I think my flute has mold in it.In the head joint theres a small black blob the wont come out when I clean it. Theres a little in the middle section too. I`ve had it for about a year and I didnt clean it out for a long time (months) after i played it (and i played every day), so could i have damaged the metal of my flute also? Thanks.

I forgot to ask how to get rid of the mold...If i brang it to a repairman would they be able to get rid of it?

Mold? That is gross! If you didn`t bother to clean it before, then why would it bother you now? I can not understand why people don`t take care of their flutes. No respectable person would let their flute mold!

I came on here for help not to be put down. Thanks alot.

By the way, it is most likely tarnish. Your lucky that your pads aren`t all molded.

And i dont know if it is mold.

If it is mold, is it bad for you to play a flute with a tiny bit of mold in it?

If it is on metal then I very much doubt that it is mold. It is more likely to be a litttle spot of silver tarnish. I would not worry about it, but next time it is with a technician who has a good reputation, mention it and he should be able to easily polish it off.

There can be tarnish in the head joint? This is more like a blob that sticks out, not flat. I have a little tarnish on the outside of my head joint and its flat.

Try scrubbing it with a little original formula toothpaste and a soft, wet cloth. Once you get the problem corrected I doubt that you`ll have to be reminded about proper care of your instrument.

toothpaste? will this work on the outside of it? mine is rather dirty looking and i can`t seem to get it clean.. like the finish(i guess you`d call it) is coming off in places but the rest of it is very dull.. it got like that after marching season, so my best guess was the weather? how can i prevent my piccolo from getting like this? it`s still new and shiny looking, and i`d like to keep it that way

Sarah, just make sure to wipe it down with a soft cotton cloth before putting it back in the case. That will help keep the finish looking good.

As far as toothpaste goes, I am not sure about that one. I have never tried that, but I have never had to.

Bekk, it most likely is not mold, but some sort of built up of bacteria.

When I first started playing the flute, we had to watch a video on proper cleaning of an instrument.
I will never forget the samples on peatree (sp?) dishes of some of the stuff that were taken out of them after they hadn`t been cleaned in a while.

Needless to say after watching that video, I never forgot to clean my flute.

It is too bad that they don`t show this video to everyone.

For now, or until you get a chance to take it into your repairman, I would just suggest putting a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a cloth and wiping it through your headjoint.

Thank you for the help,Kara.

Your welcome.