How should I clean the keys of my piano?
Genuine Ivory: Ordinary residue that builds up from normal playing can usually be removed by firm wiping with a damp cloth. A mild dish soap on the cloth will help on stubborn areas. Follow with a dry cloth or paper towel. A naphtha (ordinary lighter fluid) dampened paper towel will remove crayon, and most of the adhesive residues left behind if your keys were ever "labeled". Cigarette burns and certain inks, will penetrate into the sub-surface of the ivory, and can only be removed by scraping, sanding, and re-polishing, if you're lucky.
Simulated Ivory, Plastic, and most modern keytop materials: Use the same procedure as for genuine ivory, but be careful about using solvents that could etch or partially dissolve the material. This is usually not a problem, but it is wise to do a small test patch at the back of a key before you start work on middle C.
WARNING: I know it sounds funny, but on older pianos be careful not to rub the black color off of the sharps by scrubbing too hard! I've seen this many times.
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