Klarinet Archive - Posting 000170.txt from 2004/04

From: ormondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] Cleaning second hand mouthpieces
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 23:34:20 -0400

Matthew Lloyd wrote:

> put mouthpieces into a condition in which you
> would want to play them (from a hygiene
> point of view.)

There was a dental assistant on Klarinet once who stated that a few
'super-germs' can't be destroyed without also destroying a hard rubber
mouthpiece. She said that dental labs use a really fierce chemical (I
forgot the name) in an oven for 30 minutes in order to sterilize tools
and dentures, etc. But this combination of chemical and heat would
vaporize hard rubber.

For myself, I've soaked the mouthpiece in a 25% solution of vinegar for
15 minutes in order to remove built-up calcium. (Some people use
straight vinegar, but I've never encountered anything that a 25%
solution wouldn't take care of). Then I've soaked the mouthpiece in a
brand of sterilizer that promises not to damage hard rubber (for 15
minutes, although the label said only 10 minutes). I used "Sterisol",
which is the brand that technicians at my local repair shop use when
play-testing customers' instruments.

FWIW

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