Cleaners such as Fantastic, Pinesol, and Mr. Clean are powerful cleaners, but they have solvents that might soften and blush some lacquer finishes. Some are also alkaline enough to increase any red rot already forming on the instrument. Procedure Begin by removing all of the slides. Use soft paper toweling to remove all traces of tuning slide grease from the slides and the instrument. A little grease goes a long way in slowing down your valves, and this step will keep grease from transferring to the valves and casing during cleaning.
Silicone based slide grease is uniquely tough to remove.
If you have a silicone based slide grease on your slides, remove it with a paper towel saturated in mineral spirits. Place the slides somewhere safe for until the soapy water is ready. The valves are also best cleaned separately. First, soak them in individual plastic cups containing enough lukewarm soapy water to just cover the top of the piston, but not the felts. Use your snake to gently clean the ports of each piston, and a soft soapy wash cloth to clean the outside of each piston.