Cleaning A Tuba
Tubas collect spit. There's no way around it. If you fail to properly clean and maintain your tuba, spit will erode the brass and destroy the tuba's sound. Every time you play, you should take time to properly clean certain parts of your instrument. Other parts need weekly cleaning, and the entire inside requires cleaning once every few months. Skipping even one of these procedures can make the task twice as hard the next time you clean your tuba.
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Instructions
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Open your tuba water keys and blow through after each time you play. Blow until you've cleared all or most of the saliva from your tuba. Saliva left in the horn would ruin it over time.
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Remove the valves, or the buttons you push down, by unscrewing counterclockwise when they begin to get sticky. Coat them with valve oil and put them back into the horn.
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Wash your mouthpiece once a week with warm, soapy water. Scrub it with a mouthpiece brush. Allow it to air-dry before putting it back on the tuba.
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Wash your entire tuba once every four months. Remove all valves, removable slides, corks and the mouthpiece. Soak in warm, soapy water for 30 minutes. Rinse three to five times to remove all soap. Allow to air-dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Oil all valves after a bath, before putting them back in the tuba.
Never use hot water. It would damage your instrument. If you can't tolerate the water, neither can your horn.
References
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