question for myself (a new piano tuner still in training). I find that the line between a regular/routine cleaning Job and a paid deep cleaning job is quite thin. What are some lines that each of you set to separate clearly for the customer "this is free," but "If I do that, it will cost more."?

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    Josiah Jackson
    Fruitport MI
    231-670-5383
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