How to Clean a Harmonica

To clean a harmonica, tap it out against your palm after every session, wipe it with a soft dry cloth and let it air-dry before you put it in its case. For a deeper clean, unscrew the cover plates and wash just the covers in warm soapy water. Only a harmonica with a plastic or metal comb should be rinsed; never soak one.

Updated 1 November 2026 · By the Classfern Music Department

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Key facts

• Every time: tap it out, wipe it dry, let it air-dry, then case it.
• Plastic and metal combs can be rinsed in lukewarm water and shaken dry.
• Wooden combs must never be rinsed or soaked: the wood swells.
• Chromatic, tremolo and octave harmonicas must never go in water.
• Never use a dishwasher, boiling water, bleach or alcoholic drinks on a harmonica.

How do you clean a harmonica?

Clean a harmonica by tapping it, holes down, against your palm after every session, wiping it with a soft dry cloth and letting it air-dry before you case it. For a deeper clean, take off the cover plates and wash only the covers in warm soapy water. Rinse the whole harmonica only if its comb is plastic or metal.

Most dirt in a harmonica comes from your mouth: moisture, food crumbs and sugar from drinks. So the best cleaning starts before you play. Rinse your mouth with water, do not play straight after eating or drinking anything sweet, and wash your hands so the covers stay clean.

Cleaning steps for your harmonica

Choose what your harmonica’s comb (the middle part with the holes) is made of, and the list shows only the steps that are safe for it. Not sure? Look at the ends of the holes: wood looks grainy, plastic is smooth and often colored, metal is shiny.

My harmonica’s comb is Show every stepPlastic combMetal combWooden combChromatic, tremolo or octave harmonica

1. After every session: tap the harmonica, holes down, against your palm to shake out moisture, then wipe it with a soft, dry cloth.
2. Let it dry: leave it out of the case for a few minutes, holes facing down, before you put it away.
3. Rinse (optional): rinse it briefly under lukewarm running water, holes down. Shake it dry hard and leave it to dry fully before playing.
4. Never rinse or soak: water makes a wooden comb swell, so it can crack and leak air. Use only a dry or barely damp cloth on the outside.
5. Never soak: a chromatic, tremolo or octave harmonica must never be put in water. Wipe the outside with a damp cloth only.
6. Deep clean the covers: with a grown-up, unscrew the two cover plates with a small screwdriver. Wash just the covers in warm, soapy water, rinse, dry and screw them back on gently.
7. Leave the reeds alone: do not scrub, poke or bend the thin brass reeds. If a reed is out of tune or broken, ask a harmonica repairer or replace the reed plate.
8. Store it well: keep it in its case at room temperature, away from radiators, sunny windows and cold cars.

Can you wash a harmonica in water?

Only a diatonic harmonica with a plastic or metal comb can be rinsed, briefly, in lukewarm water, and it must then be shaken dry and left to dry fully. Never soak any harmonica, never rinse one with a wooden comb, and never put chromatic, tremolo or octave harmonicas in water.

Makers warn that soaking can make a harmonica unplayable and may end its guarantee, so check the leaflet that came with yours. Very low-pitched harmonicas should be left to air-dry rather than tapped hard, because tapping can knock their long reeds out of line.

How do you fix a stuck or silent hole on a harmonica?

A silent or buzzing hole is usually caused by a crumb, a hair or moisture caught on a reed. Tap the harmonica out firmly, then play the hole a few times with a strong breath. If it is still silent, a grown-up can take off the cover plate and look, but never poke the reed itself.

If the hole still does not work, the reed may be bent, broken or out of tune. Many harmonicas have replaceable reed plates, or a music shop can send it to a repairer. A broken reed is not dangerous, but do not try to bend it back with a knife or a pin.

How should a school look after a class set of harmonicas?

In school, give every pupil their own harmonica, labelled with their name, and keep each one in its own case or bag. Pupils tap out and wipe their own instrument at the end of the lesson. Never pass a harmonica from child to child, even after wiping it.

• Store the set in a box at room temperature, with cases closed.
• Give pupils a “tap, wipe, dry, case” routine and two minutes at the end of the lesson to do it.
• Clean the outsides with a barely damp cloth. Plastic-comb harmonicas can be rinsed at the end of term, then shaken and dried fully.
• Send harmonicas home at the end of a unit, so each child keeps their own.

Harmonica care checklist (printable)

Self-assessed Tick what you did this week. Ticks are not saved; print a copy for the music room or your case.

• I washed my hands and rinsed my mouth with water before playing.
• I tapped out my harmonica after playing.
• I wiped it with a soft, dry cloth.
• I let it dry before putting it in its case.
• I kept it in its case at room temperature.
• I did not share my harmonica.

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Classfern’s free harmonica guides on lessonplanner.info: harmonica notes chart, harmonica chord chart and easy harmonica songs. This page gives general care advice; always follow your harmonica maker’s own instructions. Classfern is not connected with or endorsed by any harmonica maker.

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