If you are learning to play the flute, you will also need to know how to clean it. Every time you play it, a certain amount of moisture travels into the tube which seeps onto the flute pads each time the keys are pressed, so it is important to regularly clean the instrument otherwise it can result it the keys not returning properly and remaining stuck down because the pads have got too sticky.
How To Clean Your Flute Head, Body and Foot Joints
When you have finished practising, take the flute apart so it is in three sections. Get the cleaning rod and wrap a soft cloth or hankie around it making sure to cover the top part of the rod so it does not scratch the inside of your flute. Start with the head joint and insert the covered cleaning rod into it twisting gently round using an up and down movement.
When you have finished cleaning the head joint put it back into it's case before moving to the flute body. Use the covered cleaning rod in each end of the body with the same gentle twisting action and up and down movement. Keep this piece out of the flute box until you have cleaned the foot joint in the same fashion.
How To Clean Your Flute Pads
Now you can learn how to clean your flute pads on the flute body and foot joint. You can buy special flute papers from a music shop but the Rizla smokers papers are quite suitable doing the same job and they cost a lot less! Pull out a Rizla paper and fold it into three folds making sure that the gummed area is tucked in. Now get the flute body and slide the paper within a key, gently depress the flute key onto the paper.
Keep using slow tapping movements of each key onto the paper as you gently move the paper along. Never slide the paper while having a key key pressed down, this could result in you dislodging your flute pad which will effect the sound and will be expensive to repad! Make sure you tap the excess moisture from each key onto the paper.
If you have only been playing for around thirty minutes, there might not be much moisture though you will hear a squelchy sound. The sound tells you there is still moisture in the pad. Keep pressing each pad onto the paper without sliding the paper to remove the squelchy sound. Remember, depress key onto paper, release key, move paper along and keep repeating for each individual key.
If you have been playing for a long continuous duration you will see the moisture leak out of the flute when it is held upright and the pads will be quite wet so you will need to use more papers. The papers are so fine they will rip easily, that is why it is also better to use a flute stand because if the flute contains a lot of moisture and you place your flute down horizontally, it will seep even more moisture into the pads.
