How to Clean a Didgeridoo
Archaeological records date the didgeridoo back 2,000 years to the Arnhem Land in Northern Australia. Cave paintings depict the aboriginal people playing the long ancient wind instrument, traditionally made from bamboo and eucalyptus trees. Authentic didgeridoos naturally occur from termites hollowing out limbs and tree trunks. These tubes are cut to a length of more than 4 feet and cleaned out, and some are painted with ochre designs. Aboriginal people expect didgeridoos to last about two to three years. The kind of a didgeridoo you have, what it is made of and how often you play it will determine the best cleaning methods for its care and maintenance.
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Instructions
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Use sealants, stabilizers and oils to clean and reduce movement of the wood in your didgeridoo. A variety of products are available for protecting your didgeridoo, including raw linseed oil, olive oil, tung oil, polyurethane and lacquers. Some are for topical application, and others are used to seal up the bore.
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Flow air through the didgeridoo after playing. Moisture deposited inside the instrument from your breath creates bacteria. To ventilate the core, set the didgeridoo at an angle that exposes the bottom hole, allowing circulating air to dry out the moisture.
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Wash the digeridoo with soapy water to clean surfaces that don't have an ochre finish. If your instrument has ochre painting, it's advised not to use any liquids on the exterior and to handle the didgeridoo infrequently.
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Prevent a foul-smelling didgeridoo by cleaning and disinfecting the bees wax mouthpiece. One natural formula is a mixture of one part tea tree oil to three parts water, poured into a spray bottle. Spray the mouthpiece regularly.
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Tips & Warnings
Limit playing time to short sessions. Extensive playing can cause extra absorption of moisture that leads to cracking.
Maintain an average humidity and air temperature to minimize expansion and contractions of your didgeridoo to reduce cracking.
Consider wearing gloves when handling your ochre painted didgeridoo to protect the exterior from the damaging effects of sweaty palms. Exposure to moisture may eventually ruin the colors.
Use caution when applying commercial hardware products to clean or coat the inside of a didgeridoo. Once inside the core, some chemicals will react and change the acoustics and sound timbre. Chemical sealants contain toxins that can pose health threats when inhaled.
References
- Aboriginalart.com: What Is a Didgeridoo?
- IDIDJ Australia: Didgeridoo History -- Timeline 1
- IDIDJ Australia: Didgeridoo Sacred Origins
- IDIDJ Australia: Didgeridoo Maintenance
- Aboriginalart.com: How Didgeridoos Are Made
- Aboriginalart.com: How Didgeridoos Are Created Naturally
- AboriginalBushcrafts.com.au: Didgeridoo Care, Repair and Hygiene
