 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sarah
Date: 2002-04-12 19:53
Has anyone ever cleaned their mouthpiece with Vodka ? My friend who is a trumpet player swears it works the best ~I tried it on my mouthpiece and it was fine. I was wondering has anyone heard about this or is my friend just an total idiot ?
Thanx !
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Author: Hobbes
Date: 2002-04-12 20:35
I can hear it now...
Honest officer, I only use this stuff to clean my mouthpiece.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2002-04-12 20:38
Sarah, heard it worked best if you stick the corked end in your mouth and use it like a grand straw! 8;=
Bob A
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2002-04-12 22:51
Sarah --
Looks like people are already thinking about the weekend. You'll probably get more serious responses in a couple of days. Here's a start:
Vodka is basically alcohol and water--about 40% alcohol.
Some things will dissolve in alcohol, more will dissolve in water.
You can buy isopropyl alcohol (91% alcohol) at any drug store and many grocery stores. It's a lot cheaper than vodka. (Not to be used for internal consumption, of course!)
Many players just rinse their mouthpiece in water after playing and wash it from time to time in lukewarm soapy water.
When you get a build-up inside the mpc (usually mineral deposits), soaking the mpc in plain white vinegar for 5 minutes to a half hour will usually dissolve most of that. (When I do it, I carefully place the mouthpiece with the tip down--again, be careful not to damage the tip--in a small glass so that the cork is above the vinegar.)
Hope this is helpful.
Todd W
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Author: Gerald
Date: 2002-04-13 02:08
My recollection from chemistry years ago, perhaps mistaken, is that vinegar contains small ammounts of acetic acid. Acetic acid gradually destroys rubber compounds. I'm not sure whether alcohol has any effect on rubber. But, generally speaking, I don't intend to use any solvents on my mouthpieces.
Gerald
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-04-13 11:07
Vodka is a perfectly good antiseptic...best stirred, not shaken.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2002-04-13 13:17
This is a case where everyone is right but not on a long term basis. Build-up on mouthpieces is primarily of two types - organic (skin particles, food particles, microbes and molds) or inorganic mineral deposits (the white stuff we notice on the sides of rails, beak, and inside the chamber) The alcohol, either ethanol-Vodka, or isopropyl, methanol- drug store variety will remove some crud which is organic but will not dissolve the mineral deposits. Acetic acid (vinegar) treatment will dissolve much of the mineral deposits but the soaking should be longer than suggested. Some of my own experiemnts suggest that a 5% acetic acid solution (at 20 C) for one hour is optimal for mild to moderate mineral deposit removal. Sanitizing is not accomplished by this treatment.
Both alcohols and acetic acid will harm rubber mouthpieces if used long enough and often as will chorine bleach solutions. Some of the new oxygen (oxygen bleach) releasing (in the same general form as hydrogen peroxide but not peroxide itself) chemicals used in cleaning compounds in commercial products are a better choice and are demand generated (a solid will dissolve as the oxygen is removed in the cleaning process and the absolute oxidizing form of oxygen does not build up). When combined with other chemicals a dual purpose cleaning formulation is possible which will remove both kinds of build-up. Probably the best advice is to forstall the build-up by rinsing the mouthpiece in plain water after playing.
The Doctor
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Author: Brad
Date: 2002-04-15 06:38
hi Gerald,
That is good stuff to remember from chemistry! Vinegar only contains a small percentage of acetic acid, which is a weak acid anyway, so it's weak and dilute.
But...you don't want to use any solvent on your mouthpiece! That's something more important to remember from chem I think. A solvent is anything that dissolves a solute (which is the thing of lesser amount). Water, for example is a solvent. Your mouthpiece is put through a solvent everyday anyway. I think you mean cleaning product.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-04-15 06:46
Thanks - my working day is now over and I'm toddling off home for a G & T!
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