How To Take Care Of Your Clarinet

•Remove the reed after playing and store it in a reed case to dry. Put the rest of the clarinet in a safe place. Don't stand it on end, unless you have a clarinet stand, since it can fall over.
• Use your polishing cloth to wipe fingerprints off the ligature and keywork. Then, carefully place the cloth back in your case. Don't use any kind of metal polish or other substance on your instrument , except for key oil. Key oil makes the keys move more easily.
•Pick up the clarinet and take the mouthpiece off. Drop the swab into the top of the barrel joint. Wait for it to come out the bell and gently pull the swab through the clarinet. You may have to do this several times. Then, fold the swab and store it in your clarinet case.
•Get out some cork grease. Grease the corks by rubbing cork grease on them with your fingers. You don't need to do this EACH time you take your clarinet apart, or even very often, as too much cork grease will weaken the corks and make them prone to breaking apart.
•Place the mouthpiece cap over the mouthpiece, then store the clarinet in its case. Put the case in a safe place.
•Regular polishing, swabbing, dusting, and oiling will make your instrument last longer, but obsessive polishing and dusting will wear down the finish on your keywork.
•Use the pointed end of a tissue to absorb moisture in the mouthpiece, but not from within the window under the reed. You can also do this with a mouthpiece brush, which looks like a giant tooth cleaner. Mouthpiece brushes are also not highly recommended as they slowly alter the inner dimensions of the mouthpiece.
•Always unfold your cleaning swab completely, or it will get stuck in the clarinet.
•If your swab gets stuck, Do Not try to pull it out. Take the clarinet to the nearest music store and get professional help.
•Never run a swab of any kind through your mouthpiece.
•Rotate your reeds! This will make them last much longer and help them play better by giving them a chance to dry out.