How to Clean the Trombone

How to Clean the Trombone (pictures coming soon!)

Daily Wipe Down

After you are through playing the trombone for the day, you should wipe off the outer surfaces with the Ultra-Pure Extra-Large Microfiber Polishing Cloth.  Especially wipe off all the surfaces that you hold in order to protect the finish of the instrument.

Bath Time

About every month or two, you should give your trombone a complete bath. The trombone is easy to clean, but you need a large sink, tub, or shower to do a good job.  The easiest is a bathtub with a shower.

Put about 3" of lukewarm water and a tablespoon of liquid lemon dish detergent into the tub.  Lay a rubber bath mat or a towel in the tub as a cushion to prevent scratching.

Soak the inner slide, outer slide, tuning slide(s), bell, and mouthpiece in the tub for about 10 minutes to loosen any grime that has built up in the trombone. Run a snake through all the slides several times to completely remove any grime. Use the mouthpiece brush to scrub out the mouthpiece. After you have cleaned all inner surfaces, clean the outer surfaces with a washcloth or a sponge. Drain the tub and carefully rinse off all the soapy water. You may find that the shower is easier to use than the tub spout for rinsing the trombone parts.

Let the parts dry.  Put Ultra-Pure Regular Tuning Slide Lube on your tuning slide(s) and Ultra-Pure Trombone Slide Lube on the hand slide, following the instructions here.