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Hello,

I have been looking at new and used pianos for a while...and I've finally decided I'm going to buy a used Boston piano (high gloss finish) and want to make sure it is sanatized from the previous owner (yes I am a bit of a germaphobe).
Water on a cloth will not cut it for me.

I am curious what is the material on the finish of a high gloss ebony Boston piano and why can't a more aggressive sanitzer be used once in a while?
I know there are people who are very strict about cleaning products for certain surfaces and do not want to take any risk in damaging those surfaces...but I use bleach on my granite countertops once in a while to give them a good cleaning and no...nothing bad happens! (once in a while as in once or twice a year).

So my question is....will I really ruin the piano if I give it one good sanatizing with chemicals (not bleach..just some lysol or hydrogen peroxide or even rubbing alcohol) from the previous owner's home? Or will I most likely be okay?
Also if anyone could clue me in on the material of the finish of a Boston high gloss ebony....I would be really thankful:)

I would advise against cat urine.

You can use Windex with ammonia on that finish without damaging it. The finish is a polyester resin and the Windex will cut through any greasy fingerprints, smudges, while killing germs.

***ONLY use Windex on black shiny areas of the piano. NEVER use it on strings, or any other finish on or in the piano. ***

I agree with Rich Glassini 100%. When I bought my Bösendorfer in Germany the dealer recommended a product similar to Windex called Sidolin. I'm also a fan of CORY piano products. There is one for polishing a high gloss piano and another called key-brite.

If you are really concerned about germs from the prior owner or those in the dealership who sat down and tried out your piano before you, you could also wear a surgeon's latex gloves while you are playing until you are less phobic about it.

Steve
Bösendorfer 170

I'd look for something like Windex but without the blue dye in it. The dye might not hurt anything but it's not going to help.

I would just like to add that the instructions for my Kawai grand stated that the keys might be cleaned with a soft, cotton cloth with a minimal spray of Windex on the CLOTH, not the keys.

Do NOT use so much cleaning solution that it runs down the cracks between the keys, or even gets close to it. "Barely damp" is the exact description. And I might add, that it pays to wash the hands before playing the piano. The keys will stay clean a lot longer, and washing the hands helps to warm them before practice.

Boston grands are made in a Kawai factory, under contract and with the specifications of the main contractor. So, the keys would not be covered with the NeoTex material that Kawai uses on its own models. Too bad, because it's really a nice feeling under the fingers.

I would imagine that the Boston's keys might be cleaned in the same manner, but you could consult their website or ask a dealer.

Cory's piano polish, and their key cleaner, are excellent for use on the piano's finishes. You can find them on PW's sister site, http://pianosupplies.com , or your piano tech might carry them. Avoid using furniture polishes such as Pledge, or other such home cleaning products. They contain materials that can stray into areas where they are not helpful. Never spray anything inside the piano case, where it can touch the strings or action. You are not going to like how that turns out.

Although a polyester resin finish is very durable, it is possible to scratch it, unintentionally, with dust trapped under a cleaning cloth or by polyester threads holding together cotton mover's pads [I did this, trying to protect my piano's finish]. Be vigilant, but gentle. An ostrich feather duster with a long handle helps to gently brush the dust away. But stay away from those horrid turkey feather dusters; they are not intended for fine furniture. finishes.

I don't like spraying ammonia anywhere near piano strings and hardware. The wound strings in particular can easily be ruined by the corrosive action of ammonia. Windex has ammonia in it as the main cleaning agent.

Put the ammonia cleaner product on a rag and use that to apply it to the polyester finish. Then wipe it off with different rag. Use clean, very soft rags.

You could also hire a case touch-up person to buff the case parts out and that would burn up any germs you are afraid of.

I have a couple of vintage pianos. I sometimes think about the music performed on the pianos, and musicians who played the piano.

When repairing and regulating, I realize that I am working where someone who was born close to the Civil War or earlier worked.

The mahogany wood, and the Ivory keys were probably harvested 10-20 years earlier, shipped across the Carribean and Atlantic oceans on either steam ships or sailing vessels.

This all occurred before the use of immunizations or antibiotics.

I am surrounded by the materials and dust of multiple generations on multiple continents.

I don't worry about germs, but I am more concerned about exposure to chemicals in our modern environment.

I have never heard of anyone getting ill from exposures to pianos.

The "cleaning agents" you are exposing your self to might be more dangerous than any germs on your instrument.

It is well understood that children raised on farms and rural areas have less allergies than city kids. The idea is exposure to the various allegens prevent them from having as much problem as they grow up.

If you're a confessed germaphobe, then it probably won't do much good to point out that most germs die within hours when exposed to the elements, but it might serve you well to simply ignore the piano for the first 24 hours after it's delivered (if only to reduce your own risk as you clean it). You could quarantine it for 24 hours, or longer, before it's delivered, but, of course, the movers could introduce germs on the final delivery.

I don't blame you for wanting to clean it up when it comes home. I cleaned mine out, including removing the action and vacuuming the insides. But if you're worried about germs in particular, unless you have an immune deficiency of some sort, then I'd suggest simply not disturbing the piano for a day or two before cleaning it normally, because you risk damaging the piano if you try to use disinfectants on it.

If you live in an area of the country where Hanta Virus is found. You must use caution around anything that has been stored where deer mice can get in it. Deer mice have furry tails and field mice do not. The virus is very long lived in urine and feces. Hanta Virus can mess up you health and even kill you. Using a vacuum or compressed air to remove dirt can easily expose you to the virus if it is present in an old piano.

Also in some very arid climes one can get Valley Disease the same way. Valley Disease is also sometimes called the "Curse of the Mummy".

We're lucky we don't play the bagpipes

Are there specific cooties you are worried about?
(Previous owner was known to have had TB or HIV or Hepatitis or whatever?)