Keeping It Clean - Part II

Grey microfiber cloth inside case cover of a new Powell flute

We recently had a customer ask about how one should go about cleaning their microfiber cloths, and in an earlier post, we discussed a few options.  Follow this link to read that post, titled "Keeping It Clean."

However, in addition to the cleaning methods we discussed before, we've discovered yet another helpful product specifically for cleaning microfiber cloths: MicroRestore Microfiber Detergent.  Powell's Repair Technician, Rachel Baker, shared this one with us.  Although she ran across the product in car detailing shops, she said that you can purchase it online now, too.  The product description from www.microfibertech.com reads as follows:

Micro-Restore is an optimized blend of chelating agents, surfactants, and builders in an aqueous system. It provides excellent cleaning performance to effectively remove stubborn soils and oily residue from microfiber, cotton and chamois material. Micro-Restore emulsifies dirty motor oil, greasy soils, car wax and protein stains, and suspends them for complete removal in the rinse cycle. Restores like new performance through several hundred cleanings.

Why is Micro-Restore better than your common household detergent? Micro-Restore is better than your common household detergent because most detergents and laundry soaps have some form of bleach and fabric softener included in their formulas (even when they say they don't there are small traces). Over time bleach breaks down the micro-fibers, and fabric softeners clog the microscopic pours that make microfiber so effective, rendering the microfiber product less effective with each washing.

Not only will Micro-Restore extend the life of your microfiber, but it's special blend of chelating agents, surfactants, and builders will more effectively remove the heavy residue (wax, oil, grease, break dust, and other chemicals) that becomes implanted in microfiber products when used in heavy cleaning situations (car care).

Directions: Add 2 ounces to standard size (8 gallon) loads. For larger loads or heavily soiled laundry, add 3-6 ounces. As a prespotter: dilute 1 part concentrate with 3 parts water. Apply to stain and launder as usual.

It is available through many sites online, including the MicrofiberTech website, Amazon, Detailer's Domain, Detailed Image, and AutoGeek.net.

Cleaning the Riser

A customer came to us recently expressing concern over her headjoint. She felt that it just was not playing the way it used to, and her sound was "spreading"and unfocused.  We took a look at her headjoint, and a very usual culprit emerged -- a dirty riser.

Risers can accumulate build-up of all sorts of particles from the air you put into the flute.  Remember, your air stream has microscopic particles from what you eat and drink, so it should be a rule of thumb to brush your teeth before you play. However, it's not just what is inside your mouth that can create residue -- it's also what is outside.  Do you like to wear lipstick when you play?  Lipgloss?  It looks very nice, but it's not so nice to your flute.  In fact, the customer who had fallen out of love with her headjoint and felt that it was no longer focusing her sound had a buildup of lipstick on the riser. Once it was cleaned, there was a huge, very noticeable difference. But, alas, it's not just the ladies who should heed these words of caution. Gentlemen, if you wear chapstick or lip balm and then play your flute, these products can create a residue on the riser as well.  So, both men and women should wipe off their lips before playing -- make sure they are clean so that you are not blowing these products into your flute (and onto your riser!).

Our customer service manager tells us that even if you have completely clean lips when you play, everyone breathes -- and everyone has to eat. Brushing your teeth and cleaning your lips are helpful preventative measures, but you should still clean your riser regularly.  How often should you do this? Every week or so?  Well, it actually depends on how much you play.  If you are playing a lot, you may need to clean it more often. Just take a look at it -- visually inspect it, and use a magnifying lens (or the zoom feature on your camera) to see how it looks.  This can also help you pinpoint areas that really need to be cleaned.

So, how do you clean it?  It's quite simple.  You just need a Q-tip and some alcohol.  Dip the Q-tip into the alcohol and gently swipe it around the riser.  Try to get under it as much (and as carefully) as possible.  You can also use water on a Q-tip to clean the riser.  Whatever you choose, just make sure that you never clean the riser with anything sharp that could scratch it. We're guessing everyone has some Q-tips and rubbing alcohol at home, and if you don't, they are both very inexpensive and easy to find. And remember, if you find yourself having difficulty getting notes to speak or feel that your headjoint is just not cutting it for you anymore, try cleaning the riser...

Close-up on residue.

The thick black line you see is residue!

A clean riser. 

Cleaning it is easy -- Q-tip and alcohol.

Gently swiping Q-tip around riser -- carefully getting underneath.

Large Q-tips work really well!

A "Hole" Lot Cleaner

We're all pretty diligent about keeping our flutes clean -- swabbing them out, wiping them down...  But there are some other areas of the flute that can get pretty grimey.  You may not have thought about these areas, so we wanted to share!

The embouchure hole and the holes in the French key cups can accumulate some "grime" just from day-to-day playing.  There is a simple way to get these areas clean, though.  All you need is a Q-tip for the key cups and a Q-tip plus alcohol for the embouchure hole.  You don't want to put alcohol on the keys or body of the flute, because it will eventually break down the "tarnish shield" coating on the flutes.  Since we wipe our lip plates with alcohol to clean them, it's perfectly okay to use alcohol on the inside of the embouchure hole and the lip plate (but not on the rest of the headjoint -- just like the body).

So, for the embouchure hole, you just take a Q-tip, dip it in alcohol, and wipe it around the inside of the hole.  You'll want to make sure to get under the "undercutting" around the bottom of the hole as well.  For the keys, you want to take a dry Q-tip and wipe it around the inside of the hole.  Don't worry -- a dry Q-tip is plenty effective in cleaning these areas.  You'll also want to hold the cups down while you clean the inside.  How far should the Q-tip go?  Well, in both cases (keys and embouchure hole), you'll just use a bit of the Q-tip.  You don't want to push the Q-tip down to the bore in either case, because then the tip of the Q-tip will be too far down, and you won't be wiping the inside of these holes. 

That's all it takes, really.  How often should you do this?  Well, it all depends on the player.  Keep an eye out -- you'll see if your embouchure hole and French key cups start to get "grimey."  Some players will need to do this frequently, and others not so much.  Take a look at the photos below.  You'll see what to look for and how to clean these spots!

Dipping the Q-tip in alcohol.

Wiping the inside of the embouchure hole.

You'll want to make sure to go all the way around.

Almost done.

Make sure to wipe the undercutting.

You can clean all types of headjoints.  We found a 14K and circled some grimey spots.

For the key cups, remember to use a dry Q-tip (no alcohol) and hold the key cups down.

Wiping around the inside.

Close-up.

Green ring on the Q-tip is what came from cleaning the hole!

Arrows point to green "grime" inside the holes.  This is how you can tell these key cups need to be cleaned inside!