I just bought a Yamaha flute and I was wondering if I should polish it. With my old flute I used to run it under water to get off finger prints. What do you do to keep your flute looking shiny and finger print free?

You should NOT run water over your flute! That ruins the pads! A microfiber cleaning cloth works fine.

Yeah, you could just buy a polishing cloth at a Music store. (or online)

You ran your flute under water? Are you for real? Eeek!!

Use nothing more than a soft cloth or silver polishing cloth - definitely use no liquids. Take care not to touch the pads as they are quite fragile also it is easy to dislodge springs & felts.
Leave washing instruments to the brass players.

+1 to the advice already given.

Well actually I had to replace my flute because I got it used for only $90 and it was like 30 years old. I guess you don't run flutes under water... Ooops! Thanks for letting me know that

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My dad and brother played trumpet so I just washed my flute off with water too... Bad idea!

A 30 plus year old flute does not have to be replaced if it is properly maintained. I agree with Micron, it is no wonder you had to replace it. If you put a flute under water with the pads on, then there is no way around it, you will ruin in. At least you know now. It is a sham the more kids are not educated in proper maintenance of their instruments. They can't all be expected to all have common sense.

I know that putting a flute in water is a bad thing to do... well a really bad thing to do but, I can see where you came from. I'm from a mixed instrumental family, and my brothers always have put their brass instruments through water to clean them. But, my mom and sister are woodwind players so I learned about the proper way of cleaning my woodwind partly though them, and partly though the internet. Here's a link that you may find helpful.

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-and-Maintain-Your-Flute

Just go to your local music shop and buy a silver polishing cloth...it should be blue and cost a few bucks....thats good enough

It's all pretty dodgy thinking to me. If that were a reason for doing it, then perhaps another sibling would put an electric guitar, or violin under water to clean them.

Ahahaha!!! It is just an excuse being used because of ignorance. If you have an instrument, the first thing you should do is learn how to take care of it properly. A google search is very easy to do. It is kind of like putting your car though a car wash with all the windows down and the doors open. Common sense people, common sense!

Leave it to micron to find any given opportunity to slip the word 'sausage' in a post on flutes. jajajajajjajajjaja!

lolol!!! You are naughty!

Micron, I honestly don't think it has anything to do with you being g@y. That didn't even occur to me at all when I read it. Perhaps I am just naive It really is too bad that any g@y people do get mocked. That is not fair at all. But please, we really should leave nationalities out it. I am American and I find it offensive to be labeled as such.

Micron should understand that "ja ja ja ja ja" is NOT an expression typically used by Americans. So his accusations against Americans are completely unwarranted here.