Cleaning and Care
Your Recorders are very easy instruments to care for. They have been designed so that anyone can own a recorder and look after it without costing them a lot of money for things such as cleaning materials, repairs, tuning and other maintenance.
Most recorders should come with a carry pouch. A carry pouch will help protect the recorder when you are not using it or whilst you are transporting it around. It stops things from crawling inside of it, breaking or damaging the outside and is also a great way to keep some of your recorder things, such as a cleaning cloth and cleaning rod, all together with your recorder. If you don't have a carry pouch you can easily make your own or can place it in a plastic folder or a dedicated 'recorder bag' if you like.
It is a good idea to wash and clean your recorder. As you play moisture can build up in the recorder and can cause clogs and blockages which make your recorder sound muffled, gluggy or flat (off key).
The easiest way to clean a plastic recorder is to take it apart (as explained in 'The Body' section) and then give it either a rinse or a bath in either cold or warm water. Do NOT use soap, disinfectant or any other cleaning agents. These will leave a thin residue on and in the instrument that is hard to get rid of and may cause the sound of your recorder to change. It can also make your recorder taste funny if you don't rinse things off properly.
Once you have washed your recorder leave it unassembled and allow it to air dry. You can use a clean cloth or tea-towel to dry the outside of your recorder but it will be difficult to dry the inside. Make sure you also give the joining parts of your recorder a good wipe as this is where dirt and moisture can build up and make it difficult to put your recorder back together.
If you have a wooden recorder DO NOT WASH IT IN WATER!!! If you wash a wooden recorder in water it will absorb the water and will eventually turn soft and mouldy. The best thing to do for a wooden recorder is to leave it out in of its carry pouch to allow any moisture build up inside the instrument to dry.
You should give your recorder a bath or a rinse under the tap once every few weeks depending on how often you play your recorder. If you play your recorder every day it is best to give it a clean every 3 to 4 weeks. If you play your recorder only a few times a week you should clean it every 6 weeks. If you only play your recorder once a week well then YOU NEED TO START PLAYING IT MORE!!!
Some people like to carry a cleaning cloth with their recorder as well. A cleaning cloth can be a clean rag, thin tea-towel or other thin piece of material. If you have a cleaning rod in your recorder pack you wrap the cleaning cloth around the rod and then push it through the middle of the recorder to wipe away any moisture build up.
NEVER GLUE YOUR RECORDER TOGETHER! This might seem like a no-brainer but people have been known to glue their recorder together so that it doesn't fall apart. This is a VERY BAD IDEA! If you glue your recorder together you will not be able to take it apart to clean it! Also when it comes to tuning your recorder you wont be able to move the parts around meaning that your recorder will be out of tune.
Most recorders should come with a carry pouch. A carry pouch will help protect the recorder when you are not using it or whilst you are transporting it around. It stops things from crawling inside of it, breaking or damaging the outside and is also a great way to keep some of your recorder things, such as a cleaning cloth and cleaning rod, all together with your recorder. If you don't have a carry pouch you can easily make your own or can place it in a plastic folder or a dedicated 'recorder bag' if you like.
It is a good idea to wash and clean your recorder. As you play moisture can build up in the recorder and can cause clogs and blockages which make your recorder sound muffled, gluggy or flat (off key).
The easiest way to clean a plastic recorder is to take it apart (as explained in 'The Body' section) and then give it either a rinse or a bath in either cold or warm water. Do NOT use soap, disinfectant or any other cleaning agents. These will leave a thin residue on and in the instrument that is hard to get rid of and may cause the sound of your recorder to change. It can also make your recorder taste funny if you don't rinse things off properly.
Once you have washed your recorder leave it unassembled and allow it to air dry. You can use a clean cloth or tea-towel to dry the outside of your recorder but it will be difficult to dry the inside. Make sure you also give the joining parts of your recorder a good wipe as this is where dirt and moisture can build up and make it difficult to put your recorder back together.
If you have a wooden recorder DO NOT WASH IT IN WATER!!! If you wash a wooden recorder in water it will absorb the water and will eventually turn soft and mouldy. The best thing to do for a wooden recorder is to leave it out in of its carry pouch to allow any moisture build up inside the instrument to dry.
You should give your recorder a bath or a rinse under the tap once every few weeks depending on how often you play your recorder. If you play your recorder every day it is best to give it a clean every 3 to 4 weeks. If you play your recorder only a few times a week you should clean it every 6 weeks. If you only play your recorder once a week well then YOU NEED TO START PLAYING IT MORE!!!
Some people like to carry a cleaning cloth with their recorder as well. A cleaning cloth can be a clean rag, thin tea-towel or other thin piece of material. If you have a cleaning rod in your recorder pack you wrap the cleaning cloth around the rod and then push it through the middle of the recorder to wipe away any moisture build up.
NEVER GLUE YOUR RECORDER TOGETHER! This might seem like a no-brainer but people have been known to glue their recorder together so that it doesn't fall apart. This is a VERY BAD IDEA! If you glue your recorder together you will not be able to take it apart to clean it! Also when it comes to tuning your recorder you wont be able to move the parts around meaning that your recorder will be out of tune.