TL;DR
Drum cleaning is mostly dusting and wiping, and the failure mode is water getting into places it cannot leave: lug casings, tension rod threads, and the inside of a wooden shell. Dust first, wipe heads and shells with a barely damp cloth and a trace of mild soap, dry immediately, and never soak or submerge any part of a kit.
What a kit is actually made of
Heads are usually a thin polyester film, sometimes coated with a textured layer that gives brushes their sound. That coating wears off, and it wears off faster with scrubbing.
Shells are typically wood with a lacquer, a wrap, or an oil finish, and each responds differently. There are also acrylic and metal shells with their own rules.
Hardware means chrome-plated steel lugs, tension rods, hoops, stands, and pedals. Chrome is a thin plating over steel, and once it pits, the steel underneath rusts.
Cymbals are bronze alloy, and they oxidize. This is the most contested topic in drumming.
How do you clean drum heads?
Dust the head with a dry cloth first, then wipe it with a cloth barely dampened in warm water with a trace of mild soap. Wipe again with a clean damp cloth and dry immediately. Do not scrub a coated head, and do not let water run down into the lug area.
Heads, in detail
Clear and coated batter heads collect stick marks, dust, and skin oil. A dry cloth handles most of it.
Do not scrub a coated head. The coating is the sound. Scrubbing removes it and creates a bald patch under the stick zone that changes the tone.
Do not use solvents, alcohol, or abrasive cleaners on any head. They can craze the film and destroy coatings.
Stick marks on a coated head are permanent. They are the coating being worn, not dirt. Accept them or replace the head.
Resonant heads on the bottom need almost nothing. A wipe when the drum is apart.
A head with a dent, a crease, or a lost coating in the playing zone is worn out, and no cleaning restores it. Heads are consumables.
Shells
Take the head and hoop off if you want to do this properly. It is the only time you can reach the bearing edge and the inside.
Lacquered wood shells take a barely damp cloth, then a dry one. Guitar polish or a dedicated drum polish works on gloss lacquer. Do not use household furniture polish, for the same silicone reason described in how to clean a guitar body and strings.
Wrapped shells have a plastic covering. Mild soapy water on a cloth, then dry. Do not let water get under a seam in the wrap, which can lift it.
Satin and oil-finished shells must not be polished. A dry cloth, or a very light application of the specific oil the manufacturer recommends.
Bearing edges, the shaped rims the head sits on, get a dry cloth only. Do not sand, scrape, or oil them. They are precisely cut and they determine how the drum sounds.
Inside the shell is just dust. Wipe it out with a dry cloth while the head is off.
Chrome hardware, and how it rusts
Chrome plating protects the steel underneath, and sweat is what gets past it.
Wipe hardware down after playing, especially hoops and tension rods on drums you sweat over.
Clean with a damp cloth and mild soap. A chrome polish works on dull or lightly spotted chrome, applied on a cloth and buffed off.
Do not use abrasive pads or scouring powder on chrome. They cut through the thin plating, and once it is gone the steel rusts.
Do not use chlorine bleach on or near chrome and steel. Chloride pits both permanently.
For surface rust, a fine non-shedding polishing pad with a little light oil works, done gently. Heavy pitting is not repairable at home, and the part gets replaced.
Tension rods need a drop of lug lubricant or a very light oil on the threads occasionally, which makes tuning smoother and stops them seizing in the lug. Wipe the excess off.
Never soak a lug. Lug casings have internal threads and sometimes springs and gaskets, and water in there rusts where you cannot reach.
Why do my cymbals look green and dull?
That is oxidation, a natural surface reaction on bronze alloy, and it is not dirt. Many drummers deliberately leave it, since polishing changes the surface and some players feel it changes the sound. Manufacturer-specific cymbal cleaners exist if you want the shine back.
Cymbals, carefully
The honest version: cleaning a cymbal is a preference, not maintenance.
If you want to clean them, use a cymbal cleaner made by the cymbal's manufacturer or one specifically formulated for cymbals. Different alloys and finishes react differently, and a cleaner meant for one can dull another.
Never clean a brilliant-finish cymbal with a product meant for a traditional finish, and never use household metal polish or an abrasive on any cymbal.
Follow the direction of the tonal grooves, the fine lathe lines, not across them.
Rinse thoroughly and dry completely. Cleaner left in the grooves keeps working.
Wipe fingerprints off with a dry cloth after playing. Skin oil is what causes most of the spotting people then try to polish out.
Pedals, stands, and the rest
Wipe pedal footboards and chains, and lubricate the chain and pivot points lightly per the manufacturer.
Clean the threads on stand tubes and check the memory locks and wing nuts for grit. A stand that will not hold height is usually a dirty or worn clutch rather than a broken one.
Wipe throne seats down. Vinyl and leather seats crack from sweat left on them, and mild soap and water plus drying is all they need.
Vacuum the drum rug, which collects an enormous amount of dust and stick shards.
Source: Drum manufacturer care and maintenance documentation
Storage and the room
Store a kit somewhere with stable temperature and humidity. Wood shells respond to humidity swings, and an unheated garage in an Oregon winter is hard on them.
Do not store drums on a damp concrete floor. Use a rug, a rack, or cases.
Cases or bags keep dust off, and keeping heads clean is far easier than cleaning them later.
Loosen tension slightly on heads for very long storage, though this matters less than the humidity does.
The same stable, dry, off-the-floor storage principle runs through our guide to cleaning tools and equipment around the house and through how to clean a brass instrument mouthpiece.
FAQ
How do you clean coated drum heads?
Dust with a dry cloth, then wipe with a cloth barely dampened in warm water with a trace of mild soap, and dry immediately. Do not scrub. The coating on the head is what produces its sound, and scrubbing wears it off, creating a bald patch in the stick zone that changes the tone permanently.
Should you polish cymbals?
It is a matter of preference rather than maintenance. Oxidation on bronze is natural and many drummers leave it, since polishing changes the surface. If you do clean them, use a cleaner made by the cymbal's manufacturer, follow the lathe grooves, and never use household metal polish or abrasives.
How do you get rust off drum hardware?
Work gently with a fine non-shedding polishing pad and a little light oil, then wipe clean. Avoid scouring powders and abrasive pads, which cut through the thin chrome plating and expose the steel underneath. Heavy pitting cannot be repaired at home, and the part is replaced instead.
Can you use furniture polish on drum shells?
No. Household furniture polish typically contains silicone, which contaminates the finish and complicates any future repair or refinishing. Use a polish sold for drums or guitars on a gloss lacquer shell, and use nothing but a dry cloth on satin, oil-finished, or wrapped shells.
Do drum heads need replacing or just cleaning?
Both, at different points. Cleaning removes dust and skin oil. It does not fix a dented head, a crease, or a coating worn through in the stick zone, all of which change the sound permanently. Heads are consumables, and a worn one gets replaced rather than restored.
How do you keep tension rods from seizing?
Put a small amount of lug lubricant or a light oil on the threads occasionally and wipe the excess off, and dry hardware after playing so sweat does not sit on it. Never soak a lug casing, since water trapped inside rusts the internal threads where you cannot reach it.
Instruments and the rooms they live in both need upkeep. If the rest of the house is the harder job, get a quote or read more about house cleaning services.