Soak the Tuning Slide(s)

My trombone is a bass, so the tuning slides demand a step in cleaning and greasing.

Even if I had a special, greasy cloth that you normally use for cleaning, I wouldn't use it here. I don't want to ruin a good cloth, and I don't want to put any grease onto the instrument before soaking. Heavy, abrasive paper towels are a bad idea, and toilet paper breaks down when it gets wet. Soft and simple paper tissues do a great job. Avoid scented or moisturizing types.

Again, try to avoid getting the water more dirty than necessary. Before soaking the slides, wipe off any excess grease or lubricant from the slide surfaces. I just used some paper tissue to remove any old grease.

The main tuning slide (the larger, middle slide) gets a special mention here because the two sides are matched differently - see the pictures. Basically, I needed to wipe off the outside of one side, and the inside of the other. You can see that the tissues get fairly dirty in this process.

Grease will keep the soapy water off the metal surface, which is normally good - it prevents corrosion. Just after cleaning, it will be very important to restore this protective coating.