Flute Cleaning and Maintenance Tools You Should Own
All too often, beginner flute players turn to intermediate players and even advanced players without the basic knowledge and tools on hand to adequately clean, disinfect, and do basic maintenance or repairs to their flutes when needed. Now, keep in mind that extensive repairs should only be done by someone properly trained in the field, and even if you have some basic knowledge, you should tread lightly in the way of playing with springs and screws that you don’t know much about. Caring for your flute can be simple enough, but making a repair error can cost you unnecessary time and money, so tread lightly when it comes to making repairs.
That said, there are some basic tools you should have in order to care for your flute, prevent long-term issues, and perform basic repairs when something goes wrong. Here’s are my favorites:
A Solid Cleaning Rod and Pad Saver
Every flute needs to be cleaned after every time you play. Period. There are no exceptions to this rule. Your flute needs to be wiped clean of all the condensation (aka saliva) and put away. There are a few fan favorites that you should consider owning:
Pad Saver - this handy little gadget isn’t designed to clean your flute, but rather to protect your pads from any residual moisture after you put it in the case. You’ll notice there’s a neat little sponge at the end that does a great job of soaking up and pushing out any residual moisture after you’ve wiped your flute out when you put it away. This is a must for both flute and piccolo.
Valentino Flute Wand - this is my absolute favorite cleaning rod. It wipes your flute clean with one swift motion and soaks up all moisture before you put it away. You can even purchase the extension which is ideal for band or orchestra where you need to run a quick swipe through your instrument without pulling it apart. This is a fantastic piece to add to your collection, along with the piccolo wand.
A Spring Hook and a Screwdriver
A spring hook is a super handy tool to have. We’ve all been there - the panic moment when a spring pops out of place (particularly on those pesky beginner flutes) and our fingers just aren’t small enough to put it back in place. So, in order to do that without potentially damaging your flute or your hand, a spring hook is your best bet. You’ll also want a tiny flathead screwdriver (usually ones revolving around eyeglasses work well) to keep around in case you have the classic issue of screws backing out (which, cough cough, should be a good indicator that it’s time for a clean/oil/adjust).
Spring Hook - this is an inexpensive, but great tool to have in your flute case for emergencies. There are tons of options just like this one, but this is great because the handle is made of steel, so you don’t have to worry about it breaking inside of your case or while you’re working with it.
Screwdriver - this screwdriver set is super easy to slip inside of your flute bag in case of emergencies. It has the right sizes for your flute, plus a couple of extras in case you have an eyeglasses emergency.
Anti-Tarnish Strips and Silver Polish
Keeping your flute looking beautiful is definitely important, especially if your perform or teach, so let’s do some preventative care AND some tarnish removal by having anti-tarnish strips in your flute case at all times and keeping some silver polish on hand.
Anti-Tarnish Strips - I use these in all of my flute cases. These keep my flutes looking nice and clean and help prevent later maintenance. It also helps to make sure you’re getting a COA done as often as prescribed (typically every year to 18 months).
Silver Polish - I really like the Music Nomad silver polish because it’s a pretty mild polish. It will remove tarnish and oxidation without removing plating. Keep in mind that you should never, ever use this polish near keys. It’s only to be used on the head joint so that there’s no chance of it coming into contact with the pads. And NEVER use a silver polishing cloth. They’re simply too abrasive and will damage the finish on your flute.
Final Thoughts
Have a good flute wand and pad saver that you use ever time you play.
Keep a spring hook and screwdriver on hand.
Don’t do any repairs you’re not completely confident in yourself to do on your primary instrument.
Keep anti-tarnish strips in your case.
Use a mild silver polish on your head joint only, NOT on the body or around the keys.
Don’t EVER use a silver polishing cloth.
Don’t try to Dremel polish your own flute - you’ll regret it. Leave it to the pros.
Keep in mind that if you want to delve deeper into being a flute tech, there are tons of resources out there to do so (we can talk more about that later) but be careful about how much you start twisting and turning on screws and springs without much knowledge. It’s also good to have a backup flute to tinker with when you’re learning to do repairs (such as my old Emerson that desperately needed an overhaul - I’ve been using it to learn flute repair) and never do any work on your main instrument unless you’re completely confident and qualified to do so. It can be tricky and expensive to fix a mangled flute. Proceed with caution. That said, all of the above things are important to have on hand as a flutist and will save you in a bind and help with preventative maintenance.
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