​CSBB. Guide to cleaning and maintaining your instrument.  
As the committee member allotted to the welfare of our instruments I get to see the condition of our instruments, usually as they are returned by resigning members, and sometimes they are in very poor order.
I see immoveable slides, sticking valves, dents etc. but the most worrying is the internal state of some of them....they often smell bad and must be most unhygienic....................................................................................................... it's a wonder that we don't
get Legionnaire's disease or other bacteriological infections from them.
Wind instruments, especially brass, are by their nature potentially very unhygenic. We are fortunate that most of our instruments are silver plated and silver is a very anti bacterial metal but that doesn't stop germs forming on the accumulated crud, biscuit crumbs, mould etc that collects inside the instrument. However, lacquered instruments are potentially worse.
So! It's good to keep your instrument internally clean..... deep clean it occasionally and maintain it
regularly.
We suggest that you do the following:-
 
1), Mouthpieces. Clean them regularly in washing up liquid with mouthpiece brush or similar small bottle brush. I also use an ultra sonic jewellery cleaning bath.
Please do not steep them in Milton or any other sterilising solution as these may attack the silver plating. If the silver plating has worn off the mouthpiece it is better not use it. Mouthpieces are made from a lead and brass alloy and are toxic. the silver plating is the barrier seal and antiseptic
coating. A gold plated mouthpiece is not so good.
Gold, although inert, does not have the anti bacterial properties that silver has. rinse them after
every use.
 
Your Instrument. Flush it through regularly. For the smaller instruments I would take the moveable slides out and and clean the straight sections only using a proprietary instrument cleaning brush. Please do not push the brush round any bends or curves     the head sometimes comes off them and remains stuck in the instrument. They are very difficult to get out, sometimes dismantling the instrument is the only way. Then put it all back together and insert an old mouthpiece blocked off with putty or blu-tak into the lead pipe. Turn the instrument on it's mouthpiece end and fill it with warm soapy/washing up liquid water, working the valves to ensure that the soapy water fully fills the instrument, prop it up in the inverted position securely and leave it for at about half an hour, then take the head off the shower, remove the aforementioned blocked mouthpiece and use the hose to pump hot water through the instrument working the valves at the same time. flush it from both ends, you'll be amazed at what comes out.
Take it apart again and then put it all back together using the appropriate lubricants, Vaseline for slides and cap threads, valve oil for valves although I prefer using valve oil for everything.
For the large instruments it's an immerse it in a bath of soapy water and rinse it out with the garden hose job.      a bit of a palaver but much the same process. I have, in the past lightly
connected the garden hose to the instrument and left it running with all the valves taped down for 5 minutes or so.
 
A note on valve oil! I never liked paying six quid for 10cc of valve oil and I use quite a lot on band instruments. A little research revealed that valve oils are usually mineral oils as vegetable oils tend to oxidise and thicken. There are no absolutely non toxic valve oils that I know of. Accordingly, I have used a mixture of Johnson's baby oil with a very small amount of odourless lamp oil to thin it for years with no ill effects (must be odourless for molecular reasons. if you can
smell it, it's no good). As I say I've used it on band instruments by the pint and it works out to about £3 per 250cc so that's a plus! If you want to try it, I always have some at rehearsals. bring
me your empty valve oil bottle and I'll fill it!
Now this is the bit that everyone forgets The case. Unless you are using a gig bag which will 'breathe' I can pretty well guarantee that a hard case will stink like a bag of rotten hay (as will the instrument if not kept clean).
Please do not keep your instrument in a closed hard case. A good plan is to leave the open case out in the sun for a day, that will go a good way to airing off the mouldy smell that I encounter so often. I am currently use a Febreze spray as necessary but keeping the case aired out is a must.

If your instrument has a stuck slide, loose joint or any other mechanical fault. Do not try to rectify it yourself, leave it alone and report it to me. We will get it repaired professionally.
Hope this is useful.
Phil