RSV Care of Your Instrument
•	Keep the Instrument in it's case when not in use. Vacuum out your case occasionally. The case is a happy home for your RSV instrument, and, by the way, we sell a full line of cases at RSV.
•	Control the Humidity. If you keep a Humidity controlled room in your house, that is the best place to store your Instrument. Avoid big changes in humidity and temperature.
•	Clean the Instrument's strings, fingerboard, and body with a soft, dry cloth. Never use furniture polish or water. ~ For Wood use a specialized violin cleaner and clean off the rosin caking that can occur. ~ For the Strings use a specialized string cleaner. Bring your instrument to RSV if the strings get excessively caked.
•	Loosen the bow's hair slightly after use. Horse hair can shrink dramatically due to humidity levels and cause the bow to warp. If you loosen the bow fully and the hair is draping more than an inch, then you need to bring your bow to RSV to get it rehaired.
•	Keep the strings of your instrument taut. There is not any advantage to loosening the strings.
•	Do not leave an instrument in a hot or cold car. The heat or cold can break down your instrument's glues & varnishes and leave a puddle.
•	Try to keep dust, small birds, cereal, and paper clips out of the f holes. It can be rather tricky to clean them out and it will rattle when you play your instrument.
•	Wash your hands before handling your instrument. Your hands produce oils and acids that can break down the varnish. It is best to only handle the unvarnished parts.
•	View maintenance videos