How to Clean a Yamaha Plastic Recorder and Windway

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Confirm the material and prepare a clean work area

Read the model information and verify that this is an ABS plastic recorder. Yamaha's 20-series overview identifies its washable plastic construction and separable sections. Do not infer washability from a cream or brown color, since wood and wood-look plastic can resemble one another. Wash your hands, clear the sink area, and put a towel where the parts cannot roll. If there are keys, pads, or electronics, use the instructions for that instrument instead of immersing it.

Step 2: Separate only the intended joints

Hold each section near its connection and ease the joints apart without pulling on delicate features. Keep the head, middle, and foot sections together as one instrument, especially when several children's recorders are being cleaned. Do not remove a fitted block from the head joint or try to prise open the windway. That narrow passage and the labium edge shape the airflow; they are not ordinary holes to be scraped clean. If a joint is stuck, stop before applying enough force to crack the plastic.

Step 3: Remove moisture after ordinary playing

For everyday care, wrap clean gauze around the cleaning rod so no bare hard edge contacts the bore, then gently wipe accessible moisture from the separated body sections. Choose a modest amount of cloth that moves freely rather than packing the rod so tightly that it jams. Yamaha's recorder maintenance guide describes this moisture-removal approach. Keep the rod in the main bore; do not force it through the narrow mouthpiece air channel or against the sharp sound-producing edge.

Step 4: Wash when visible soil needs more than wiping

Use water and a mild neutral dishwashing liquid to clean the washable ABS parts, following Yamaha's plastic-recorder cleaning FAQ. Work gently with a soft cloth on accessible surfaces rather than abrasive tools. Use a small quantity of detergent so rinsing is straightforward. There is no need to use this as an opportunity for an aggressive chemical treatment. Food residue, sticky hands, and dried saliva call for cleaning; a cracked joint or damaged edge calls for repair or replacement.

Step 5: Rinse the mouthpiece and tone holes without scraping

Rinse the washed sections thoroughly, paying attention to places where detergent can remain around finger holes and the mouthpiece. Let water do the work in the narrow passage rather than inserting a pin, toothpick, or tightly rolled paper. Check that no suds remain before setting the parts on a clean towel. Do not test the instrument by blowing through it while it is still soapy. If a visible obstruction will not rinse free, ask a music shop or Yamaha for the correct next step.

Step 6: Dry the bore and let every section air out

Remove accessible water with a clean wrapped rod or swab, then leave the separated sections to finish drying naturally. Yamaha's water-washing advice emphasizes thorough moisture removal afterward. Dry the cloth or swab separately rather than leaving it stuffed in the recorder or its case. Check the joint sockets as well as the outside. A towel-dry barrel can conceal water in a recess, so do not close a damp instrument in a school bag for the weekend.

Step 7: Care for joints and store the complete dry instrument

Use the recorder cream intended for plastic joints as directed so the sections fit smoothly without dry rubbing. Keep cream on the joint surfaces rather than in the windway or finger holes, and remove excess that collects dirt. Reassemble gently and check alignment without forcing the foot joint to an arbitrary position. Store the clean dry recorder in its case away from heat. Before the next session, clean hands and a mouth free of food reduce the amount of material that needs washing out later.