• Swab the Deck, Matey

Without fail, each time you finish playing the flute, you need to swab it out. Like most instruments, moisture is a very real enemy.  Use a cleaning cloth and a cleaning rod to perform this task.   A silk cloth or Blitz Metal Care Cloth will do a great job for polishing the outside. 
And unlike other brass instruments, don’t clean your flute in the bathtub!  You won’t like the results.

• Padding Etiquette

Pad papers are critical to keep the instrument’s pads from sticking.  They’re textured specifically for cleaning pads and are easy to use. 
All you have to do is place the paper in the key, press it down, then
pull the paper out gently.  Don’t overdo this, however!

• Handle With Care

Make sure you know how to put the flute together and in what order the parts are assembled and disassembled.

One additional note is to handle the flute by its edges, not the keys themselves.  Like a saxophone, bent keys are a common sight at repair shops (including ours).  The case is quite small, so you risk bending the keys by putting anything in the case besides the flute and cleaning rod.

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