A good proportion of flute repairs I encounter in my workshop could be avoided by following these simple rules:

1. After you finish your flute practice, lesson or concert put your flute back in its case to avoid accidental damage and reduce tarnishing and dust collection.

2. Every time you finish playing your flute the moisture must be removed with a gauze cloth or handkerchief. Please do not put the damp cloth back inside the case, as this is the same as not having cleaned it out in the first place. (Your flute pads could swell and your instrument will tarnish quicker and springs and rods may even rust.) It is good practise to wipe your finger marks off every time you finish playing. Once your finger marks have dried they are much harder to remove.

3. Whenever you put your flute together, or take it apart, it is important not to put your hands on the keywork. If you do, damage could be caused to the regulation (adjustments between keys) of your instrument. It’s best to hold the head joint, avoiding the lip plate, and the body around the barrel where the head joint fits in. The only exception to hands on keywork is when fitting your foot joint to your flute. Please place your thumb gently on the C and C# key cups to move the foot joint with a quarter turn clockwise into position. If any of your flute joints are difficult to put together then please clean the inside of sockets and joints with a silver cleaning cloth. If this does not solve the problem then see a flute repairer. Never ever put grease on the joints - this will collect dust and grit from your flute case and cause damage to them.

4. Never use any cleaning liquids, like polish, on your flute. Only use a silver cloth. Don’t clean between the keys as you could damage the pads or move springs out of place. The bits under the mechanism will be cleaned when your flute has its annual service.