Cleaning Your Cymbals The Right Way

A in-depth guide to cleaning your cymbals the right way.
We recommend that you do not attempt to clean your cymbals.
However if you must, please follow these steps to ensure the best results!

[@gryphka]

If you bought used cymbals, how do you know what finih they're aupposed to have?

[@gamernation185]

RIP to all the cymbals that were harmed in the video.

[@JirkaMichalik]

That polished Kerope looks dope though...

[@EdwoodCA]

1:14 _"Careless Whisper"_ comes on 🤣🤣🤣

[@crisdrumming]

Ok, but what to do with dark cymbals? How to clean it from drumsticks or fingers stains? I have a Custom Dark K ride bought used and it's clearly dirty and darker on hit area.

[@zahirshahriman1018]

didnt even show how to clean the non-brilliant finished cymbals

[@maziu27]

0:25

[@scottvelardo700]

That’s the first thing it shows. Use a soft dry cloth and wipe in the direction of the grooves. Never use a cleaner of any kind on non-Brilliant finished cymbals.

[@Matus0919]

I tried everything! Traditional finish cymbals must be cleaned just with warm water and a cloth! If someone touch your cymbals with dirty hands and leaves finger marks clean it immediately with warm water or Grove Juice for very dirty fingermarks. Every 6 months you can clean the entire cymbal with groove juice to make it shine like new if you like that!

[@matteodonofrio]

​@@Matus0919 I can't believe it would have been so simple..hot water cloth and the fingermarks are gone, thanks my friend!

[@joecap2919]

What about coated ZBT's and ZHTs that get marks and staining under the laminate coat?

[@wkrp71]

Non-scientific experiment with Zildjian Cymbal Cleaner by a drummer: I hope to post this on multiple locations that show the Zildjian Cymbal cleaner. I'll premise this by saying that I've been using Bar keepers friend for a number of years successfully, among other cymbal cleaners over the years. The Zildjian cleaner about 15-16 bucks per 8 oz. bottle, I find these cleaners are a great money maker for cymbal companies, with questionable benefits. Bottom line, I'm a drummer who hopes to spread the word to other drummers to hopefully help them save a buck. I recently bought a new Zildjian brilliant cymbal and wanted to test this cleaner. It comes in a white liquid that one spreads evenly, by sparingly, per the directions, onto both sides of the cymbal. Then it is wiped off with a soft cloth. My first impression was that it is very messy and the black oxidation that comes off (even on a cleaner cymbal like my newest one) is excessive, so one needs plenty of soft clothes. This newest Zildjian cymbal still had a sheen to it, but there were stick marks that the cleaner did not get off. You're going to need a A LOT of elbow grease to get all the polish off. At this stage of my life, I've used up most of my elbow grease. Drummers need to keep in mind that cymbals, like Zildjian, come from the factory with a factory-applied chemical sheen/coat that eventually wears off through cleaning. This is fine and purely natural. Bar keepers helper is a world easier. Some people point of that is has an acid in it, but it's a WEAK acid, that won't harm the cymbal. Also, BKF doesn't irritate your hands/fingers, and if it doesn't hurt your skin, it's sure not going to damage/hurt your cymbal. With BKF, wet the cymbal, use the powder or liquid version and a small sponge. Let it sit for a few second, then rise off. Volla! It's comes out with a nice shine, without the endless elbow grease. You may opt for the liquid version of BKF to avoid micro abrasions with the powder, but those are minimal and not noticed by the naked eye. I also like the powder version sometimes so that I can scrub with a soft sponge to get the stick marks off the cymbal. I hope this helps. BMM

[@scottvelardo700]

Is BKF easy on the logos? (Serious question, despite the potential humor)

[@wkrp71]

@@scottvelardo700 Scott, yeah, it's easy on the logos. I prefer the spray/liquid kind, that comes in a spray bottle. The powder could create micro-abrasions in the cymbal. Also, I cleaned my Zildjian ride that was 30+ years old with BKF, and the logo was still there after 30+ years. Granted it was a little faded, but it was still clearly visible.

[@IAmInfinitus208]

I'm a Paiste guy so will it work too?

[@jimit6398]

Used Brasso which didn’t remove fingerprints or stick marks. On a whim I tried Turtle Wax Chrome cleaner with much better results. I’ll give Bar Keepers a shot next time.

[@titanjde]

I just did this last night. Cleaned 8 cymbals in 20 minutes, they look brand new for cymbals I bought used. I was thinking about putting a light coat of a metal polish on there to help protect the metal. Any thoughts there?

[@ragrapios]

This is just commercial. use barkeeper or brasso. It definitely works more than cymbal polish. Bro. They are cymbal maker. not bronze de-tarnishing pro.

[@christopherdunn317]

I used that on my master sound K's and it came back like white gold ! they look like i remember !

[@jamesowens23]

Bar keeper's friend spray and some paper towles. Wipe the put a little water rinse on it then dry. Is all you need.

[@dragons_red]

New company slogan "Zildjian: Easy on the Logos"

[@scottvelardo700]

Seems to be a theme, doesn’t it? 😆

[@signals34]

i used brasso....works perfect....looks brand new...

[@raghavsharma7711]

Can we use metal buffing? The electrolytic process where you put anode cathode for separating impurities. Wondering whether the electrolyte would screw up?

[@raghavsharma7711]

I did it once, the Cymbal went back to being massively bright again though they started to form greenish weird layer. Wouldn’t call em patina lol

[@scottvelardo700]

@@raghavsharma7711 The green stuff is a tarnish. Steel degraded and turns to rust when exposed to moisture and oxygen in the air. In the same way, copper turns to a green tarnish.

[@evelincansino1564]

What if I have a “I” expressive & bright cymbals? 😭

[@millerhxc]

If someone has gone the citrus route to clean cymbals, should/could they go over it with the Zildjian polish to maybe restore any finish they may have removed? I know people like to hate on the ZBTs, but I have ZBT hi hat cymbals and a ZBT ride (I've had them for many years and they have stood me in good stead) which a couple of days ago I decided to clean for what must be the first time ever. Instead of going out to get polish, I decided to go the DIY route because I had found a lot of videos and articles online showing different methods that are meant to work well. I went for lemons, however I followed an articles which said to use a pot scrubber, of which I have a steel wool sponge (not the really harsh steel wool, but the one that are curled up like a shower sponge.) Although I tried not to be too vigorous, I didn't necessarily know what I was doing with the scrubber, so there are now some hairline scratches which you can see on close inspection. Is it worthwhile getting the polish to go over it again, or is it more "what's done is done?" (And before anyone says "throw them away" or "set them on fire", I will invest in new cymbals when I'm good and ready. Thanks.)

[@Frodohotep]

The Zildjian cleaner does not replenish the laquer finish. In fact, even the Zildjian cleaner with take the finish off. Once it is off, the cymbal will tarnish quickly, and require constant maintenance. If you just leave the finish alone, and never clean it with anything other than a dry cloth to wipe off dust and fingerprints, the factory finish protect the metal for decades. I have several cymbals from the 80s that have never seen a cleaning compound and look brighter and fresher than some much newer ones I’ve seen that have had cleaners on them. They’ve darkened only slightly with age and are still beautiful.

[@timothyreadon4857]

How would you clean Sabian AA marching cymbals? I've tried groove juice and nothing happened.

[@giantl9196]

Are those cymbals a brilliant finish

[@glytch5]

I like the shiny look on my traditional cymbals... problem is that never happens with mine. They always come out really dark actually.

[@scottvelardo700]

They are only that bright yellowish color when thy are new. They begin darkening to that brownish copper patina from day 1. The factory-applied lacquer slows that down and prevents tarnish (green oxidation), which is why it’s best to not clean the lacquer off of you can help it. Brownish copper isn’t dirty, that’s just what color it is. It is the destiny of copper objects. That said, my 1987-ish A Zildjians have never been cleaned with anything other than a dry dust rag and they are still yellow - not the bright shiny yellow of a new platter, but they definitely are not brown like some of my older cymbals, which were cleaned with cymbal cleansers and/or metal polishes at some point.

[@sarinsahil]

Are you using a polish on your traditional cymbals? It leaves a residue which is very hard to get off. It works great for brilliant cymbals but not on traditional ones. Im still figuring out how to clean the traditional finish ones. Scott here has a point. Thanks for sharing.

[@lafayetteacademyzssectionl7592]

You can use eagle one too

[@havespacesuitwilltravel9607]

Be very careful on very dirty cymbals when removing the polish as you can abrade the surface. I recommend rinsing as much as you can off the cymbal with water then buffing dry and clean.

[@jackattack2421]

Can you clean the polish off the different cymbal?

[@scottvelardo700]

All cymbal cleaners and metal polishes, and probably the “home remedies” like ketchup and citrus juice too, WILL remove the factory-applied clearcoat that most non-Brilliant finished cymbals are made with. That clearcoat will take several decades to wear off of you don’t remove it with cleaners, but cleaning it once or twice will strip it right off. Once that coat is off, the metal is actually exposed and THAT is when it changes color. The brownish copper color of older cymbals is actually quite nice. But what you don’t want is the green tarnish that happens when cymbals are unprotected by their lacquer. When that happens, you have no choice but to keep cleaning them periodically because the tarnish will keep coming back. And when you do that, the cleaners actually remove thin layers of metal in order to remove the discoloration (it’s not a stain being removed from the dark-colored surface of the metal, it’s the dark-colored metal being stripped off to expose the metal beneath it). This is what prompts some folks to say they don’t like the change in sound that happens when they clean their cymbals. They sound different because part of the cymbal itself has been removed. Follow Zildjian’s directions: clean Brilliant finished cymbals only. For all other cymbals use only a soft dry cloth and handle them carefully, with gloves when possible. If you do that, letting the lacquer live its naturally long life, your cymbals will look and sound great for far longer than your lifetime.

[@mujiwaranojerry]

And how do I know if my cymbal it's a brilliant finish ? I just bought a k dark custom

[@jbro2780]

Brilliant finish usually features a really shiny surface when completely clean k dark customs are not brilliant

[@cgw_yt]

just check on their website is says what the finish is in the description of the cymbal(zildjian website btw)

[@scottvelardo700]

K Custom Dark cymbals have the traditional clearcoat lacquer, not a Brilliant finish. Use the clean dry cloth method each time you remove the cymbal from a stand to its bag or case. Wear soft gloves when handling it, and touch it with your hands as little as you can manage (there will always be some touching). Never transport it without a proper bag or case. Do that stuff and it’ll look and sound great forever. Will it darken in color over time? Yes, slightly. But it will darken more and quicker if you use any kind of cleaner on it. And that will just tempt you to keep cleaning it. It only gets worse. And there’s no need to ever start that vicious cycle to begin with.

[@LuckGamezGH3]

how does this not have more views?

[@returntoearth308]

LuckGamez because this isn’t the original video

[@rasmusgarbonzo1411]

cuz it doesnt need to. thats the beauty of a rare gem like this.

[@MrPeacetone]

1:15 lol

[@Vince_C._Tabz_vince54tmm]

1:19 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Cymbal's Logo get erased! 1:37 No Oranges Please!!! 1:39 Why does he put a Tomato Ketchup on the Cymbal!? 😆😆😆😆😆

[@jeshanrajganeshwaran4990]

Hi, how often should l clean my cymbals?

[@scottvelardo700]

Use soft gloves when you handle them. Wipe dust and fingerprints off with a soft, dry cloth each time you take them off a cymbal stand. Never use a cleaner - commercially made or otherwise. The clearcoat applied to most non-brilliant finish cymbals will last for decades if you don’t use cleaning products. When you clean that coating off, your cymbals will not just darken faster, but will tarnish and turn green. I have some pretty old cymbals that have been on a lot of gigs and rehearsals over be past 30 years, have never been cleaned with anything other than a dry rag, and still retain their bright yellowish copper color. When they say don’t clean non-Brilliant cymbals, they are not joking.

[@jeshanrajganeshwaran4990]

@@scottvelardo700 thks so much, really appreciate it!

[@vicferrari89]

The cymbal activist group CETA is very concerned that cymbals were harmed during this video as are some cymbal loving drummers.

[@UnknownAutist-pb6ml]

People's Ethical Treatment of Cymbals

[@JoseAlvarez-zx4zv]

Lol its so funny how it dont show u haw it really turns out and how the logo comes off

[@zachrydre5981]

What if i have a zbt Zildjian?

[@maziu27]

you throw it away

[@RodizellMusicalOne]

Garbage food!

[@AlexLopez-mq3ip]

it works on those cymbals as well!

[@heydailey]

@@maziu27 😐😐

[@overindulgence6168]

Sell them and buy K's

[@fireyourrocketts]

Well apple cider vinegar some say it is good to clean them but this video is centered on using those products I guess

[@rasmusgarbonzo1411]

LMAO this vid rules

[@zigwil153]

The mistake in this video is suggesting it's _ok_ to Ketchup on a hotdog.

[@jeffparryncc1701]

Rediculous demonstration. Clean an old dirty cymbol please. Thanks, from everyone.

[@ebeauch123]

this is from avedis zildjian

[@matthewhoward4284]

That moment when the Kerope looks better after Cymbal Polish...

[@scottvelardo700]

Matter of opinion I guess. But it doesn’t.

[@Sundaydrumday]

It clearly looks better after the polish I laughed out loud when they tried to make it out to be bad lol...what a joke

[@indyanna1000]

this be like dont use cymbal polish use cymbal polish

[@disndatdrums553]

Ketchup on a Hotdog is still wrong!

[@RodizellMusicalOne]

You are correct, Bar-B-Que sauce, mustard and sweet relish please!

[@beemochud786]

You guys are wrong. Anything but ketchup is wrong Mustard pp

[@scoop3213]

Helpful video but now I've got that stupid music stuck in my head!

[@backstab86]

or rather, buy new cymbals? its not like we reanimate our dog when it dies

[@webbs6892]

You lost all credibility with ketchup on a hotdog.