Spring cleaning

Ok, It's actually summer cleaning. For those of you who have hammered dulcimers and are looking for a way to clean them, here's how I do mine.
I take a large, soft brush and work it down through the strings and then rub it back and forth to dislodge the dust as much as possible.



After that, I go to my wife's shop and use the air compressor with a needle valve attachment to blow high pressure air across the instrument and into the crevices.
I'm amazed at how much stuff I get out of the inside. Leaves, dust bunnies, dog hair, you name it. I guess that's what happens when you play outside for many weeks of the year!

I do this only once or twice a year. The results look nice, but the sound is the same as before so I am not compelled to do it very often.
Occasionally my wife will do me a huge favor and rub Scott's liquid gold into the wood, and then it really shines!