Cleaning Zildjian Cymbals in Seven Easy Steps

If you’re like me, then all you care about with your drums is one thing: playing them. You want to play and get going right away. But, just because you want to play all the time does not mean you can avoid taking proper care of your cymbals. While cleaning and tuning are not the most fun part about drumming, they are necessary if you want to keep playing your drums. If you want to keep playing, you have to keep cleaning! Preserving the cymbals for as long as you can will not only save you money in the long run, but also enhance the sound quality of your cymbals as they are currently.  This will improve quality in recordings, music, and your practice overall.

Step 1: Purchase necessary polishing materials.  Zildjian Cymbal polish (see our website here for options) works best for shining your cymbals, finishing them, and preparing them for the many elements to which they will be exposed. I recommend this as the first step, since you want to be able to polish your cymbal right after it is cleaned. The following steps detail the steps leading up to polishing, but you obviously need all the right tools and materials before you start.

Step 2: Set your cymbal on a stand (as if you’re going to play it). This is not necessary, however I recommend it for several reasons. For one, you want to minimize the amount of fingerprints you leave on the cymbal. It’s inevitable you’ll leave your finger marks on the cymbal, but the less the cymbal can be touched by anything except the cleaning materials, the better condition it is left in. Leaving it set on the cymbal means you’ll handle it less with your hands. Secondly, having it set on a stand will allow you to more evenly clean it. 

Step 3: Get a soft, smooth rag and some warm soapy water. You want the rag to be smooth and soft so that it does not erode or damage the cymbal.  A tougher or rougher rag might scratch the cymbal or wear away the polish on its exterior, and this can potentially affect the sound of your cymbal.

Step 4: Soak the rag and gently dab away at stains/dirt/blemishes on the cymbal. Only dab with the rag and gently rub at the cymbal. Even with a soft rag, if you are too rough, you can wear out the finish/polish of the cymbal. Just gently rub out the dirt stains or blemishes. It might take you awhile to get the shine you really want, but be diligent and make sure to ring out the rag after awhile.

Step 5: Gently wipe down the cymbal with another rag or let it air dry. Before you can put on any polish, the cymbal must be dried off from the warm soapy water cleaning. Let it dry, and then get your polish ready!

Step 6: With another soft rag (the one you used to dry will work), apply Zildjian’s cymbal polish to the cymbal. In a similar method to the warm water rinse, evenly apply the polish to the cymbal. Zildjian polishes are typically for brighter cymbals (such as the Zildjian Constantinople and Zildjian A Custom series), so I don’t recommend using it if your cymbal has a dark finish. If the cymbal has a bronze finish or is darker in color, Zildjian cymbal polish need not be applied. Warm water and soap can be enough to make your cymbal clean, but applying polish can make it shine. Zildjian polishes also provide layers of extra protection, and can help protect against further damages, such as water/liquid damage. This will ensure the cymbal retains its tone, too!


How to Apply Zildjian Cymbal Polish:

Zildjian Brilliant Cymbal Polish Cleaning

Step 7: Repeat for every cymbal! Make sure every cymbal around your drum kit is polished and clean. I personally recommend doing this procedure every two months, or, if your cymbals get extended usage, maybe more frequently (once a month or every few weeks).

And there you go! How to clean your Zildjian cymbals in only seven easy steps. While it is not always fun to do the care taking, it is worth it in the long run to have your Zildjian cymbal polished and ready for play. Along with proper technique and storage, cleaning can extend a cymbals lifespan for a long time.

You want to keep your Zildjian cymbal looking like this!

A pristine Zildjian cymbal after cleaning (Photo Credit: Samuel Tattum) 

Polished, clean, no cracks... That's the way to go.