How Do You Clean Your Drum Cymbals?
The look of shiny, new cymbals appeals to both drummers and audiences, but over time, cymbals become dirty and dingy. Keeping them bright is simply a matter of regular cleaning and polishing.
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Things You'll Need
- Cleaning cloths Dishwashing soap Nylon scrubber Old bath towels Cymbal polish
Instructions
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1
Remove your cymbals from their stands and wipe off as much loose dust as possible with a dry cleaning cloth.
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2
Fill the bathtub with warm water and add enough dishwashing soap to make the water sudsy.
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3
Place the cymbals into the water and allow them to sit in the bathtub for approximately five minutes.
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4
Wipe the cymbals gently with the nylon scrubber to remove as much dirt as possible.
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5
Spread the bath towel out to hold the wet cymbals. Use more than one bath towel to hold the cymbals, if necessary.
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6
Remove the cymbals from the water and dry the cymbals with one of the cleaning cloths. Place the cymbals in a single layer onto the bath towel.
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7
Place a small circle of cymbal polish onto a dry cloth and apply the polish to the top of a cymbal. Wipe gently around the cymbal following the grooves in the metal. Apply additional polish, if necessary, and buff the cymbal until it shines brightly.
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Rinse the cymbal under warm water to remove any excess polish and wipe the cymbal a final time with a different dry cleaning cloth. Make sure the cymbal has no polish remaining on the metal.
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Place the cymbal back onto the cymbal stand.
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Tips & Warnings
Polish one cymbal at a time to ensure the polish does not harden and dry on the cymbals.
Never use abrasive cleaners or metal brushes on your cymbals because these products can easily damage and scratch the metal surfaces.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit jazzman #2 image by DD & CD from Fotolia.com
Comments
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I thought it was crazy when I read use lysol toilet bowl cleaner to clean your cymbals..but you know what I have tried everything and this stuff is amazing and with little effort just use any cloth or scrubber and make sure you wash off completely with mild soap and water and polish with never dull and they look brand new even the salt marks vanished no pitting at all and I will never use anything else again.. thanks for the tips my drummer friends..
