Mice&Pianos

Mice can wreak havoc in a piano. They can chew up the felt parts, which can cause them to stop working properly. They can make nests around parts or underneath the keys, causing keys to not function. You also risk getting different sicknesses from mouse nests in pianos. When playing and/or moving the piano, dried mouse droppings can turn into dust, and it could be inhaled. This can cause various diseases that you definitely don't want. Then how do you prevent this or fix an existing problem? Well, to prevent it from ever happening, make sure you keep your home mouse-free. I recommend not keeping your piano in any dark, damp areas of your home. When getting a piano, take note of where the piano was stored and for how long. I also always recommend having a piano tuner take a look at any piano you are thinking of purchasing to assess if the piano is worth getting. However, this isn't necessary if you are getting a piano from an actual piano store. If the piano you are getting has been stored in a dark, damp area, then it is at a higher risk of having had mice in the piano. A large percentage of free pianos that are given away have had mice in them. If you did pick up a piano that wasn't evaluated, I would recommend having a piano tuner evaluate it along with the tuning. With the evaluation, the piano tuner can determine if there are any mouse nests in the piano, chewed felts, or dead mice. If they do find a mouse nest in the piano, it needs to be cleaned immediately. They will also determine how much it will cost to repair the damage the mice have done to the piano. Usually, that is replacing various felts, possible dampers, or hammers. The process will be different depending on how old or new the nest/droppings are. It may be able to be vacuumed, wiped out, and disinfected. If they are new droppings/nests, you have to be more careful, wearing all the necessary masks and protective gear. This is because new droppings have a higher risk of contaminants being airborne, causing nasty diseases. If you have noticed mice in your home, make sure to call a piano tuner to check the piano; you don't want to risk viruses or diseases.