Pianotech

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 3:54:00 PM
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 4:10:00 PM
From: Wim Blees
Subject: RE: Cleaning an upright piano

When you say inside, are your talking about the bottom of the piano where the pedals are, or underneath the keys?

For the bottom, it's a matter of getting down on your knees and vacuuming out what you can, and/or taking a rag to mop up any dust that remains. For under the keys, all you have to do is remove them and vacuum up the dust and debris, making sure you don't suck up the punchings. 

I do both mostly when I'm also fixing the action. But I know some techs do this as a routine every time they tune the piano. Personally that's over kill, but to each their own. 

Wim

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 3:54:00 PM
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

I have worked with a mover when a piano is delivered, I met him at the home with an air compressor, and blow the insides clean. 

------------------------------
Les Koltvedt
Marietta GA
lkpianos@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2025 16:09
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

When you say inside, are your talking about the bottom of the piano where the pedals are, or underneath the keys?

For the bottom, it's a matter of getting down on your knees and vacuuming out what you can, and/or taking a rag to mop up any dust that remains. For under the keys, all you have to do is remove them and vacuum up the dust and debris, making sure you don't suck up the punchings. 

I do both mostly when I'm also fixing the action. But I know some techs do this as a routine every time they tune the piano. Personally that's over kill, but to each their own. 

Wim

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 3:54:00 PM
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

This is done before moving the piano into the home. Uprights get the backside and bottom area blown out, grands get the underside cleaned out. This is really just a general cleaning of the instrument before bringing into the home. Anything deeper requires additional work. For both grands and uprights, keys are removed vacuumed and actions are taken out doors and gently blown out.


Les Koltvedt
(404) 631-7177
LKPianos.com


Original Message:
Sent: 6/15/2025 8:05:00 AM
From: Leslie Koltvedt
Subject: RE: Cleaning an upright piano

I have worked with a mover when a piano is delivered, I met him at the home with an air compressor, and blow the insides clean. 

------------------------------
Les Koltvedt
Marietta GA
lkpianos@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2025 16:09
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

When you say inside, are your talking about the bottom of the piano where the pedals are, or underneath the keys?

For the bottom, it's a matter of getting down on your knees and vacuuming out what you can, and/or taking a rag to mop up any dust that remains. For under the keys, all you have to do is remove them and vacuum up the dust and debris, making sure you don't suck up the punchings. 

I do both mostly when I'm also fixing the action. But I know some techs do this as a routine every time they tune the piano. Personally that's over kill, but to each their own. 

Wim

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 3:54:00 PM
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

Original Message:
Sent: 6/16/2025 9:48:00 AM
From: Leslie Koltvedt
Subject: RE: Cleaning an upright piano

This is done before moving the piano into the home. Uprights get the backside and bottom area blown out, grands get the underside cleaned out. This is really just a general cleaning of the instrument before bringing into the home. Anything deeper requires additional work. For both grands and uprights, keys are removed vacuumed and actions are taken out doors and gently blown out.


Les Koltvedt
(404) 631-7177
LKPianos.com


Original Message:
Sent: 6/15/2025 8:05:00 AM
From: Leslie Koltvedt
Subject: RE: Cleaning an upright piano

I have worked with a mover when a piano is delivered, I met him at the home with an air compressor, and blow the insides clean. 

------------------------------
Les Koltvedt
Marietta GA
lkpianos@gmail.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2025 16:09
From: Wim Blees
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

When you say inside, are your talking about the bottom of the piano where the pedals are, or underneath the keys?

For the bottom, it's a matter of getting down on your knees and vacuuming out what you can, and/or taking a rag to mop up any dust that remains. For under the keys, all you have to do is remove them and vacuum up the dust and debris, making sure you don't suck up the punchings. 

I do both mostly when I'm also fixing the action. But I know some techs do this as a routine every time they tune the piano. Personally that's over kill, but to each their own. 

Wim

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 3:54:00 PM
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

Vacuuming is certainly the best way to clean up a piano, but I don't want to bring my vacuum out for every service call, if I do I want to get paid. I use Swiffers and dust out the keys and action and perhaps the pedal area on every service call. If I am doing a thorough cleaning with a vacuum I might remove the keys and vacuum out the keyboard area. I also clean the keys (with Spick-n-Span) every service, a year of regular use leaves a surprising amount of hand grime, especially on the sides of the sharps.

On grands I Swiffer off the plate and accessible parts of the soundboard and clean the keys.

------------------------------
Blaine Hebert RPT
Duarte CA
(626) 390-0512
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2025 15:54
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

Original Message:
Sent: 6/14/2025 3:54:00 PM
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan 

Dylan,

Thank you for your question. One of my students recently showed me a hair-dryer sized vac that can also blow out dust. The brand name is Saker. It can hold a 15 - 20 minute charge. It charges via USB-C. I use the blower to get the dust in the webbing, in the action, under the plate and the strings. I blow it towards a corner in the bottom of the piano where I can vacuum it up. I use a painter's brush with long bristles (10 cm/8 in or longer) to sweep up in the webbing, around the keys, bridges, and pedal work. I found another brand (Piwosa) that has a slightly better battery life and more power. Because it is small, I take my blower/vac to most jobs.

------------------------------
Maria Pollock RPT
(773) 307-5207
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2025 15:54
From: Dylan Johnson
Subject: Cleaning an upright piano

Hi all 

What's the best way to clean dust buildup from inside an upright piano ? Any tips / special tools for this ? How often should this be done in a dusty environment ? 

Thanks 

Dylan