RE: [Harp-L] "used" harp/what to do to sanitize?

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> I'm no doctor, but there could be all kinds of "nasties" inside
> a harmonica that has been previously used (breathed into and
> spit into) by someone else.  For this reason, I don't believe
> that alcohol on the outside will be sufficient.  If it were
> a plastic-combed harmonica, I would say you should soak it in
> a mild solution.  However, the Hering Vintage has a wood comb,
> and you shouldn't soak a wood-comb harmonica.  That pretty much
> loaves only the "disassembly" method.  It's the best method in
> any case.  Besides, if you plan to seriously play the harmonica,
> you might as well bite the bullet, and get used to taking them
> apart, and putting them back together.  My 2 cents.
>
> Richard J. Smith, R.A.
> Wormleysburg, PA

Richard's is the best answer so far.  In the UK our equivalent of 
"Efferdent" is (I think) Steradent.  I think it's fine for occasional 
cleaning of your own harps, as long as they are all plastic and metal and 
have no valves, but it does not dissolve all the crud in the deepest 
recesses and seams of the harp.  I know this, because a guy gave me a bagful 
of old harps and this is what I tried, and it didn't get a lot of the 
ingrained muck out.  There is no alternative, if you're a stickler, to 
taking the harp to bits and cleaning each part separately, and you may need 
to do some gentle scraping with a matchstick to get some of the stuff off.  
Unless it's one of those confounded nailed-together Hohners it's easy enough 
to dismantle a harp - just do it over a tray, not the shag-pile carpet, 
using the correct screwdriver and when you're reassembling go progressively 
and don't over-tighten the screws, repeat, DON'T overtighten!  Just snug 'em 
down!  Some parts of some harps (mainly cover plates) don't automatically 
line up spot-on when you putting it all back together, so have a good stare 
at the harp before you start so as to have the correct fit of the parts in 
your mind's eye.  I'd be completely lost if I couldn't dismantle a harp - 
it's a frequent requirement, for all sorts of reasons.  I wash my plastic 
ones out frequently under a warm tap.  I've found that you can do this even 
with the Hohner MS wood combs, as they don't seem to be too absorbent.  I'll 
let someone else deal with any harp with valves!

Steve

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonica
http://harmonicapics.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk
Hear clips from my CD at http://www.gjk2.com/steveshaw/cd.htm