How to dismantle and clean your flute

As I told you before, you need to keep cleaning your flute constantly (almost every hour), to keep off dirt and grime buildup, apart from moisture, which hampers good air flow and also stifles the melody produced in your flute. Do it thoroughly before keeping it off after practicing. Follow these simple steps:

• As while assembling, take care to hold the flute only by its barrel, and not touch the keys while dismantling (they are highly delicate, and even a slight twist can render your flute sonorously maimed forever. Take out the footjoint of the flute, twisting it out gently (like you twisted it in while assembling).
• Still holding it by the barrel, take the headjoint off in a similar way.
• Take your cleaning rod which you got with your flute (it looks like an extra-long sewing needle). If you didn’t get one, buy a wooden or plastic rod as opposed to a metallic one. You do not wish to scratch the innards of your flute, do you? Do not listen to the statements by others about metallic rods being sturdy and persistent. It is your flute rather than your cleaning rod that you wish to preserve forever.
• Put the cleaning cloth as I told you in requirements (a silk cloth, to recap), in the hole. Put just enough cloth that doesn’t bunch up while moving your cleaning rod inside and out.
• First, take your footjoint and push the cleaning cloth into it, and move it back and forth to clean out any moisture which might have accumulated due to your breath. It your cleaning cloth sticks into any part of the flute, push it all the way through and take it out from the other end.
• Now, clean the body in the same way. Remember to avoid touching the rods and keys while cleaning any6 part of the flute.
• Now wrap the cleaning cloth and tie it on the sides of the cleaning rod (to get a cloth covered cleaning rod). Now push it into the headjoint, and work around in the headjoint, to clean all the moisture. Mainly pay attention to the cork end of the headjoint. When you’re thoroughly satisfied, put the headjoint back in its place (on the flute body if cleaning while practicing, or in the flute case after practicing).
• Use the second silk cloth and wipe off all the fingerprints on the flute’s outside, taking care to hold the flute’s barrel securely.

• Finally fit all the parts and accessories of your flute into the case snugly. Close the case, and let the flute rest till the next practicing session.

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