 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2005-05-04 13:45
What may be used to sterilize a mouthpiece? And, perhaps more important, what should be avoided because obviously you don't want the mpc to start to dissolve in the cleaning solution or solvent.
I realize this depends on what they are actually made of. Hard rubber? Some hard plastic compound? (I suspect a crystal mpc presents no solvent problem.)
A somewhat unrelated question, for the internationalists: in French is the equivalent of "mouthpiece" a masculine or feminine noun?
JDS
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-05-04 15:00
C'est un bec.
To sterilise, you could just rinse with 70% alcohol. I don't think it would hurt the rubber/plastic.
Steve
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-05-04 15:04
Unless someone has a horrible disease that is resistant to soap and water, you can just use an antibacterial liquid hand soap and have satisfactory results. Use mild--never hot--water and limit your washing to the tip.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2005-05-04 16:22
Hydrogen peroxide -- Inexpensive and found in your local pharmacy or the pharmacy section of your local grocery. Usually in brown plastic bottles.
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 16:46
(Disclaimer - I make a mouthpiece cleaner)
Below are some of the discussions - others available searching "sterilizing", "sanitizing" mouthpieces.
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=40462&t=40407
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=80372&t=80349
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=169824&t=169711
http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=54160&t=54022
I would not use anything harsh, which includes 3% hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or ternary ammonium compounds, etc. on rubber mouthpieces on a regular basis - especially older rubber mouthpieces.
As Brenda suggests, a regular cleaning with diswashing liquid soap and thorough drying is probably the best advice. Bacteria and virus cannot survive for long on completely dry clean surfaces. Most normal mouth flora (bacteria) are not harmful unless the person has a pathogenic bacteria or virus who used the mouthpiece - even then transmission is problematical.
Mineral buildup - usually noted as the white deposits - will not be removed by soap and water and a cleaner, especially designed for mouthpieces, should be used to remove mineral deposits. Slight deposits can be removed with acetic acid - white vineagar - diluted 1:1 with water and the mouthpiece submersed below the cork for about 15 minutes. A soft toothbrush also aids in removing stubborn deposits. Some mineral deposits left for a long time require special cleaning ingredients.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-05-04 16:52
Dipping it in Alcohol should not be used.
At a local major music chain, they had some sax mouthpieces on display that were "army green".
That was caused by somebody dipping the mouthpieces in Rubbing Alcohol which was intended only for the Brass Mouthpieces.
I do use (all the time, many times daily) Alcohol Swabs like the kind which the doctor uses for injection site cleaning.
I prefer BD alcohol swabs as they are quite thick and last the longest if you are going back and forth with the student trying things.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 17:34
If all else fails, I find that a blowtorch does an excellent job of sterilizing --- the only downside I've noted is that the resulting molten puddle of hard-rubber goo is of little value as a mouthpiece.......Doc, any solution to this side-effect?
Confused in Calverton
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 17:49
David - for a smart, talented, and experienced musician and technician you can certainly bring a serious discourse on any given subject down to sheer frivolity and fun! The answer of course is to remold the molten rubber, now sterilized, into a new mouthpiece.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 18:09
Sorry, Dr. Omar ---- the discussion was getting entirely too serious and informative, so I lost control and tossed a humor-bomb right into the middle of the crowd....
Love your suggestion, though.....let's see, I could charge people to reface their molten blobs, and retire on the income! Yeah, that's the ticket!
Guess I should shut up and get back to work..............
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-05-04 18:27
Local chain store (another big one) uses TIDY BOWL to sterilize their mouthpieces for rentals. I know that as one of my best friends was working for them last summer doing just that.
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 18:40
David - keep up the humor bombs, they make my absurd dry analytical approach more tolerable and ultimately fun for all.
Actually, only recently Ben Redwine of Gennusa Mouthpiece fame showed me that mouthpieces are not poured molten rubber into molds but are molded as a grey, spongy, flexible rubber formulations with the shape of mouthpieces that are then are hardened by heat and pressure into the final black solid form outside the mold in a vulcanization "egg". It is this latter step which induces variability in shrinkage and form to mouthpieces even mass produced. So, preconceived ideas can be totally wrong in my humble mind.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-05-04 18:59
That's why it is suggested to wash a new mouthpiece before playing it for the first time as there is still "release oil" on it. (not really oil, but whatever material is used for the Vulcanization process - Gigliotti suggested that to me)
Omar - my wife's boss retired from the CDC! (he still sits on committees for them) My X Wife's husband is an Epidemiologist.
That must be a cool gig.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-05-04 18:59
"Mineral buildup - usually noted as the white deposits - will not be removed by soap and water and a cleaner, especially designed for mouthpieces, should be used to remove mineral deposits. Slight deposits can be removed with acetic acid - white vineagar - diluted 1:1 with water and the mouthpiece submersed below the cork for about 15 minutes. A soft toothbrush also aids in removing stubborn deposits. Some mineral deposits left for a long time require special cleaning ingredients.
L. Omar Henderson"
I have this nasty mineral buildup on both of my mouthpieces-my marching band mouthpiece is the worst! I've scrubbed and soaked them in water/dishwashing solution (Dawn) but it won't come off! So you said that the mineral deposits left for a long time require special cleaning ingredients- so what are those ingredients? MY MP IS GROSS!!!! I need your help! Thanks!
Also, those mineral deposits form on the teeth marks of my mouthpiece patch-a thick black one, so the white is easily seen. I can scrape that off usually. What causes this mineral buildup? It's gross!
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-05-04 19:13
>>Dipping it in Alcohol should not be used.
>>At a local major music chain, they had some sax mouthpieces on display that were "army green".
>>That was caused by somebody dipping the mouthpieces in Rubbing >>Alcohol which was intended only for the Brass Mouthpieces.
Oh dear. 'Rubbing alcohol' is actually isopropanol which in any case, is toxic, and should not be used. In Europe, it's sold as 'De-icer' for getting the ice off the car windscreen in the depths of winter.
A 70% alcohol solution is no stronger than the culinary Chartreuse Vert that is sold in France. The advantage of this solution is that it soaks into all the micro-organisms and kills them.
Understand: Pure alcohol will not kill them. It just dehydrates their cell walls. A 70% solution is still aqueous enough to pass through the walls and start killing the bugs.
It's the standard solution for cleaning lab benches!
Steve
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Author: The Doctor ★2017
Date: 2005-05-04 19:20
(Disclaimer - I make a mouthpiece cleaner)
Some peoples saliva is more prone to form deposits of minerals than others. Routine cleaning with soap and water and rinsing the mouthpiece between use in tepid water will lessen or eliminate the buildups. Much of the white buildup can be traced to calcium, and acetic acid - vineagar 1:1 dilution with water will remove slight deposits. Other minerals in saliva also form deposits which are harder to remove and "age" over time into more difficult to remove compounds. Certain chemicals will transform these deposits to a different chemical - mineral compound which is more water soluble and therefore more easily removed.
There are several mouthpiece cleaners on the market and some home brews - some work, some do not work well at all. The composition of chemicals in my mouthpiece cleaner is proprietary - this is why I developed the product for sale.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2005-05-04 19:22
As for 'Le bec', the gender of french nouns can change the meaning entirely.
eg Le tour = tour, La tour = tower
The strangest example I ever met was 'La mousse' which means mousse as in chocolate mousse.
But 'Le mousse' means Cabin boy.
Be very careful when you take a sea voyage on a french ship!!
Steve
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-05-05 13:28
Some of the white deposits are probably the same "tartar" that your dental hygeniest removes from your teeth during your cleaning procedure.
Bob Draznik
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