Cleaning your trumpet. This is probably something that no one really wants to do when they get home from a long day of school or work, or when you have plenty of time left in the weekend to be doing other things that you may really wish to do. With this being said, cleaning your trumpet is still a crucial part in keeping your instrument in its best playable condition, and it is also key in order to sound your best. You can clean your trumpet in a few simple and easy to follow steps.
Step 1: The first step of cleaning your trumpet is to first fill up your bathtub with lukewarm water. Once this is done, it is essential that you lay a towel on the bottom of the tub in order to prevent scratching, or even denting of the trumpet.
Step 2: Disassemble all of the parts of your trumpet, and lay them all onto a separate washcloth or towel to keep them organized. While your are cleaning your trumpet, you want to be sure that you do not lose any necessary parts for the trumpet.
Step 3: Once everything on your trumpet is removed, place the trumpet in the bathtub on the top of the towel for about 10 minutes in order for the warm water to break up any pieces of unwanted material that may reside in your trumpet. Once you have waited approximately 10 minutes, simply take your snake brush and slide and scrub it through your trumpet, and continuously brush the inside of the tubing until your trumpet looks fairly clean. Once you have done this, remove the trumpet from the tub, and set it aside on another towel or soft surface, and allow enough time for the remaining water on the surface of the trumpet to dissipate.
Step 4: Once you have set your trumpet aside to dry, submerge all trumpet slides and value caps into the water, and allow them to remain in the tub for approximately 5 minutes. Once you have waited about 5 minutes, take your snake brush, and scrub the insides of the tubes until you feel they are clean. Now that you have cleaned all of the slides for the trumpet, set them aside on a separate towel or washcloth and use the same procedure you used for drying the trumpet. After you have removed the valve caps from the water, it is recommended that you use a Q-Tip, and scrub the insides of the valve caps in order to remove any left over “gunk” that may remain.
Step 5: Once you have set your trumpet slides and valve caps to dry, it is time to clean the valves themselves. Note, that when you do this, it is crucial that you do not submerge the entire valve. Be sure to dip only the nickel/steel part of the valve into the water. Hold the valve in the water for a minute or two, clean the insides of the valves with Q-Tips or a valve cleaning brush, and set them aside using the same procedure you used to dry the trumpet and is slides.
Step 6: Once you have properly cleaned all parts of your trumpet, now you must re-assemble all parts of the trumpet. First, you must grease all of the trumpet slides. Second, you must oil all of the valves. Now, you must put all of the parts back into your trumpet, just like how they were before you began the cleansing process.
Step 7: Once all of the parts of your trumpet are assembled and dried, you now must polish the trumpet in order to prevent any possible rusting, and to give your trumpet that brand new look again that everyone loves to see. I recommend the Selmer polishing cloth; however, any polishing cloth intended for silver instruments will work great. If you’re having trouble locating one, simply consult your local music store. For silver instruments, be sure to use a silver plated polishing cloth. For brass instruments, use a brass plated polishing cloth.
Step 8: Congratulations! You have successfully cleaned your trumpet, and now you will be able to play it, knowing that its playing at its best.
Once again, cleaning your trumpet every 3 months is essential. It is necessary for proper tone, and for the long-term durability of the trumpet.
