As you may have guessed from the wood material violins are made of, violins were not made to get wet. Here are a few possible consequences of getting your violin wet:
- Water spots develop on the varnish;
- The glue used to hold the violin together begins to dissolve;
- The wood warps; and/or
- The fingerboard sinks down.
If there’s a chance you’ll have to play in the rain, using a carbon fiber violin might be your best solution for avoiding damage to your wood instrument.
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Can You Clean A Violin With Water
Cleaning a violin with water is not recommended and is, in fact, discouraged.
Using water on your violin can result in damage to the instrument’s varnish. This can also cause the wood to crack or warp. Using water on a violin can also cause the glue to disintegrate, which can result in the instrument coming apart at the seams.
The best way to keep your instrument clean is to wipe it with a soft cloth after each use. If there is rosin on your violin that cannot be removed with just a cloth, it’s recommended that you have the instrument professionally cleaned.
Can You Put Water On Violin Strings
Using water on violin strings is not effective. Water is not a solvent for rosin and can do more harm than good. Water mixes with rosin in a way that causes the rosin to cake up on the strings.
As with cleaning the body of the violin, using a soft cloth is the best way to clean the violin’s strings.
How Do You Dry A Violin
If your violin gets wet, it is important to make sure you dry it thoroughly as quickly as possible.
If the violin did not get soaked, leaving the violin out of its case should be sufficient for it to dry without growing mold or mildewing. But, if the violin got soaked, a bit more care may be required.
First, eliminate any tension in the strings and release the soundpost. If the pegs cannot be loosened because of swelling caused by the water, go ahead and cut the strings.
Before drying the instrument, check it for any places of misalignment. If the violin is misaligned, try to gently push any distorted areas of the violin back into place. Throughout the drying-out process, continue to reposition these areas.
If possible, place the instrument in a chamber where the humidity can be controlled. Initially, the humidity should be high (around 90%); then reduced incrementally by 5% each day until the instrument is completely dry.
Some have recommended leaving the violin in rice to dry like is often done with cell phones; however, I would not recommend this method. Placing a wet violin on rice risks having the rice stick to the wood of the instrument, causing even more damage.
How Do I Keep My Violin Dry While In Its Case
It’s important to protect your violin if you live in areas with high humidity. It’s easy to do so using a pillowcase as described in the simple method below.
Do I Need To Humidify My Violin
If your violin is stored or used in dry areas with humidity levels below 40%, you need to humidify your violin.
A humidifier is often used to maintain the proper humidity level even inside violin cases. [Check prices on Amazon.]
How Does Humidity Affect Violins
Humidity affects violins in several ways. In high humidity, the wood body of the violin absorbs moisture, causing it to swell and eventually warp. This warping moves the bridge and strings out of position. In areas of low humidity, water is taken from the instrument which dries it out, potentially causing the violin’s wood to crack.
Also, the violin sounds different in humid air as opposed to dry air.
Sudden changes in humidity have even more of an impact on violins than constant humidity. With these changes comes an increased risk of cracking of the instrument’s wood.
Older instruments are more susceptible to humidity issues because the varnish may be breaking down. So, be sure to take extra care with your older violins.
Not only does humidity affect the violin itself, but it also affects the hair on violin bows.
What Humidity Should My Violin Be
The ideal humidity level for violins is between 40% to 60%.
How Do You Humidify A Violin
There are several ways to add humidity to your violin.
You can use a room humidifier to add humidity to the air in the room where your violin is located.
Also, be sure to keep your violin in a location away from the room’s heater vents and windows.
Additionally, there are various types of case humidifiers that can be used for regulating the humidity in your violin’s case.
Finally, there are in-instrument humidifiers like Dampit. These can be left in your instrument for short periods of time or permanently. The length of use is a matter of personal preference or can be based on where the humidity levels generally range in your area.
How Do I Increase The Humidity In My Violin Case
You can increase the level of humidity in your violin case with an in-case humidifier. Some cases come with a built-in humidifier. But, if your case does not contain a humidifier, you can easily add one.
