 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: crusius
Date: 2010-09-28 05:35
Hi all,
I've done a lot of research but couldn't find any information on what I want to do: I dislike "once a week"/"once a month" things, preferring to just have a short daily routine that takes care of everything.
So, for mouthpiece cleaning, what I'd like to do daily is (a) dry it normally, and (b) pass a soft swab with some cleaning agent before storing it away. (I do dry the mouthpiece with a very soft swab already.)
For the cleaning part (b), I was thinking about getting, say, the Doctor's MP cleaner, putting it on a small spray bottle, and at the end of practice every day just spray a little on the swab and pass it once or twice on the mouthpiece. My thinking is that by adding this 30 second routine every day I would be taking care of MP cleaning once and for all at very little daily cost. (Since my clarinet is also hard rubber I see no harm in doing the same to the clarinet bore.)
Any thoughts?
Best,
- Cesar
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Author: salzo
Date: 2010-09-28 11:04
I just give mine a spit shine after each. Then I run a small swab through it.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2010-09-28 11:56
(Disclaimer - I sell a mouthpiece cleaner)
Probably not a good idea to use my cleaner on a swab on a daily basis. The product contains chemicals and an oxidizing formulation (which remains active after dissolving in water for only a few minutes) and the MP should be rinsed with clean water after use.
I've found that just rinsing out the mouthpiece with cool water after each use prevents most build up problems and is easy to do. I do shake out the water (just keep a good hold on the MP).
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: William
Date: 2010-09-28 15:05
And "one more time", I've been cleaning the grunge off my Chicago Kaspar--and all my other hard rubber and metal sax mpcies--for over 25 yrs by soaking them in straight "over the counter" Lime-Away for about five minutes (tip down in a shot glass, never immersing the corks) and then wiping them off with a paper towel followed by a cold water rinse. Sometimes I also follow that up with dish water soap. No discolorization or damage has ever occured to any of my mouthpieces and they all look like new when I am done cleaning them. I am careful not to scour the tip, rails baffel or tables as most calcification occures on the beak--the soak disapates any accumulations on these areas.
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Author: crusius
Date: 2010-09-28 15:41
Thanks all,
It looks like the best daily routine is to rinse the MP with cold water, and to clean deposits when/if they become a problem. I was hoping there was a more "sure thing" solution partly because I'd be able to use it on the hard rubber clarinet bore every day too, just for good measure.
William, I take it you use the Lime-A-Way only when necessary, not every day, correct? I found out about those solutions (Lime-A-Way, Docto'rs MP cleaner, lemon juice, vinegar, soapy water, etc) but I was hoping for an easy "every day and forget" routine.
Best,
- Cesar
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-09-29 01:59
You sound a bit uptight about cleaning your mouthpiece. Unless you have an incredible about of build up in your saliva all you need to do is run your swab through it a time or two, just don't pull it on the facing side when pulling it through although I doubt it will actually wear it out. Then use the swab, or another cloth, I have an old hanky I use, and wipe the outside. That's really all you have to do. If you concerned about germs then rinse it in a soft hand soap with warm water before putting it away but I don't really think that's necessary myself. Maybe once in a while. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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