Making sure your brass instrument is clean and in proper working order is an essential step to musical bliss – that place where you can enjoy making music without a dirty mouthpiece getting in the way. This guide will give you step-by-step directions for how to clean brass mouthpiece.
How to Clean Brass Mouthpiece
With 5 simple steps, you can clean brass instrument mouthpieces to make them almost new again:
- Soak Your Mouthpiece
- Gently Scrub Mouthpiece With a Brush
- Rinse and Dry Your Mouthpiece
- Polish Your Mouthpiece
- Rinse and Dry Mouthpiece Again
Keep reading for more details on each step!
You’ll notice that we talk about brushing your mouthpiece during the cleaning process. But, what kind of brush is best? We recommend this brush for a trumpet or French horn and this brush for a trombone, euphonium, or tuba.
Before we check out our how to clean brass mouthpiece step-by-step guide, let’s take a look at preventative measures you can do each day to keep your mouthpiece shiny and clean: brush your teeth before you play and spray your mouthpiece with water (water in a spray bottle works best) after each use and brush out any excess residue.
You might also be interested in: 17 Surprising Health Benefits of Playing an Instrument
Step 1: Soak Your Mouthpiece
Items needed: warm water, dish soap, glass, mouthpiece
Add a drop of dish soap to a glass, then fill with enough warm water to cover the length of the mouthpiece. Make sure it’s not scalding hot as this can affect the finish of brass instrument mouthpieces.
Soak your mouthpiece for about 20 minutes in the soapy water to loosen any buildup. If your mouthpiece is extremely dirty, allow it to soak overnight.
Step 2: Gently Scrub Mouthpiece With a Brush
Items needed: mouthpiece and mouthpiece brush (mentioned above)
Gently but thoroughly brush your mouthpiece out from either end to fully remove buildup. You can also add a little dish soap to the brush if you’d like.
Step 3: Rinse and Dry Your Mouthpiece
Items needed: warm water, dry rag, mouthpiece
Completely rinse your mouthpiece under warm running water. Remember, the water shouldn’t be too hot. Then, dry it with a rag and allow it to air dry for about a minute.
Step 4: Polish Your Mouthpiece
Items needed: mouthpiece and silver polishing cloth
This isn’t a required step for how to clean brass mouthpiece, but certainly doesn’t hurt. If your mouthpiece is tarnished, wipe it with a silver polishing cloth until it looks nice and refreshed.
Step 5: Rinse and Dry Mouthpiece Again
Items needed: warm water, dry rag, mouthpiece
If you choose to polish your mouthpiece, you should always rinse and dry it again.
To watch how to clean a brass instrument mouthpiece, soak it (step 1) and check out this video:
Thank you to Donna Schwartz for the use of this video!
And, that’s it! Following these instructions for how to clean brass mouthpiece will help you keep yours fresh, clean, and working just right for a long time to come!
For more tips and help with musical instruments, work with a professional teacher who can customize lessons just for you and answer your musical questions!
Shanika