How to Clean Roland Drums

Use only mild detergent and water solution to clean Roland drums even if dirt needs to be removed due to misuse.

Drumming enthusiasts, from novices to professional musicians, rely on Roland drums and related products for everything from learning how to play drums to major concert performances. The Roland line of regular and electrically amplified drums is a comprehensive one, and users appreciate the firm's dedication to quality. Your Roland drum pads are rugged and they withstand exposure to constant physical contact with your drumsticks as well as with your hands. However, they need to be cleaned regularly to preserve their sound and appearance. You can very easily clean your Roland drum pads with regular mild liquid detergent and water.

Things You'll Need

• Mild liquid detergent
• Mixing vessel
• Clean, soft, dry cloth

Instructions

1. Disconnect the power supply of your Roland power drum kit and remove any accessories such as amplifiers or controls. Mix about a half-gallon of water with mild liquid detergent in a vessel such as a pail according to the directions on the detergent bottle for "general cleaning" or a similar purpose.

2. Wipe the sides (shells) and non-removable heads of your drums with a soft, clean cloth. Moisten a cloth in the detergent solution and wipe them down again before drying them with a soft, clean cloth.

3. Loosen and remove the tuning bolts of any drums with removable mesh heads with the drum key included in your Roland drum kit. Pull the mesh head off the drum shell to remove.

4. Wipe the mesh heads thoroughly with a cloth saturated in the detergent solution. Saturate another cloth with plain water and use to thoroughly rinse the heads.

5. Allow the heads to air-dry naturally and completely for anywhere from a few minutes to an hour before you reset them on the drum shells and reinstall and tighten the tuning bolts with your drum key. Adjust the head tension of your drum according to the instructions for your particular model.

6. Repeat the cleaning process whenever necessary. Do not attempt to remove any white stain or stain that mirrors the pattern of the way the drums were struck as the drums age. This discoloration is a sign of normal wear and does not affect the quality of the drum sound.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use any cleaning solution or product except mild detergent and water. Roland does not recommend any drum cleaning product for their drums.

References

• Roland: HD-1 V-Drums Lite: Set-up Guide: Maintenance (second page)
• Roland; RMP-12 Marching Percussion; Owner's Manual, page 31

Resources

• Roland: Knowledge Base: Cleaning the Drum Pads