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Hey guys my keys are in need of cleaning what can I use and what to avoid using please? They are not plastic, but ivory I guess piano is very old and it's an upright. Thanks.

Wnen I lived in Africa I used lemon juice on ivory keys. Once applied I left the keys out in the sun for about 5hrs and then wiped with a damp cloth. This treatment made fair diference.

Just spray cleanex on a cloth and clean the keys with the cloth!
Works like a charm

Cory Key-Brite works very well. Most piano stores sell it or you can order it from http://www.pianosupplies.com/pianos/Key-Brite.html which is part of Piano World.

Despite the directions, don't spray it directly on the keyboard. Spray it on a soft cloth to clean the keys.

A damp but not dripping cloth works well. You can add a little bar hand soap to one damp rag and follow it's use with a damp soapless rag to rinse. The principle being not to drip water all over the case parts and down below the keys.

I've had good luck with most ammonia-based cleaners on ivory, if they are particularly dirty.

The problem with ammonia based cleaners on ivory is that they not only take off the dirt and grime, they also remove the protective wax coating. This hard wax, which comes from the buffing process, makes the keys feel smooth, makes them look shiny, and helps protect them from moisture and dirt.

Keys with the wax removed will feel and look rough, and will soil and get dirty again, more quickly.


...just so ya know...

For really hard to remove stuff on plastic keytops, gasoline works great. It's non - abrasive, so it won't eat into the keys.

Gary, you are joking, right? I hope so... gasoline and plastic doesn't usually mix well.

Not to be argumentative or disagreeable, but I would not suggest using gasoline on any part of a piano, unless you want to start a bonfire.

Rick

Does anyone have a light????

I've never come across anyone using wax on keys before. Surely the idea is to have nothing on the key surface apart from a nice smooth finish and shine. My advice to customers when asked how to clean keys, whether plastic or ivory, is to use nothing more than brasso metal polish. Just apply with a clean white cloth using your index finger and give a firm rub. Not only will it clean the surfaces but it also burnishes the surface making it more difficult for dirt to ingrained. If any polish gets onto the sharps, don't worry, it will simply wipe off once completely dry. Forget lemon, milk, or any other mother's remedy .... brasso or whatever is the same where you live will do the job nicely.

The wax I was referring to is in the buffing compound used when ivory is polished by machine. It is the wax which gives the ivory the "a nice smooth finish and shine" which Johnkie refers to. We are talking about the same thing. Once the wax is removed by solvents and (incorrect) cleaning agents, the ivory will pick up grime quickly and look very unappealing.

Speaking of cleaning the keys, yesterday on the Van Cliburn live stream I saw Gustavo Miranda-Bernales blow his nose in his handkerchief and proceed to wipe the keyboard with the same handkerchief.

That must give the keys a nice sheen.

I lightly spray Windex either directly on the keys or on a cloth and wipe the keyboard down with a thin towel.

The Cory website has some fairly good information about its various cleaners. Some is found in the FAQ, some is found when you click on a particular cleaning product.

I never thought to look up their own website, but since you asked (and about what Jurgen said regarding ivory keys):

http://www.corycare.com/piano-care-products/key-brite-key-cleaner.html

Daza how messy are the keys? Normally a cloth and water should be good enough.

Be careful with Cory Key-Brite!! This stuff turned the keys on my Kawai K8 smurf blue after repeated applications (the keys had to be removed, serviced by an RPT to restore). The NeoTex key absorbed the product apparently. I'm sure it's safe on other keys, but I wouldn't apply to NeoTex keys.

I just use warm water and a cloth to wipe down now.

Invisible Glass does an awesome job. Gets rid of the smeary fingerprints.