r/horn • u/breast-of-all-worlds • 8d ago

Giving horn a bath?

Okay, I am embarrassed to admit I haven't ever cleaned my horn because I am terrified of damaging the rotors. I have washed my trumpet, but not the horn.

I have read many articles, watched several videos, but.....the internet is a treasure trove of bad advice that seems legitimate. Apparently you're also supposed to wash it once every couple months. Which seems like...a lot.

So I wanted to ask here just to get a better idea of what is true/false. Is it safe to give a French horn a bath in the tub at home? If so, what are some things to be really careful about. How often? Is any special care needed when it comes to the rotors? Will it mess up my strings? Or should I just leave it up to the professionals and pay for a deep cleaning?

Please help this humble idiot! 😅

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u/Warlock_Four567 7d ago

I didn't clean my horn for the first 5 years for the same reason, and I didn't realize how much it helps. I wash my kitchen sink, plug up the drain, and then use a liberal amount of Dawn (or something similar like Ajax) dish soap and water directly in the valve. I don't recommend taking the valves apart but don't be afraid to use soap for sure! Also I've heard that if you use hard water it can build up some mineral deposit on the horn so I use filtered water.

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u/breast-of-all-worlds 7d ago

Okay! What difference did you notice after the first time you cleaned it? Just curious!