Saxophone Maintenance | How To Clean Your Saxophone

One of the most common questions I get asked by students is, “Do I need to clean my saxophone?” OF COURSE YOU DO! Especially now with everyone’s increased awareness of germs it is more important than ever to routinely clean and maintain your saxophone. Luckily, it only takes a few seconds every day to clean your saxophone and it will thank you in the long run.

Cleaning The Inside Of The Saxophone

The goal of cleaning the inside of your saxophone is to get the moisture out. The moisture from your saliva will collect and wear down your leather saxophone pads much more quickly if you don’t swab out the body and neck after every use. For the body, the ANFREE Saxophone Body Swab is one of the best I have found. They also make one for the neck.

ANFREE Saxophone Body Swab

Other swabs include the BG saxophone body swab for tenor and alto, the BG saxophone neck swab. You can also purchase entire cleaning kits like this. Another good thing to do is clean the swab every few months or so. You can do this by soaking the swab in a mild detergent or dish soap for a few hours. Rinse with warm water and hang to dry. Doing these things will help keep the inside your saxophone clean and in top playing condition.

Cleaning The Mouthpiece

If it starts to stink, then it’s time to hit the sink! Mineral deposits and moisture can buildup in your saxophone mouthpiece causing discoloration and unpleasant odors. This can be a breading ground for bacteria. I wash all my mouthpieces out several times a week. Scrub your mouthpiece out gently with an old toothbrush, a small amount of toothpaste, and warm water. Yes…toothpaste! It is mildly abrasive and also disinfects.

For something so clean the mouthpiece on the go, you can use a spray bottle filled with 70% isopropyl alcohol. You can also buy a solution similar to this online by Roche Thomas. While we are talking about mouthpieces, just a reminder that it is a good idea to rinse your reed off as well. Rinsing the reed and soaking it under water for a few seconds will allow water to more effectively soak into the reed pores and thus making it play much better! I do this every time before I play. Some people even keep their reeds constantly soaking in a solution.

Cleaning the pads

The pad of a saxophone.

The pads of the saxophone are a leather material on the keys that seals the tone hole (see above). Over time, these can become sticky from accumulation of moisture from your saliva. It’s a good idea to routinely clean these, especially pads that are more prone to this like the left palm keys, G#, Eb, and low C#. I use Yamaha Cleaning Paper. This fabric like paper is specially designed to pull buildup off saxophone pads (and ANY woodwind instrument). Simply take a paper and place between the pad and tone hole. Close the key with a light amount of pressure and pull the paper out. Do this at least 4 times for each pad.

Cleaning the saxophone body

Not much maintenance is needed here. Lacquered saxophones are designed to protect the metal and will last a very long time. Wipe the body down with a microfiber cleaning cloth after every playing session. The goal here is to prevent spit buildup on the surface and keep it looking nice and shiny! If buildup gets excessive, use a damp paper towel to wipe the saxophone down and a q tip to get inside those hard to reach areas.

This routine maintenance will help your saxophone play better and look great over the years. Keep in mind, you local repair tech can do a professional cleaning job, but this may cost you $150-200. Until next time!

-Ken Moran