[Harp-L] cleaning harmonicas

[Steve Shaw]

Whilst I'm no expert, my experience with unvalved harps that are made of metal and plastic - no wood! - is that it's fine to wash them under pretty warm water from the tap/ faucet, give them a good shakeout and leave them out to dry overnight. I've done this with Lee Oskars and Suzuki harps for many years and found only benefit!  You can do this with harps with *sealed* wood combs, but be quick. Save the vinegar for your fish and chips. For really dirty, inherited harps, a good rinse in isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), possibly with a gentle scraping of the mouthpiece, will make you feel better about applying your lips to them...

Cheers!  Steve Shaw

> On 16 Mar 2024, at 19:07, Connie Estep via Harp-L <harp-l at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I exclusively play Lee Oskar 10 hole harmonicas. I've been playing weekly with a group at a local senior center and usually have 6-10 harps to clean afterward. I have always used a warm water rinse (20 seconds) and then leave teeth down for an hour. Another gal in the group is learning to play and she found reference to vinegar and other methods. What do Harp-L people suggest?Connie Estep