 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetfreek
Date: 2003-08-09 23:04
How do you clean your mouthpiece? I never really learned as a beginner... please tell me how! :-D
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2003-08-09 23:32
With room temperature (not lukewarm) water, rinse it out once a week or so. Just hold it under the faucet when the temperature is right. Then dry it gently with a paper towel or something soft.
Pulling a swab through it can wear it down over time.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-08-10 02:08
I rinse it with luke warm water each time after I have finished playing, plus I spray it with germicide occasionally, to make it unhospitable to bacteria.
Dry it, as Alex says, with something soft.
I also rinse out my mouth thoroughly each time before I start to play to minimize food residues or sugar getting into my instruments. (Maybe I overdo it, but my pads last a long time and never stick.)
Hans
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Author: curious
Date: 2003-08-10 04:52
Hans,
The idea of cleaning you mouth, too! is not so overdone at all!... given that it never fails the most convenient time to practice... on a weekday at least, is usually just after dinner. Mouthpieces can get pretty funky.
Usually wash my mouthpiece in tepid water with a tiny amount of standard dish detergent once every 10 days or so.
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Author: chicagoclar
Date: 2003-08-10 09:11
The Doctor has a product that you can clean your mouthpieces with. I've used it and liked it. I especially like using it on students' mouthpieces when they haven't been taking care of it.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-08-10 12:58
I use a descaler (like Lime Away or CLR) in dilute solution with cold water.
Let it soak overnight, use a toothbrush on any stubborn deposits and push a piece of tissue paper through from the tenon end.
I just let them air dry.
Once a month is plenty if you rinse the mouthpiece weekly.
Take care with bleach and/or hot water as hard rubber will discolor.
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Author: krawfish3x
Date: 2003-08-10 13:47
how do you get the spit(or condensation if you want to call it that) out of your mouthpiece when you are finished playing?
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Author: beejay
Date: 2003-08-10 16:42
1. You can clean mouthpieces very well with vinegar
2. To clean mouthpiece after you've finished playing, make a small swab of silk that will pull thorugh without causing any damage.
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-08-10 17:19
I've heard that hard rubber mouthpieces can turn green if you get them wet? I've seen mouthpieces that look that greenish color, is there a way to clean them without causing the discoloration (the mouthpiece I'm currently using is on loan from my teacher, so I don't want to do anything to alter it's color).
thanks
Don Hite -theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: n_hanson12
Date: 2003-08-11 17:08
I clean mine in lemon juice every week or so, depending. It removes the white deposits on the back and doesn't seem to cause any damage.
~Nicki
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Author: CharmOne
Date: 2003-08-11 19:26
You know you could still use the hydrogen peroxide to clean the mouthpiece, which I heard some use it to clean the reeds.
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Author: moose6589
Date: 2003-08-13 06:50
Does vinegar or lemon juice work better? Which is more powerful? where do u get lemon juice from? Do you squeeze lemons yourself, or do they sell bottles of lemon juice at the supermarket? I've never seen lemon juice sold...
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2003-08-13 11:32
(Disclaimer - I sell a mouthpiece cleaner) The active ingredient in lemon juice is citric acid and vinegar - acetic acid. Both will dissolve the white calcium carbonate deposits we often notice on our mouthpieces but are not the best to use on a routine basis - lemon juice has many other chemicals in the juice, some of which will actually transform some deposits - e.g. the sulfates (magnesium especially) into even harder to remove chemical compounds. White vinegar should be diluted with water 1:1 and the mouthpiece immersed (not the cork) for up to an hour. I have seen some older hard rubber mouthpieces turn brown or green using vinegar however. The sulphur used as a vulcanizing catalyst came in several chemical forms and depending on the batch of mouthpieces different forms were sometimes used. I believe that many home-brew formulations were developed and persist because they had a grain of scientific fact behind their use but modern day chemistry has improved and refined the use of these active ingredients found in these formulations and made them safer and more effective for use on valuable woodwind instruments and accessories.
The Doctor
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