After spending thousands of dollars on your new piano, it makes sense to ensure that it resides in an environment that does it no harm. If you have an acoustic piano, taking the best possible care of it will bring you immense satisfaction. The most important factor to consider is the room environment where it is located. Once you have properly positioned your piano away from a radiator and direct sunlight, it's crucial to consider the ambient humidity. When acoustic pianos are exposed to high or low relative humidity, or significant and rapid humidity fluctuations, significant changes in pressure can occur on the wooden soundboard. These changes can lead to instrument detuning or even cracks: therefore, it's important to ensure that your piano remains in an ideal indoor climate. A good rule of thumb for the survival of these "living" instruments: if you're doing well, usually your piano will do well too.
Piano Care
Ambient conditions
Similar to humans, wood and felt exhibit high sensitivity to drastic fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Throughout the heating season, employing a top-quality standard humidifier becomes imperative to manage and stabilize humidity levels effectively. The ideal setting for your piano entails a relative humidity ranging from 40% to 55% alongside a consistent temperature hovering around 20-24°C. Abrupt shifts in temperature should be mitigated as they have the potential to adversely impact tuning and regulation. Should you have underfloor heating systems, we encourage direct consultation with us for additional guidance.
Surface treatment
Whether it's a polished or satin finish, your piano should only be wiped with a soft microfiber cloth or a lightly dampened natural chamois cloth. We strongly advise against using furniture polish as it contains waxes and, in some cases, silicone. Any subsequent re-treatment of a severely scratched surface can be quite costly.
Keyboard
Use a natural chamois or very lightly dampened microfiber cloth to clean the keys. Ensure that no moisture drips down the sides of the keys.
Location
Choose a location with good atmospheric conditions; preferably against the interior wall of a room and not near windows and exterior doors. During the heating season, your piano should be kept away from all heating system sources. The surface of your piano is highly sensitive to sunlight, so make sure not to place your piano under direct sunlight. Special supports for casters protect your flooring. When not in use, ensure that the top of your instrument is closed to prevent dust accumulation inside.
Harmonization
The character of each individual note is formed either by needling or spraying hammer felt with a fixative. Establishing and adjusting the "voice" of a piano requires expertise and should be left to the discretion of a licensed piano technician. It's worth noting that this type of work is not essential for the proper functioning of the piano; it's more of an option for musicians seeking to further customize their instrument.
regulations
Regulation involves adjusting the action and should be performed at regular intervals to ensure optimal uniformity of touch and playability. Even if ambient conditions are satisfactory, adjustments are beneficial when made at regular intervals.
setting
The correct pitch (440 Hz = concert pitch) is set by adjusting the tension of the strings. We recommend frequent adjustments during the first year, as organic materials need to adapt to immense tension. It usually takes about a year for a new piano to "settle in" and find its balance. Afterward, your piano should be tuned at least once a year, even if it's rarely used. Two tunings per year are strongly recommended. The pitch must be maintained at a constant level: imagine that a slight difference in tension on one string, when multiplied across the hundreds of strings of a piano, leads to considerable variations in total tension.
recommendation summary
The essence of piano maintenance lies in keeping it in a favorable environment so that the wood's moisture is maintained throughout the piano's lifespan. Maintaining a favorable environment can be challenging in a Nordic country. Therefore, it's strongly recommended to install an automatic humidity control system (Dampp-Chaser) on your piano to prevent humidity-related damage and ensure playability, longevity, and the instrument's value. Please consult our after-sales service for detailed information on this matter.