Trumpet Care for Musicians

Introduction

Brass musical instruments are continually subjected to the aerosols in the musician's
breath. Over time this debris will build up inside the instrument until its performance is 
degraded. Valve action in particular is drastically effected when those aerosols attach 
themselves to the piston and valve casing. Human saliva is also damaging to these 
instruments. The salts and enzymes present in saliva promote Monel valve staining, attack 
internal solder joints, and cause dezinicification (red rot) in the crooks of the slides. 
On the outside of the instruments, sweat from the hands also causes dezinicification. 
Therefore, to ensure that the instrument performs properly and to retard corrosion, it is 
necessary to not only clean it regularly, but in an effective way. The following method of 
maintenance will ensure that the instrument can perform at its utmost. Although there are 
many techniques in use, this method is based on soapy water, a little effort, and a lot of 
common sense.

Cleaning Equipment

To clean inside the instrument you should use a quality snake which has a protective 
coating covering its length. The snakes' bristles should be moderately stiff, but the ends 
should not have exposed metal tips. Wire brushes may get the task done quickly, but the 
added risk of scratching the instrument does not justify their use. The concern is that 
their routine use might scratch the instrument's interior enough to provide a better 
surface for mold to anchor between washings. Moreover, a weakened wall on an old instrument 
can be easily perforated. We therefore prefer to rely on the proven power of soapy water to 
loosen the debris followed by a thorough, but gentle, brushing to remove the debris. To 
clean the valve casings you should use a valve casing brush that is soft enough to avoid 
marring the casing wall. Do not use scouring pads, metal brushes or any abrasives. The 
mouthpiece is cleaned with a mouthpiece brush, but a cotton or foam swab works well inside 
the cup.

As for the soap, Lemon Joy works best, but Palmolive liquid dish soap can also be used. DO 
NOT use toothpaste, abrasive soaps, Brasso, Tarnex, chemicals or any soaps that make the 
water turn milky. Do not use soaps that leave behind an odor, or claim to contain a skin 
softening lotion.  Cleaners such as Fantastic, Pinesol, Mr. Clean and Citrus cleaners are 
powerful cleaners, but they contain solvents that might soften and blush some lacquer 
finishes. Some are also alkaline enough to increase any red rot already forming on the 
instrument.  We have heard that some people use alcohol (rubbing alcohol or even vodka) to 
clean the piston.  Not a bad idea.  

Procedure

Begin by removing all of the slides. Use soft paper toweling to remove all traces of tuning 
slide grease from the slides and the instrument. A little grease goes a long way in slowing 
down your valves, and this step will keep grease from transferring to the valves and casing 
during cleaning.  Silicone based slide grease is uniquely tough to remove. If you have a
silicone based slide grease on your slides, remove it with a paper towel saturated in 
mineral spirits. Place the slides somewhere safe for until the soapy water is ready.

The valves are also best cleaned separately. First, soak them in individual plastic cups 
containing enough lukewarm soapy water to just cover the top of the piston, but not the 
felts. Use your snake to gently clean the ports of each piston, and a soft soapy wash 
cloth to clean the outside of each piston. Again, let the soaking do most of the cleaning.

The most effective technique for cleaning the rest of the instrument is to work in a bathtub 
or large basin. Obviously do not use an automatic dishwasher; it will not clean the 
instrument interior and it will permanently damage your instrument. Fill the tub with 
lukewarm water (not hot) and mix in a healthy amount (about a tablespoon) of the liquid 
dish soap.

Place a large cloth towel in the bottom of your tub or basin to help prevent scratching the 
instrument during cleaning. Put the disassembled instrument, slides and mouthpiece (but not 
the valves) onto the towel in the bathtub and let the parts soak for about 30 minutes to 
loosen any debris. For larger instruments which may not fit completely under the water, 
pour soapy water down the bell. Use a soft cloth to wash the external parts of the 
instrument. Dip the snake's brush in some dish soap and gently run the snake inside every 
tube and slide. Do not try to force the snake all the way around the curves of the small 
slides.

Remove the valve caps on the bottom of the valve casing. Use your soft valve casing brush 
to GENTLY brush out the valve casing. Remember, this is a delicate part of your instrument, 
so be gentle. Use the same technique with the mouthpiece, but use a mouthpiece brush. If 
the instrument is exceptionally dirty, let it soak longer. Again, do not use abrasives, 
scouring pads or metal brushes; the soapy water will work if you are patient. Although in 
extreme cases some dilute acid will remove dried layers of debris, it is far better to let 
an experienced repair shop perform any acid treatment.

After you are satisfied that everything is clean, rinse all the parts well with lukewarm 
water until every trace of soap is gone. To prevent spotting, the outside of the instrument 
can be wiped dry. The external finish will scratch easily, so use the softest cloth you can 
find. A very worn, but clean, cotton Tee-shirt or old cotton pajamas work well for this. 
Blow out any water hanging up in the tubing, and lay the instrument out to dry overnight. 
It is very important that the pistons, the valve casings, and the ends of the slides be 
bone-dry before you begin to reassemble the instrument. Oil and grease work far better and 
last longer if applied to perfectly dry surfaces. Remember oil and water do not mix.

Begin reassembling your instrument by rubbing a thin bead of slide grease on the tips of 
the male ends of each tuning slide. By applying grease in this way any excess grease will 
be pushed out of the instrument instead of into the instrument where it can eventually 
effect valve action. Use a very light grease on the trigger slides, and a very heavy 
grease on the main tuning slide. Be sure to wipe any excess grease off the exterior surfaces 
of the instrument.

After all of the slides have been assembled, the valves need to be properly prepared. It is
absolutely necessary to liberally coat BOTH the valve and the valve casing surfaces with 
valve oil (8 - 10 ten drops on each valve and ten drops on each casing) so that excess oil 
will transfer to the internal solder joints. In doing so it will protect them against 
dezinicification (red discoloration) and corrosion (blue-green discoloration) which are 
caused by exposing the naked metal to saliva. Use your fingers to forcefully rub the oil 
onto the entire piston surface. This rubbing action guarantees complete coverage of the 
valve, and helps protect Monel valves against spotting. Some musicians blow oil through the 
instrument. This is a good idea to protect the instrument interior, but does not replace 
proper oiling of the piston and valve casing as we described.

Finally, let us say that we know that this process might sound long and arduous, but after 
the first time, it will be fast and easy. The rewards, however, will last a long time.