One of the many concerns of a piano owner who purchases a piano is to keep the piano “looking good.”  When you look for a piano for the first time, before you even walk out the door, you need to do one thing—find a location away from heater vents or air conditioning ducts and direct sunlight. It is best to find a spot (if possible) on an inside wall and then, unless your space is more than large enough to hold your piano, the next item is to measure the space you are planning to locate your piano.  In this way, you will have a clear idea of what size and what type of piano to look for. Of course, your economic situation is a consideration as well.

When you find the piano you want and know that it is going to fit, once it is in place, you need to make sure of several things to protect the finish:

• Keep the piano clean by dusting regularly
• If it is a polyester finish (mirror-like look), you can use a non-ammonia type glass cleaner by spraying a small amount on a small soft cloth or soft paper towel, then follow up with a dry cloth to clean off any residue. Another solution is a slightly damp soft towel or paper cloth, and if there are finger prints, a very small amount of mild dish soap will suffice.  Don’t forget to wipe and dry with a clean cloth or soft paper towel until there is no residue left.
• If the piano is a wood finish, one of the things you need to do besides dusting the piano is to make sure the finish does not dry out.

Finishes that are not polyester will tend to show more age by drying out and then cracking (or alligator look) damage.  This looks like skin from an alligator and destroys the look of the finish.  To prevent this problem, your room air must contain adequate amounts of humidity (averaging 42% year round for the piano) in the heating season. And for the climates that are more dry than humid, such as the American southwest, a method of control is equally important.  The best way is to utilize the Dampp-Chaser Piano Life Saver System*. If the investment is too much at first, you must supply some humidity near the piano so the heat in the location does not dry out the parts causing many types of damage. Some folks have found a container of water below the piano is of some help, but of course, it cannot adjust humidity when required. Others who have used room humidifiers have had some success, but again, unless you are willing to invest nearly as much as a Dampp-Chaser System, may be more costly, and not get the best results. The absolute best way is the Dampp-Chaser system. Don’t forget, the piano is “furniture” and as such, will react much like any other wood pieces in your home.  There  are other non-wood parts (wool, felt, steel, leather, rubber, silk, strings and glue) that are all affected by dryness. Some of these effects will lead to major repair bills, which could have been prevented from the beginning.

The finish should also have some moisture-preserving chemicals applied periodically, such as lemon oil, orange oil or a polish/dust remover that can clean and keep the finish moisturized sufficiently to prevent the finish damage that will occur if the opportunity is there. Products that can help are found in places like hardware stores, large specialty stores such as Home Depot or Lowe’s, supermarkets, and many other places that offer furniture care products.  It is also good to keep soft, lint-free cloths available, or very soft paper towel (not the inexpensive brands that can scratch the finish).

Keeping the finish looking new is important for the looks of the piano, and it does help the appearance stay fresh longer. Thanks for stopping by.

* Please refer to the Dampp-Chaser section on the main site at the Products page.  We also supply and install these systems, and have done many installations with wonderful results and happy customers.