5 Ways to Help Care For Your Acoustic Piano Through the Summer Heatwaves
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Time to read 6 min
Introduction
For 170 years, we've been helping people find, play, and fall in love with pianos. In that time we've learned a thing or two about what keeps an acoustic piano playing beautifully for decades rather than years. These are instruments built from real wood, felt, and cast iron, made to be treasured and passed down and with a little seasonal care, that's exactly what yours can be.
At Miller's Music, we believe music shouldn't cost the earth. Every piano that is well looked after is a piano that doesn't need replacing, which means fewer resources used and less waste over time. Preserving these instruments isn't just about protecting something beautiful, it's a genuinely sustainable way to make music, and it's part of what allows us to keep pianos accessible and affordable for the next person who falls in love with one.
Summer heatwaves are one of the biggest tests a piano faces all year. Wood breathes, felt reacts to moisture, and strings shift with the heat. None of this happens dramatically or overnight, but a few thoughtful habits now can save you a lot of hassle later, and keep your piano sounding its best for many summers to come. Here are five easy ways to look after it while the sun's out.
Table of contents
Introduction 1. Keep Your Acoustic Piano Out of Direct Sunlight 2. Keep an Eye on the Humidity around your Acoustic Piano 3. Give Your Piano Some Space From Fans and Air Conditioning 4. Keep Up With Your Acoustic Piano Tuning Schedule 5. Protect the Keys on Your Piano From Sweat and Sun Cream Here for the Long Run
1. Keep Your Acoustic Piano Out of Direct Sunlight
Pianos and sunbathing don't mix! Direct sun can gradually fade and warp the case, and the soundboard underneath the lid is even more sensitive to it. A few hours of strong sunlight can dry the wood out faster than the instrument can comfortably adjust to.
The good news is this one's easy to fix. Take a look at how sunlight moves through your room over the course of a day, a spot that's shady in the morning might catch full sun by the afternoon. Drawing the curtains during peak sun, or simply shifting the piano a foot or two, is often all it takes to keep it happy.
2. Keep an Eye on the Humidity around your Acoustic Piano
If there's one thing that causes more piano trouble than anything else, it's swinging humidity and summer brings plenty of it, between warm, muggy days and dry, air-conditioned rooms. These ups and downs cause the soundboard to expand and contract, which over time can lead to cracking, tuning instability, and keys that don't quite feel right.
The simplest way to stay ahead of it is to actually measure what's going on, rather than guess. The Millers Music Acoustic Digital Thermometer and Piano Hygrometer monitors both conditions in real time, displaying precise temperature and humidity readings with an integrated digital clock and date display. This allows you to identify environmental problems before they damage your piano. Aim to keep things steady somewhere around 40–50% relative humidity, without big daily swings. A small bit of awareness goes a long way toward protecting your instrument.
3. Give Your Piano Some Space From Fans and Air Conditioning
When it's baking hot, it's natural to want to point a fan or air conditioner straight at the room — but a direct draught blowing onto your piano can dry the soundboard unevenly, which isn't great for it. Hammers and felt exposed to constant airflow can also lose their bounce sooner than they should.
The fix is simple: cool the room, not the piano. Angle fans and air conditioning away from the instrument, and let the room cool gradually rather than in a sudden blast. Your piano will thank you for the gentle treatment.
4. Keep Up With Your Acoustic Piano Tuning Schedule
We generally recommend having your piano tuned at least once a year, and summer is not the season to put it off. The shift into hot weather is exactly when a piano is most likely to drift, as the strings respond to changes in humidity. Skipping your tuning because things "still sound okay" can mean small issues quietly build into bigger ones.
A tuning isn't just about getting the pitch right, either, it offers a great opportunity for a technician to spot anything that needs attention early, while it's still an easy fix. Keeping up with regular tuning is one of the kindest things you can do for a piano you want to enjoy for years to come.
5. Protect the Keys on Your Piano From Sweat and Sun Cream
Here's one that's easy to miss: warm weather means warmer hands, more sun cream, and more sweat, and your keyboard ends up on the receiving end of all three. The oils and chemicals in sun cream especially can affect the finish on key surfaces over time, and sweat left to sit can find its way into the seams.
Luckily, the fix couldn't be simpler. A quick wash and dry of your hands before you sit down to play, especially after time outdoors, makes a big difference. A gentle wipe with a soft, dry cloth after playing keeps the keys looking and feeling their best for years to come.
Here for the Long Run
An acoustic piano is one of the few things you can genuinely pass down - a real companion for a lifetime of music, and maybe the next generation's too. We've been helping people care for exactly that kind of instrument for 170 years, and we love seeing pianos still going strong decades after they first found their home.
A heatwave doesn't need to be anything to worry about. Keep it out of the sun, keep an eye on humidity, let it breathe away from fans and air con, stay on top of tuning, look after those keys and your piano will be ready to make beautiful music for many summers still to come.
At Miller's Music, we believe caring for an instrument properly is about more than protecting one piano - it's part of a bigger picture. A well-maintained piano can be sold, rented, restored, and passed on to a new home again and again, generation after generation, rather than ending up discarded. That's the circular economy in action, and we believe it's the future of the music industry: fewer instruments in landfill, more beautiful pianos out in the world being played, and a little less waste with every piano that gets the care it deserves.
Keep your acoustic piano out of direct sunlight
Keep an eye on the humidity
Keep your piano away from fans and air conditioning units
Keep up with your tuning schedule
Protect your piano from sweat and sun cream
Can heat damage an acoustic piano?
Yes. Heat causes the wood inside a piano, particularly the soundboard, to expand and contract, which can affect tuning stability and, over time, lead to cracking or loose joints. The bigger risk usually comes from the humidity changes that heat brings rather than the temperature itself, so keeping conditions stable is key.
What is the ideal humidity level for a piano?
Most technicians recommend keeping relative humidity between 40% and 50%, with as little day-to-day fluctuation as possible. Big swings in humidity are more damaging than a slightly high or low reading that stays consistent, which is why tracking humidity with a monitor is so useful.
How often should a piano be tuned in summer?
A piano should be tuned at least once a year, and summer is not the season to delay it. Seasonal shifts in temperature and humidity are exactly when a piano is most likely to drift out of tune, so keeping to a regular tuning schedule helps catch small issues early.
Does sunlight damage a piano?
Yes, direct sunlight can fade and warp the case and dry out the soundboard faster than the wood can adjust to. It's best to keep a piano out of direct sun, especially during peak afternoon hours, and to reposition it or use curtains if sunlight moves across the room throughout the day.
Simon
With over 25 years experience, I've been fortunate enough to literally travel the world visiting factories and music shops, talking to master technicians and engineers, building up a huge knowledge and understanding of the market, products, and concepts.
I am driven by the belief that music is hugely important and should be accessible to all. I advocate for repair and reuse in the industry and across society.
