A music store clerk sold me an alleged "clarinet swab" that, according to my teacher, is way too small to effectively dry the clarinet. Apparently, I've got to order one on-line.

What swab do you recommend, please?

Silk is said to be the most absorbent material. I use an old silk tie that I bought dirt cheap at a thrift shop. Open it up, thread it through a loop on the end of a piece of string, add a small weight on the other end and you are in business.

Yes, I defiantly agree that silk is the best. It dries quicker and has a lesser chance of growing mold on it. Also, it will go through the clarinet easier then a cloth one. Cloth usually gets stuck on the register key on the inside, because a piece of metal that sticks out. I've actually had a friend who got hers caught inside the clarinet and we had to get a flute rod to get it out. xD So yeahh, defiantly don't use those clothes ones anymore!

Thanks, clarinet99 and Angela.

The bit about growing mold (yuck!) reminds me: Should I be putting my swab through the laundry?

I don't know if I would put it in the laundry. I'm thinking the chord/string to it would get stuck and that would really suck, lol. I would though, get a dab of washing detergent and put it under the sink and handwash it real good. You could probably put it in the dryer afterwards, unless you have a dryer like mine that tends to eat things, lol.

Hope that helped!
Msg me if you have any questionnnns.

Yamaha now sell a fabulous microfibre cloth that is just the best as far as I'm concerned, but then I'm only new to this and so I've got a lot to learn.

I've used cloth for 40-50 years. If one is too big/bulky to fit through smoothly I cut it down a bit. Once I had to cut one almost in two, as it got ripped a bit. Told those around me that, "hey, it's only half as dirty now".

Just had a look online for the best clarinet swab and found this, way to go I think,I have one made out of a man's hankie, my teacher suggested that but mine got stuck a couple of times.

A.M.Gigliotti's patented "No-Jam" clarinet swab features unique design that guarantees that it can never be stuck inside the instrument. It is longer than any standard Bb or A clarinet and has pull-out strings on both sides, so at any moment it can be pulled out of the instrument. Unlike cotton swabs, Gigliotti silk swab never leaves residue inside the clarinet, and provides better absorption than microfiber.