 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2009-05-11 23:42
I have foolishly left a stack of reeds in what I can only describe as an overly moist environment. They have grown black spots, which I presume is mold.
If I clean them with chlorine bleach will it damage the fibres in the reeds ? Are they a write-off ?
Thanks for your advice
Alan
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2009-05-12 00:13
(Disclaimer - I sell ReedLife)
You can get rid of the mold by using, once only, drug store 3% hydrogen peroxide which will kill the vegetative mold and spores. Continued use of H202 will not be good for the reeds and definitely do not use chlorine bleach!
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-05-12 00:38
My 13-year-old nephew in Corpus Christi, TX called me about this problem last year. Since then, he has has prevented this by storing his reeds in a sealed container with a dessicant. Is this a common problem in humid climates?
Post Edited (2009-05-12 11:41)
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2009-05-16 06:02
Doctor H-
Disinfectant question- You mention 3% hydrogen peroxide, but would there be and advantage/disadvantage to using ethanol or any other disinfectant? Is 3% hydrogen peroxide the best for killing this kind of mold?
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-05-16 11:58
I'd cuss and groan over the money and then toss 'em, but if you do decide to try to salvage those reeds, please don't use chlorine bleach. Chlorine bleach is toxic and likely to leave a residue in the porous reed cane. (It's okay to use chlorine cleansers such as Ajax and Comet for heavy-duty scrubbing in the kitchen because we're using it on non-porous surfaces, such as metal pots and pans, where we can be sure of rinsing the stuff away completely.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-05-16 13:35
Try the cheap and easy method first.
I've had good results from scrubbing the reed with toothpaste and and old toothbrush. It gets rid of the black stuff and the bad taste.
Ken Shaw
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Author: William
Date: 2009-05-16 14:29
I don't know if this has anything to do with getting rid of the black mold, but I used to have that problem, years ago, when I stored my reeds in metal Reed Guards or those plastic versions from LaVoz. Ever since I started using the Harrison reed cases and those Pro-Tech cases--past 15 yrs, at least--I have not experianced any mold or "growth" of any type. And I hate to admit it, I do have some reeds in my clarinet case over three years old. Maybe the glass of the Harrisons or the openess of the Pro Tech design allows for more efficient air drying--I don't know. Just have not had any mold problems since I threw my Reed Guards in the trash can.
Also, for some reason, the mold problem disappeared from my alto and sax reeds about the same time--and some of those reeds are ancient in comparison to those of my clarinet. Maybe the age of the player (68) has something to do with it?? I don't play as much as I used to 30 yrs ago, but one would think that with the reeds being idle that would contribute to molding problems. Not so with my reeds--it's a mystery, I guess........
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2009-05-16 20:52
Hydrogen peroxide - 3% is the best for killing the mold and mold spores. Most of the other disinfectants are geared more toward bacteria and virus than mold. Here in the Southern U.S. where relative humidity and temperatures (F) reach 90 during the summer it is almost mandatory to keep the reeds dry or they will mold. I use a desiccant, others will completely dry reeds and use a reed holder with some air flow. Mold will not grow in RH less than 50% so this is the target RH to reach by any means possible.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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Author: Cazkid
Date: 2009-05-16 21:04
I've tried boiling the reed in water for a bit, not too long, and it seems to kill off the mold fine.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-05-16 21:29
Cazkid wrote:
> I've tried boiling the reed in water for a bit, not too long,
> and it seems to kill off the mold fine.
The exact number of minutes it takes is usually printed on the flat side of the reed. Multiply that time with ten and the reed is al dente.
![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2009-06-10 04:50
I don't know if this is just my problem, but has anyone else found that some reed brands get more mold faster than others??
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-06-10 19:24
If a reed develops mold, I would just get rid of it. My Legeres don't seem to suffer from this at all, but cane reeds are not so inordinately expensive that I wouldn't hesitate to pitch them. If they are getting moldy in a case, the reed case should also receive a good scrubbing, to get rid of any residual mold spores.
Jeff
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Author: timg
Date: 2009-06-11 10:38
How about using alcohol to kill off any mould? It evaporates quickly and wouldn't leave any toxic residue.
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