How do you clean an old piano? It is a baby grand, a Hamilton, that is around 90 years old.?

Question

Still has orginal finish, and hasn't been dusted or cleaned in a loooong time.

Answer 1

You'll need a professional piano tuner to get it brought back on pitch...but you can certainly dust it with soft cloths and then, very carefully lift up lid & prop open--most grands have a built-in prop inside the lid for that purpose--and then without jamming or clunking the strings or felts, use the smallest nozzle you've got on the vacuum and whoop up all the fuzzy bits inside...if it's been closed mostly, there won't be much. Follow that with a wipe-down [soft cloth, right?] inside the lid and the interior wood, and wipe down the metal plate around the stringed area. Do NOT try to get in behind the strings to do any cleaning...a piano-tuner has the right equipment to furbish that area up without damaging anything. Good furniture polish [LiquidGold spray] made for fine furniture will do fine on the outside...but just use a soft cloth inside the lid, no chemicals in there please! If you know for sure the piano is that old, the keys may be faced with real ivory...which can be cleaned with balls of cotton squeezed out [no drips!] in rubbing alcohol...this removes finger-grease and yellowing. Finish the keys by more soft-cloth action.

Answer 2

How Should I Clean the Finish?

Don't use waxes, furniture polishes, oils or dust cleaners, unless one is recommended by your technician. Some oils, especially silicone, cannot be removed when put on a finish. Others can darken the wood or damage the finish.

On most new pianos you can use some soft cloth (such as cheese cloth or a cotton diaper). Take two pieces of the cloth, put a little tap water on one, just enough to lightly moisten it, and leave the other dry. Clean the piano with one stroke of the wet cloth, then wipe it dry with the dry cloth. This works especially well for the high gloss finishes. You may also use a little diluted glass cleaner on the cloth if the piano becomes especially dirty. Just make sure you use glass cleaner without ammonia.

To clean the keys, use the same procedure as above. Avoid spraying water or glass cleaner directly on the keys, as moisture may get in between the keys causing warping and sticking problems.

For yellowed ivory keys, consult your technician.

For inside the piano it usually best to let your technician do the cleaning, for an inexperienced person may do minor damage. However, if you insist and your technician agrees, you may do some interior cleaning.

To clean the inside of verticals, open up the bottom board and the top lid and vacuum, being careful not to touch the strings or suck up any parts which may have broken and fallen from the action. If you find a part and are in doubt - save it for your technician. You may dust with a moist cloth, again being careful not to touch the strings, as moisture will cause them to rust.

For Grands, your technician has a special method to clean underneath the strings and it is best to consult him for a thorough cleaning. You can, however, blow the soundboard area out with the exhaust end of a vacuum cleaner from time to time, but be prepared for a large dust cloud. Be careful to avoid touching the strings with moisture or your hands, since moisture and the oil from your hands causes rust.

or

Here are some tips for regular cleaning to keep your piano keys looking their best.

Always begin cleaning with the gentlest method, and gradually use more invasive techniques, as required. Due to ivory's sensitivity to moisture, only dry cleaning methods should be used. If these are insufficient, consult a conservator with experience cleaning ivory. You must always be careful that you are not trying to remove original surface coats, pigments or patinas! Also, because ivory so readily absorbs oils and stains, wear a pair of white cotton gloves.

1. Soft Brush. Using a clean, soft paintbrush or duster, remove dust from the keys. Work slowly towards the edge.

2. Powdered Eraser. Grate white vinyl eraser, using a zester. It MUST be white vinyl eraser! Gently rub the grated eraser on the ivory, using either the soft brush or your fingertip while wearing the white cotton gloves. Be certain to gently brush away all of the eraser bits when you are done.

3. White Vinyl Eraser. Gently use a white vinyl eraser (un-grated) over the surface of the ivory. Be careful not to apply too much pressure, and to work only one key at a time.

4. Groomstik. Groomstik is a natural rubber product, which is sticky. It pulls the dirt off of the surface of the ivory. It is available through museum supply houses -- check with your local museum. Using a small piece of Groomstik, gently roll it across the surface of the keys. Be careful not to pull off any small or loose pieces of ivory, or of pigment, etc.

If these cleaning methods do not work, again, contact a conservator experienced in working with ivory.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do you clean an old piano? It is a baby grand, a Hamilton, that is around 90 years old.?
Still has orginal finish, and hasn't been dusted or cleaned in a loooong time.

Answer 4

keep orginal finsish. nd get some piano cleaning suppliment. it came with mine. its a spray[prabably for sale online], get some nylon cloth nd squeeze it clean. also u should tighen ur piano keys. prabably messed up. now go nd bring that piano back to life! =D

Answer 5

A good wipe with a damp cloth on the case, followed by a layer of good furniture polish.

As to the keys - leave them to the experts, especially given its age. Would be a shame to ruin it.

Answer 6

well you can first get a damp cloth to gently remove dust and other easily removable thing
to five it a glossy clean look you can use a wood cleaner (if its made from wood) or a alternate cleaner made for plastic/ pllatic like surfaces

Answer 7

Check out these sites they might help you.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Have a pro come and do it.. I wouldn't trust doing it yourself..