🎵 Key Takeaway
Never wash a ceramic ocarina with soap and water under the sink. Ceramic is porous. It will absorb the dirty water, grow mold, and ruin the tuning. To clean it, use a dry microfiber cloth for the outside and a stiff piece of paper for the inside windway.
You have been playing your Eidolove ocarina every day. You love it. But lately, the mouthpiece looks a little cloudy, and the high notes sound slightly muted.
It is time to clean your instrument. But if you do it wrong, you will destroy it.
Here is the exact maintenance routine professional players use to keep their ceramic flutes in perfect condition.
The Big Rule: No Water, No Soap
Many beginners treat their ocarina like a coffee mug and wash it in the sink. This is a fatal mistake.
While the outside of your ocarina might be covered in a shiny, waterproof glaze, the inside chamber and the windway are often raw, unglazed clay.
If water pools inside, the clay absorbs it. The sound will become dull. Even worse, if you use soap, the chemical residue will stick to the clay permanently, and you will taste it every time you play.
How to Clean the Windway (The Paper Trick)
The windway is the narrow tunnel you blow into. Dust and dried saliva can build up here, causing the sound to become fuzzy.
- Take a piece of stiff paper. A business card or heavy printer paper works perfectly.
- Cut a very thin strip (about the width of a straw).
- Gently slide the paper strip into the mouthpiece.
- Slide it in and out a few times. Do not force it. The paper will act like a gentle squeegee, pushing out dirt without scratching the clay.
Warning: Never use a needle, a pin, or a toothpick. Metal will scratch the sharp edge of the voicing. If you chip that edge, the ocarina is permanently ruined.
How to Clean the Outside
Fingerprints and sweat happen. To clean the outside body of your ocarina, simply use a dry microfiber cloth (the kind you use for eyeglasses).
Wipe it down after every practice session before you put it back in its case.
Storage: Avoid Extreme Temperatures
Ceramic hates extreme temperature changes. Do not leave your ocarina in a hot car during summer or a freezing car in winter. The sudden shock can crack the glaze or the clay itself.
Comparison: Ceramic vs. Plastic Maintenance
| Maintenance Type |
Plastic Ocarinas |
Eidolove Ceramic Ocarinas |
| Washing |
Safe to wash with warm soapy water |
Dry clean only (No water inside) |
| Windway Clearing |
Can be rinsed out |
Use a dry paper strip |
| Durability Focus |
Drop-proof |
Temperature and shock-sensitive |
Summary
Your ocarina is a work of art. Treat it with respect. A simple wipe down and a paper strip once a month is all it takes to make it last a lifetime.
