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

[Jp "Pagán" <jpl_pagan@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Dave Murray
<dlmurray@xxxx> wrote:
> The one used harp that I've got got dissasembled and
cleaned in boiling
> water. Next time (if there is one), after manually
cleaning out the gunk,
> I'll probably take it to my dentist and ask what
he'd charge me to put it
> into the autoclave gizmo

wow. that sounds really, really excessive to me. i'd
never boil a harp, either plastic combed (hello
melting) or wood (gee, why won't this giant, swollen
comb fit back in the covers?). and dentists deal with
some serious sh*t like blood. most harpers shouldn't
have to deal with more than a little spit.
i've gotten two used harps in my time - one from a
kindly, nameless benefactor, the other i picked up at
an antiques store (it was free, so why not?). the
first one had a plastic comb and i just washed it like
i would any utensil (only less vigorously - there's no
food involved - food being a good medium for bacteria.
plastic not to so much.) just about anything that
comes out of your mouth is water soluble anyway. the
other was a vintage chromatic. i was more careful
there, using a toothbrush and cleaning it lightly.
mostly just the mouthpiece, not to much the comb since
it's mostly blocked off by the mouthpiece. 
in the case of a diatonic a simple, gentle washing
should do the trick. in the case of wood combed harp,
even a sealed one, i'd be more careful about not
letting it soak at all. 
think about it people - you don't chew on a harp, you
don't use it to excavate holes in your gums, you don't
brush your teeth with it - you just put it to your
lips and blow in and out. whatever's on it, unless
we're talking serious crusty goop from years of use,
should be totally water soluble. a sealed wood comb or
a plastic comb shouldn't, as far as i know, "absorb"
any germs, they should just wash off. if you really
need to disinfect it, i think the best answer's been
given already - a little mouthwash. very little. 

   --Jp


		
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