How many times have we replied to our mother: "Yes, I'll fix the room later"?
How many times have we postponed cleaning?
Well, now think about how many times it can happen to a musician to postpone the cleaning and maintenance of his instrument: "There is not enough time" is usually the most common excuse for this unjustified carelessness. And then we hear the sound croaking as the bow rubs on the strings, or we notice so much rosin under the bridge that the color of the paint of our instrument seems unrecognizable.
Don't get discouraged! You just need to have a little more attention EVERY TIME you use the instrument. Constancy is the key. Here is what I do:
I often go to my trusted bow maker to rehair my bow
Every 6 months I change the strings of the instrument, possibly not all at the same time
I clean the bow very well every 2 weeks by loosening the hair to clean the stick and then with a new brush (with medium bristles if possible) I gently brush the hair resting on a support surface
When I put away my instrument, I always clean the strings and the table from the rosin with a cloth and a specific product and then I polish
When I feel that the pegs no longer rotate very well, I soften them with a little peg paste (you can ask any luthier) or harden them using a little blackboard chalk
What I use: Laubach Varnish Cleaner and their microfiber cloth (https://www.laubach-shop.de/english-worldwide/), Kyser Polish to clean the wood (https://www.amazon.com/Kyser-KDS500-Instrument-Polish/dp/B0002D0EMO), Dunlop 65 String Cleaner to clean the strings (https://www.amazon.it/Jim-Dunlop-Ultraglide-String-Conditioner/dp/B0002NIRIC)
Bea
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