Pest and Moisture Damage Warning Script
Turns your rough notes about mold, moths, mice, or moisture damage found inside a piano into a calm, clear warning for the owner.
Before and after
Hi Mrs. Alvarez,
Thank you for having me out to look at your Yamaha upright. I want to put in writing what I found so you have it for pest control and any repair decisions.
What I found
- Mouse droppings along the bottom board and behind the kickboard, and a nest of shredded felt and paper in the bottom left corner.
- Chewed felt on about 8 or 9 of the bass dampers, and a bite taken out of one low bass hammer.
- White and green fuzzy growth on the lower case wood and on a few bass strings. This looks like mold.
- Rust spots on some bass strings and tuning pins.
- Sticky keys in the bottom octave.
- A musty smell coming from the inside of the piano.
What this means for the piano
Mice can nest inside a piano and chew the felt and cloth that make it play and sound right. The chewed dampers and hammer will likely need to be repaired or replaced. Damp air can swell the wood, rust the strings and pins, and cause sticky keys. I can't say how far the damp has gone without more work, but it may affect how well the piano holds a tuning.
What I did and did not do today
I did not tune the piano. I recommend not tuning it until the mice and damp are dealt with, because the tuning would not last and I would be working around droppings and mold. I did not clean or remove anything. I wore a mask and gloves while I looked.
What we recommend, in this order
- Fix the cause of the damp. You mentioned the garage door seal is bad and the room gets damp when it rains. Fixing that first will help protect the piano.
- Call a pest control company to remove the mice and the nest and to block how they are getting in.
- Ask a mold specialist to look at the room and the piano before anyone cleans it. If anyone in the house has health concerns, please talk with your doctor.
- Once the pests and damp are handled, I can return to inspect the piano, price the felt repairs and any rust treatment, and then tune it.
My recheck inspection visit is 65 dollars. Today's 90 dollar visit fee has been paid, thank you. I cannot promise the piano will come back fully, but I would be glad to look at it again when the room is ready. Please reply if you have any questions.
Also, please check your own home insurance and any rental or lease terms yourself if they may apply.
Thank you,
[Your name]
What it does
Turns your rough notes about mold, moths, mice, or moisture damage found inside a piano into a calm, clear warning for the owner. It says what you found, what it means for the piano, what the owner should do next, and what you did or did not do on the visit.
Use it when: Use when a piano tuner finds mold, moths, mice, or moisture damage in a piano and needs a clear warning message for the owner, such as "write up the mold I found," "tell the customer about the mice," "there are moth problems in this piano," or "explain the damp damage to the client."