Greetings new piano owner and welcome to our growing family of satisfied customers:

 

Throughout the many years Pianos Plus in Castro Valley has been in business, several questions have been asked regarding the care and maintenance of newly purchased pianos. Your new piano is an amazing blend of many diverse and costly materials: top quality woods, iron, steel, brass, leather, wool, etc. all carefully integrated and crafted into a fine musical instrument rich in tone as well as beauty that should last you a lifetime with just a minimal amount of care.

 

The care of your new piano is pretty straight forward; tuning and cleaning is all that you should ever have to do.  Check out  our blog often as we will be updating these questions and answers periodically.

Q:       Should I have my new/used piano tuned right away after it was brought into my  home?

A:        No!  Pianos that have been “trucked” a distance need time to settle down, therefore, we recommend waiting at              least (6) weeks before tuning.

Q:        I want to move my piano from one room to another, should I call a piano moving  service for this                  and should I have it tuned afterwards?

A:        Moving a piano from one room to another is not a difficult job assuming it’s not a grand  piano. If it is a grand                piano, we highly recommend hiring a competent piano mover for this service.  In regards to having it tuned after             this short move, this is not necessary unless of course the piano was out of tune before the move.

Q:        Now that I have my new/used piano, how often should I have it tuned?

 

A:        We recommend tuning your new piano twice per year.

 

Q:        What is the best location in my home for my new piano?

 

A:       Where you keep your piano is very important… Because your piano is sensitive to  humidity and changes in                temperatures, it should not be placed near air vents, fireplaces  or other sources of heat, nor should it stand                next to or in front of a window.

 

Q:     Should I be concerned about from temperature, what should I keep my thermostat set to?

 

A:     Your piano is just like you, if you are uncomfortable, so is your piano.

 

Q:     How do I clean my new piano?

 

A:   On polyester high gloss finishes, we recommend an anti-static cleaner like “Brillianize”.You may achieve                     satisfactory results by diluting Windex at a 50/50 solution with water and a soft cloth, turning frequently.                       (NEVER SPRAY THE PIANO, ALWAYS SPRAY THE CLOTH).

New satin “matte” finishes are maintained by using a Guardsman furniture polish. NEVER use furniture wax or silicone bases polishes on his finish as it will spot and appear very uneven.

Wood finished pianos are treated the same as you would treat your other fine wood furniture. Use only high quality furniture and polishes that contain no silicone.

To clean the keys we recommend keeping a fine hair “2″ brush and periodically brush the keys starting at the back and brushing towards you.To clean soiled  keys, use a damp (almost dry) soft cloth with a diluted dish washing liquid soap solution. Always wipe the keys back to front, never side to side. Dry  immediately as you go to assure not moisture finds its way between the keys.

The interior of the piano especially grand pianos under the strings can become dusty over a period of time. This cleaning should be done by a qualified piano technician, when making an appointment  to have your piano tuned,be sure to mention that you would like to have this cleaning done as well. It is usually not included in the tuning price.