Musical instruments are expensive and anyone who owns one knows wavering temperatures and erratic humidity can adversely affect the wood or metal components. While keeping them in their original case generally helps in preserving musical instruments, the extreme climate conditions of today are quite different from the conditions that they and their respective cases had to weather decades ago. It’s a good thing that there are now climate-controlled storage facilities for musical instruments and other objects that call for long-term storage.
In Horsham, where many city dwellers relocated, new residents were constrained to use self storage facilities to accommodate the stuff they accumulated through years of living in the city. As many of them owned at least one music instrument, they appreciate the fact that even in a commuter town like Horsham, there are storage facilities appropriate for musical instruments.
A lot of natural occurrences can transpire as results of overly warm temperature: strings snapping when stretched and wood materials expanding or warping. Glue and other forms of adhesive substances can melt and thereafter destroy the rubber, felt or metal fasteners. These are just examples of what can happen if musical instruments are not stored properly.
Yet there are also dos and don’ts that must be observed when placing your instruments in a self storage unit. Check out the following, because in any kind of storage there is always the possibility of sustaining damage if you don’t do certain proactive measures.
Storing and Caring for a Piano
Another great thing about storage units Horsham town offers are the storage spaces that come in varying sizes. If it’s a piano storage you are looking for, Henfield Storage in Horsham has units as large as 40 square feet or smaller. The entire facility runs under climate controlled conditions 24/7. Yet don’t just store and forget your piano, because from time to time, you have to play on them and check if they need tuning.
Storage Care for Percussion Instruments
A set of drums is another musical instrument that necessitates a large storage space. Keeping them in storage does not give you an excuse not to care for the drum set by closely examining them for rust and corrosion. Use a soft cloth to remove tell tale signs to prevent the corrosion from doing greater damage by spreading. Avoid using harsh chemicals. To make sure, ask the manufacturer or a knowledgeable person of a music store, for recommendations about the right kind of cleaner.
Check if the drums need loosening to keep the tension rods in appropriate places to prevent stretching the drum materials. However, drum musicians give advice not to loosen the tension of the timpani as it is known to stay in tune even while in storage.
Caring for Mallet and Woodwind Instruments While in Storage
Mallet instruments like xylophones are best cleaned by individually detaching the bars during the cleaning process. Make sure these types of instruments are not in direct contact with the cold floors.
Similarly, woodwinds must be disassembled into smaller parts when cleaning, to avoid creating pressure on the joints. Make sure woodwind instruments are stored under a climate-controlled temperature with humidity measuring between 40-55%. Maintaining the right level of air moisture prevents dryness that might result in cracking or shrinking.