How To Clean Cymbals

With cymbals being made from various metal combinations, they tend to show a bit of wear and tear over time. The more you use them and leave them out in the open, the more likely the cymbals are to get dusty, build up some grime, and oxidize over time.

Cleaning cymbals is a bit of a divisive topic in the drumming community, as some drummers do it religiously while others don’t do it at all.

You should still know how to do it for whenever the time comes, though. In this guide, I’ll show you everything you need to know about cleaning a set of cymbals on a drum set.

Should You Clean Your Cymbals?

While most drummers would want to, it all depends on what sounds and appearances you like. There are several different types of cymbals that you can get, and some of them should be cleaned while others should be left alone.

If you have bright cymbals with brilliant finishes, cleaning them will reinvigorate their shiny appearance. They’ll also sound brighter and glossier after being cleaned. If that’s the sound you want, regular cleaning should be done.

If you have dark or dry cymbals with earthy tones, cleaning them will actually negatively affect those tones. Those kinds of cymbals sound better over time, as the grime that gets built up improves how they sound. So, don’t clean those ones if you don’t have to.

If you really want to clean dark cymbals, just make sure to only dust them off. Just never try to polish them, as that will ruin their tones.

Cymbal Cleaning Checklist

You don’t need much to do a full clean of all your cymbals. However, it’s ideal to build a small cleaning kit so that you’re always prepared for when the time comes.

Here’s a quick checklist to follow that will show you everything you need to have in your kit.

Microfiber Cloth

A microfiber cloth is the most important tool to have when cleaning your cymbals. This is what you’ll be wiping all your cymbals with, so it’s ideal to have two or three of them to use.

The reason for using a microfiber cloth is that the material isn’t too harsh on the metal of your cymbals. It also does a fantastic job of removing dust without having to wipe too hard.

Soap

Soap is the next thing to use, as simply wiping a cymbal with a cloth may not be enough. I mostly recommend using dish soap, as it’s something that everyone has in their house, and it’s known not to damage your cymbals.

Just make sure not to be too heavy handed with it, as you don’t need to apply much of it to a cymbal for it to be effective. 

Water

You’ll also need a bit of water if you’re going to use soap. The warmer the water, the better the results. However, you shouldn’t use water that is too hot.

Relatively warm water is the best thing to use with soap and a microfiber cloth to wipe your cymbals down to get a bit of grime off.

Cymbal Polish

The last item you need is a cymbal polish. This is a special product that will make your cymbals shine again once you apply it.

You get various metal polishes that drummers may be tempted to use, but I strongly suggest that you purchase a polish that comes from a drum kit brand. These polishes are designed to be used for cymbals, so they’ll give you guaranteed results.

Cymbal Cleaning Process

Wipe the Cymbal Down

The first step is to take your microfiber cloth and wipe the cymbal down as much as you can. You’ll often find that cymbals have a bit of dust resting on them, and taking away all the dust may be enough to freshen their appearance and tones.

If the cymbal still looks like it needs a clean after this, you can continue with the process. If you think it looks fresh, I’d recommend stopping here.

If your cymbals have dark or dry tones, this is definitely where you should stop. The dust will be gone, and doing anything more to them will detract from the tonal qualities that they produce.

Repeat this dusting process for all of your cymbals before deciding whether to take things further.

Use Soap and Warm Water

The next step is to use a bit of dish soap and warm water. You can prepare a small bucket and then dip the microfiber cloth in it. Make sure to squeeze it out very well first, and then you can wipe it across the cymbal.

You don’t want to have too much water and soap on the cymbal, as the mixture of liquid and metal isn’t a good one. You just want to have enough soap to get rid of all the grime that can easily come off the cymbal.

When you start cleaning another cymbal, make sure to dip the cloth into the bucket again and squeeze it out. If you don’t do that, you may end up rubbing grime all over another cymbal.

Use a Cymbal Cleaner

If you can still see a bit of dirt on the cymbal, it may be time to use a stronger cymbal cleaner instead of dish soap.

Make sure to use a dedicated cymbal cleaner that has been sold by a reputable drum brand. I’ll recommend a few later.

Before using the cleaner, use some tape to cover the logo on the cymbal. This is to protect it from getting damaged or peeling off due to the strength of the cleaner.

Apply the cleaner to your cloth and then rub it across the cymbal. Make sure the coat is quite thin. Give it a few minutes, and then use another cloth to rub the cleaner off.

You should then use a third cloth to dry the cymbal. Repeat this process for all the cymbals you want to clean.

Use a Cymbal Polish

A typical cymbal cleaner will make your cymbals look fresh, but it won’t make them very shiny. For that, you’ll need to use cymbal polish. Again, make sure to only use a polish for bright cymbals, as they’re the only cymbal type that is supposed to look shiny.

The process of applying polish is the same as applying a cleaner. However, you may need to use a bit more elbow grease to rub it in. Rubbing quite hard is the best way to ensure that a cymbal polish works well.

Once you’ve done that, you can use a cloth to wipe it off.

Best Cymbal Cleaners and Polishes

As I mentioned earlier, you should only use reputable cleaners on your cymbals that have been made by known music and drum brands.

If you use something you’re not too sure about, you risk damaging your cymbals from chemicals that aren’t supposed to mix with whatever alloys the cymbals are made from.

For the sake of cleaning cymbals, I recommend using MusicNomad Cymbal Cleaner or Lizard Spit. These two cleaners are incredibly popular in the drumming world, making them the most reliable picks.

If you want to polish your cymbals to make them as shiny as possible, the Zildjian Brilliant Cymbal Cleaning Polish would be my top recommendation.

Can You Use Household Items?

You can use household items to clean your cymbals, but they won’t give you the same reliable results as official cleaners from reputable brands.

Also, household items tend to make more of a mess when you’re cleaning the cymbals, which is the biggest reason I don’t like to use them.

With that said, here are a few popular options that drummers have been known to use:

• Lemons
• Ketchup
• Vinegar

All of those things have some sort of acidity that does a decent job of cleaning the grime from your cymbals.

Removing Logos

While I mentioned this earlier, I think it’s very important to state again. The process of cleaning cymbals poses a huge risk of peeling the logos off from your cymbals.

You need to do your best to protect them, and placing tape over them while you scrub the cymbals with a cloth tends to be the best method.

However, you might find a lot of dirt in between the letters of the logo. If you want to clean the cymbal in that area, I’d recommend using an earbud to scrub around the letters very delicately. You can then use a dry earbud to wipe the cleaner off.

Do Clean Cymbals Sound Superior?

This all depends on the listener. Some drummers love the sound of clean cymbals, while others prefer the sound of cymbals that have never been cleaned.

I personally love how cymbals start to sound over time, but that’s because I’m a bigger fan of dark, gritty, and earthy cymbals than I am of bright and shimmering ones.

If I played in a big rock band and needed glossy cymbals, I would clean them often so that they maintained their bright sound.

If you’re a jazz drummer that needs texture and articulation from your cymbals, you shouldn’t clean them at all.

Tips for Keeping Your Cymbals Clean

Hold Them On The Edges

One of the quickest ways that cymbals get dirty is when drummers put their hands on them. The sweat and grime from your hands build up over time, and that’s how cymbals develop a thick layer of dirt.

It’s very hard to stop this from happening, as you often have to hold cymbals when you’re playing. However, you can slow the process down by only gripping the cymbals on the edges when you transport them.

Keep this in mind when you pull a cymbal out of a bag or lift it from a cymbal stand.

Store Them Away

The environment you’re in also affects how dirty your cymbals get. If you leave your cymbals on the stands in a practice room that doesn’t have a lot of airflow, dust will build up over time.

That dust will thicken on the cymbals, causing them to get dirtier and dirtier. You can prevent this by storing them away when you’re not playing the kit.

You should also keep a microfiber cloth near your kit so that you can give your cymbals a quick wipe down every now and then.

Also, make sure to let air flow through the room so that dust doesn’t build up as quickly.

Can You Clean Unlathed Cymbals?

No, you should never clean unlathed cymbals. Cymbal cleaners and polishes are only meant to be used on bright and brilliant cymbals that are supposed to look shiny.

If you’re unsure of what an unlathed cymbal is, it’s the ones that have earthy appearances and almost look unfinished. They’re designed to look like that, and the fact that they’re unlathed makes them sound a certain way.

If you try to clean them with a strong acidic cleaner, it will negatively affect the sounds you get. It also won’t make them look any cleaner, as they’re not supposed to be shiny in the first place.

The most you should do to unlathed cymbals is wipe them down with a dry cloth.

How Often Should You Clean Your Cymbals?

This depends on how fresh you want them to look. Some drummers clean them once every few months, while others clean them about once a year.

Just make sure that you’re not cleaning them more than once a month. Using too much cymbal cleaner and cymbal polish will damage the cymbals over time.

You can just dust them off with a cloth about once a week to maintain their sleek appearance and sound.

How to Clean Cymbals, Final Thoughts

Cleaning cymbals is quite a simple process. However, you need to be careful not to damage the cymbals or remove the logos, so always be as delicate as you can. If you want your cymbals to look brand new, make sure to get a good cymbal cleaner and cymbal polish combo. Just don’t use those things on cymbals that are supposed to sound dark or dry