“It’s a task that most of us can’t be bothered with, but it’ll pay off in the long run”: Never cleaned your synths? Here's how – and why – to do it properly

Richard Barbieri studio.

The best day of owning a synth or keyboard is the one it arrives at your doorstep. You've been looking forward to this day for weeks, perhaps saving your hard-earned cash for an instrument which, most likely, will change your music making fortunes.

On this first day, you unpack it and wonder at its gleaming and sparkling finish – it's ready to make some noise and change your life. Three weeks later, it's blended in with everything else you own, is covered in dust, and is about as appealing to play as, well... just about every other keyboard you own.