I tell my students to treat the violin like a baby. Of course you don't put a baby in a case or feed a violin, but it's still a pretty good rule of thumb: don't drop it, move it gently, keep it at a good temperature, and keep it clean.
Your violin should be kept at an even temperature as much as possible. In summer or winter, don't leave it in a car. If you must bring it along for multiple errands, you should bring it into the offices or stores with you. In extremely hot or cold weather, warm up or cool down the car before you put the instrument in the car. At home, do not store it next to a heater or cooling duct, or in direct sunlight. If you have radiant heat through the floor, don't set the case on the floor.
Violins that are exposed to extremes of temperature can develop cracks, or the top and bottom can come unglued. These are extremely expensive repairs. You don't want that.
Put your violin away when you finish playing. Leaving it out is tempting fate, which is never wise.
Always, always loosen the bow when you are done playing, even if you intend to come back later. The stick will warp out of shape if the bow is left tightened, and that will give your bow less flexibility.
Wipe the rosin off your strings and the body of the instrument every time you finish playing. Too much rosin is not just unsightly: it can hurt the varnish.
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