Care and Maintenance of a Trumpet
Monthly care and maintenance

1. Wrap a polishing gauze around a cleaning rod so that the metallic part of the cleaning rod's tip is not exposed, and use it to wipe dirt from the inside of the valve casings.
2. Wipe dirt off the pistons using a polishing gauze. Insert the pistons into the valve casings and apply two or three drops of valve oil to the valve casings.

Make up a brass soap solution, consisting of 10-15 parts warm water (30–40ºC) to one part brass soap.

1. Soak a flexible cleaning brush in the brass soap solution and use it to wash the inside of the tube.
2. After removing the dirt, use clean water to wash off the brass soap. After removing all moisture with gauze, apply oil and grease.

After cleaning your instrument, you should use one type of valve oil until the next time you clean the instrument. When changing valve oil types, washing away or wiping off any old oil from within the piston and the valve casing will ensure the new oil performs well. Depending on the oils, mixing oils together may cause stickiness or separation and prevent the true benefits of the oil from being obtained.
Viscosity differs even when using products from the same series lineup—for example, Yamaha Valve Oil and Yamaha Valve Oil Light have different viscosities. If possible, we recommend that you wipe off the old oil and clean the instrument before using a different oil.

Water key cork will become soft due to moisture with extended use. Left as-is, the cork will become damaged and the key will no longer function properly, so it is best to replace it. Please consult a musical instrument store about replacing the cork.