How to Clean a Shofar

When consulting experts on how to clean a bad-smelling shofar? you get different answers. And there are many questions such as:

  • Do you need to pour Arak or vinegar into your Shofar to maintain it properly?
  • How to improve the sound quality of an old shofar,
  • And how do you clean a bad-smelling shofar and disinfect it?

Let’s bust some myths and give you some helpful tips, in “Prepare your Shofar for blowing – Dos and Don’ts!”

How to Clean Your Shofar Before Rosh Hashanah

Clean the Mouthpiece and Drill Hole

The only thing we recommend you do, when using the Shofar on Rosh HaShanah, is clean the mouthpiece and drill hole with a cleaning rod. Cleaning rods can be purchased at our workshop, or if you wish to make one yourselves – use a pipe cleaner or some feathers sterilized with alcohol. The cleaning rod should soak up the saliva left inside the Shofar during blowing, and keep it clean and dry. For information on how to blow a shofar?

Where to store the Shofar?

The Shofar should be kept in a ventilated and dark place. We recommend storing the Shofar in a breathable canvas bag, not in a sealed plastic bag.

shofar case shofar carrying cases

How to take care of the Shofar?

How to Clean Shofar The best way to take care of the Shofar is simply… to do nothing! If the Shofar suits the person using it – there is no need to do anything, more likely than not, you would just damage it. Some people pour Arak, vinegar or wine into the Shofar, thinking the liquid will improve its sound. This is a mistake! The horn absorbs and soaks up the liquids, which dim the sound temporarily. Ba’alei Teki’ah who wash the Shofar before Rosh HaShanah are unpleasantly surprised to find out the Shofar sound has changed. This is because the horn is not sufficiently dry.

Any more questions or inquiries? Please write us…

Shofars are something we really like talking about 🙂

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Shimon Keinan Shofars

Shimon Keinan Shofars

The Shofars at Kol Shofar are meticulously handcrafted in our family workshop, paying maximum attention to the highest level of quality, to Kashrut, ease of blowing, cleanliness and producing a special sound. Our customers say they can recognize our Shofars immediately anywhere in the world, due to our unique handprint.

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