How to Clean a Flute

If you are a musician or have an ear for music, you can easily tell when an instrument is off key. 

The flute is no exception. 

A flautist (flute player) maintains the instrument not by cleaning it, but by removing the moisture that builds up inside of the flute. 

Without proper care, the tone and quality of its sound can be diminished.  

Here is how to properly clean a flute: 

1.         First, it is necessary to dissemble the flute.  Detach the head joint (the top piece of the flute) from the body, followed by the foot joint (the bottom piece). 

1.         Most flautists use a J cloth, which is used by doctors and other medical personnel and is perfectly sized.  The cloth is then threaded through the top of a special rod, designed for cleaning the flute, and wrapped around the rod from top to bottom.

2.         The rod is then inserted into the head joint of the flute and is pushed all the way through, moving the rod in and out as you reach the end of the joint.  

3.         Next, follow the same procedure to clean the body of the flute, and lastly the foot joint.  Note: never touch the keys when removing the top and bottom parts of the flute.

4.         After cleaning, put the flute parts in each compartment of the flute case.  Fold the J cloth and place it on the head joint, not the keys and close the case. 

It is not necessary to purchase any cleaning kits for the flute. 

The rod, which accompanies new flute purchases, and cloth are sufficient for the job.   Proper maintenance of the flute will keep the quality and sound intact. 

Here is a bit of trivia:  What is the correct way to spell and pronounce the word that describes one who plays the flute?  Is it flautist or flutist?

According to absoluteastronomy.com, “The choice of "flautist" vs. "flutist" is the source of minor dispute among players of the instrument.  "Flutist" is the earlier term, dating from at least 1603 , while "flautist" is not recorded before 1860, when it was used by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne 

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century [i] American [i] novelist [i] and short story [i] ...  

 in The Marble Faun. 

The US player and writer Nancy Tuff, in her The Flute Book, devotes more than a page to the subject, commenting that she is asked "Are you a flutist or a flautist?" on a weekly basis.  She prefers "flutist" personally and etymologically.” 

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