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Clarinet Care
Before Playing
Use cork grease
● New cork needs to be greased everytime you play, but as the cork
compresses, cork grease is needed less often.
○ A good rule of thumb is that if you have any resistance when
putting your clarinet together, you need cork grease.
○ Properly greased cork should easily go together with a gentle
twist while pushing.
● Only use cork grease. Chapstick may look like cork grease, but it will
leave residue and is not good for cork.

Play with clean hands

● The oils in our hands naturally break down the metal keys, but dirty or
greasy hands can make this happen faster.
● Also, a wooden clarinet could absorb whatever is on your hands which
could cause damage.

Don’t eat or drink (except water) directly before or while playing

● It is important to have a clean mouth when playing clarinet, because
small particles of whatever was in your mouth before can get into your
clarinet and rot your pads.
● To avoid this, you should either brush your teeth, use mouthwash, or
rinse your mouth out with water before playing.
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After Playing
Remove your reed
● Leaving your reed on can trap moisture which grows bacteria and even
mold.
● After playing, you should remove your reed and and lightly wipe it off,
going from the bottom to the tip, never the opposite way.
● Put the reed carefully back in the case, making sure you don’t smash
the end.

Wipe out your mouthpiece

1. Run your cloth through your mouthpiece a few times by pushing
through with your finger.
2. Wipe off any spit on the outside of your mouthpiece.
3. Put your ligature loosely back on and your mouthpiece cover if you
have one.

Swab out your clarinet after playing

● Swabbing your clarinet will help absorb moisture.
● It is important to swab out your clarinet before putting it in the case to
avoid damage or mold growth.
● Your swab should be hand washed or replaced occasionally to reduce
bacteria.
Swabbing your instrument:
1. Either take apart each section at the joints and run your swab through
each section or take off your mouthpiece and swab through the whole
clarinet.
○ The swab should always be inserted at the bottom of the joint or
instrument (the bell). This can be done by turning the instrument
or section upside down, dropping the weight through, grabbing
the weight and string, and pulling the swab though.
2. Run the swab through until there is no moisture left inside. (this is
usually 1-3 times)
3. Wipe the exterior as needed.
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Cleaning Your Mouthpiece

1. Wrap the cork with plumber’s tape or plastic wrap (this can be secured
for extra protection with a rubber band or tape. A lightly sticky tape
such as scotch tape can also be used, but it should be removed
carefully.
2. Moisten the mouthpiece with cold water, inside and outside.
3. Take a mouthpiece brush or small, toddler toothbrush and put a small
drop of mild dish soap. (If needed, most mild liquid/gel soaps, such as
hand soap can be used.) Lightly wet the brush.
4. Gently scrub the inside and outside of the mouthpiece.
5. Rinse the mouthpiece with cold water.
6. A Q-tip can be used to clean any stuck on spots or hard to reach areas.
7. If there are any lime deposits (white crusty film), dip a toothbrush or
Q-tip in a cup of a ½ white vinegar and ½ water solution and gently rub
the affected parts. (This should be used sparingly and infrequently)
○ After using vinegar, clean all the parts of the mouthpiece that
came in contact with the vinegar using the above method.
○ Be careful with vinegar since sometimes it can cause
discoloration on the mouthpiece.
8. Dry the mouthpiece using a cloth or paper towel.
9. Remove the protective cork cover and leave the mouthpiece out to dry,

Important Tips to Remember

● Avoid getting your cork wet.
○ Water left in the cork can cause rot or mold growth.
● Never use hot water to clean your mouthpiece.
○ Hot water can cause the mouthpiece to discolor and turn green.
● Never put your mouthpiece (or clarinet) in the dishwasher, microwave,
or any other appliance.
○ Too much heat can cause the mouthpiece or instrument to warp
and larger amounts of water will ruin the cork and pads.
● When cleaning your mouthpiece, you should also clean your ligature by
wiping it with a damp paper towel.
○ An all metal ligature can also be cleaned with a toothbrush and a
small amount of dish soap if there is stuck-on residue.
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Other Maintenance and Cleaning

Deep Cleaning
● Clean and shine the keys by rubbing them with an instrument
polishing cloth, a glasses lens cleaning cloth, or a soft microfiber cloth.
○ You can also clean the hard to reach places with a Q-tip
● Clean inside the keyholes with a Q-tip to remove build up.
● Cork grease builds up on the tenons after a while, so it should be
removed with a dry paper towel and/or Q-tips, trying to avoid the cork.
● Wooden clarinets are usually oiled with bore oil about every six months
to a year when consistently playing, but can be oiled sooner if you
notice signs of it drying out, such as streaks on the inside wood.
○ For most beginner students, they have their clarinet oiled when
they take it to the shop for yearly maintenance.
○ Oiling can be done by putting a few drops of bore oil on a swab
(dedicated to bore oil) and swabbing it just like normal.
○ A clarinet should be oiled when completely dry and should not be
played on afterward at least until the oil is completely absorbed
and dry to the touch. This usually takes a few hours.
● Once you think you are done deep cleaning, inspect your clarinet for
any missed spots or damaged keys.

Reed Cleaning
● While playing, clarinet reeds build up a residue of saliva and skin cells
which can make your reed sound cloudy or fuzzy.
○ In addition to or in place of wiping off your reed, you can scrape
your reed against the edge of a hard surface to get this residue
off.. Good options are the edge of your music stand or the back
register key (B-flat key) of your clarinet. Just make sure you
remember to wipe off the surface that you use.
● Since you put your reed away while it’s wet, it tends to attract dirt and
dust. Every few times you play or as often as you remember, just rinse
your reed off with water in the sink.
○ After washing, wipe your reed on a paper towel, starting at the
bottom and pulling down.
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● If your reed has been dropped on the floor, you were sick, or your reed is
starting to smell bad you can clean it with mouthwash.
○ You can either just dip the reed in the mouthwash a few times or
soak it for about a minute.
■ Note: Soaking your reed in colored mouthwash may cause
the reed to absorb that color. This doesn’t affect the
functioning of the reed, only the appearance.

As Needed Cleaning
● Every so often you should go through your clarinet case and clean out
any trash or dust.
● If your clarinet gets anything on it from regular use (ie. food grease from
fingers) you can wipe down the clarinet with a dry cloth or paper towel.

About once a year, you should take your clarinet

into the instrument shop for maintenance, even if
you think nothing is broken.
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After each playing ● Wipe off reed

● Wipe out mouthpiece
● Swab each section

Every week/ 2 weeks ● Clean and sanitize mouthpiece

● Clean reed

Every month ● Deep clean

Every 6-12 months or as ● Oil wooden clarinets

needed.

Every 12-18 months ● Professional serviced

As needed ● Clean case

● Wash swab
● Wipe down clarinet