[Harp-L] Strep and Harmonica Cleaning

[robert mcgraw]

I may have strep, and my doctor tells me it could have gotten into my harmonicas. How might I clean them to kill the strep without hurting the harmonicas? Anybody ever dealt with this?WVa Bob

[Timothy Kane]

 I've never dealt with strep specifically, but I have had other nasty ailments before that required me to sterilize my harps. The route I took was to take my harps apart, mix a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part hydrogen peroxide, and ran all the pieces of my harps in my ultrasonic cleaner with the solution. It's pretty time consuming and leaves a slight odor and taste for a little while, but it gets the job done.
 

                          Hawkeye Kane
                                                                                                 hawke...@yahoo.com
                                                                                                     Cell: (217)-741-7183
                                                                                                    http://www.hawkeyekane.com/

________________________________
From: robert mcgraw <har...@hotmail.com>
To: harp-l harp-l <har...@harp-l.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2013 4:00 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Strep and Harmonica Cleaning

[Blunt White]

I've heard that virulent germs (like hepatitis) are no longer active after 10 days. Perhaps just time will solve the problem.Blunt White

> Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2013 06:58:06 -0700
> From: hawke...@yahoo.com
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Strep and Harmonica Cleaning
> To: har...@hotmail.com; har...@harp-l.org
> CC:

[Mike Wilbur]

Plastic Combs Bob ?


Mike Wilbur

[David Fairweather]

Seems to me that if you've got strep, or some other infection in your body,
and if your immune system is reacting appropriately, then any residual
germs in your harmonica that you reintroduce into your body will be
dispatched pretty quickly by the antibodies that are already patrolling
your system.

But if you have an immune deficiency, or if someone else is sharing your
harmonica, then you'd better sterilize.

[Ole Behrendtsen]

That's an important point Mike. If so all you need to do is put them in an adequately dry environment for long enough and the bacteria simply won't survive. Ole

Sent from my iPhone

[Deb Wind]

On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 9:43 PM, Ole Behrendtsen <obehre...@gmail.com>wrote:

> That's an important point Mike. If so all you need to do is put them in an
> adequately dry environment for long enough and the bacteria simply won't

> survive....
>

Prolonged exposure to, or storage in, extremely dry conditions may work
very well in reducing the likelihood of reinfection from a Group A
Streptococcus bacteria (like the kind that causes strep throat) because
that particular group doesn't form spores. BUT, (for those who may not
already know) it won't work for all types of bacteria. When some types
bacteria find themselves in "unfavorable conditions", such as extreme
dryness, **they form spores**, and these spores can survive for many, MANY
years until conditions are again right for the bacterium.

Short of autoclaving (which is how hospitals sterilize such things as
surgical instruments or respiratory therapy equipment) I haven't been able
to come up with a sure-fire way of "sterilizing" a harp after an illness
(especially a wooden combed harp... and/or if valves are in the harp). ....

Just food for thought...

[Richard Hunter]

Ole Behrendtsen wrote:
<That's an important point Mike. If so all you need to do is put them in an adequately dry environment for long enough and the <bacteria simply won't survive.

Not survive, or simply go dormant? I seem to recall from my wife's microbiology training in nursing school that bacteria can survive a whole lot of situations that many other organisms would find utterly fatal. They wrap themselves in a hard shell, go to sleep, and live to fight another day.

I agree with a previous post to the effect that once your body's developed antibodies, the bacteria you've met already aren't likely to trouble you again. But I doubt that simply drying the harp out will kill all the bacteria on it.

Regards, Richard Hunter

author, "Jazz Harp"
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://hunterharp.com
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Twitter: lightninrick

[patpowers]

Hi Bob,

I do not recommend using peroxide. It will oxidize the brass reeds and plates (make them turn black), dull your sound, and make the harps taste and smell funny.

I recommend IMS-II (Roman numeral 2) mixed with hot tap water to form a sanitizing solution. IMS-II is an ammonia-chloride based product used primarily to clean commerical food and beverage equipment, It is safe and non-toxic, and leaves no funny after-taste or residue. It will also keep mold, slime, and bacteria from growing inside your harps as well. I use it in my ultrasonic to clean all my harps, usually take the harps apart to clean them, and then rinse the parts and pat dry before re-assembling.

Also, you should never soak wooden combs. You can quickly dunk them in the IMS-II solution, and then rinse and pat dry, but you should never allow them to soak. Most plastic, metal, and composite combs can be soaked.

I hope this information helps.


Best Regards,
Pat Powers

----- Original Message -----
From: robert mcgraw <har...@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Harp-L] Strep and Harmonica Cleaning

[Deb Wind]

2013/3/15 Richard Hunter <turtl...@earthlink.net>

> Not survive, or simply go dormant? ... that bacteria can survive a whole

> lot of situations that many other organisms would find utterly fatal. They
> wrap themselves in a hard shell, go to sleep, and live to fight another day.
>

Correct. They go dormant.

But I think if one can get the overall number of spores to a low enough
level, like, say, via an ultrasound cleaning with what Pat mentioned (the
IMS-II), then that would do the trick.....

Still mentally chewing on this subject,

Deb

[Music Cal]

Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), the bacteria
which cause strep throat, is not a spore former.
However it is known to sometimes survive for weeks on surfaces of objects.
You have about zilch chance of getting reinfected anyhow. By the time your
cellular and humoral immunity** wanes following this recent infection the
bacteria will be gone from your throat and your harmonica (if there are any
there in the first place in sufficient density to cause another infection).

Much ado about nothing.

MusiCal

[Steve Shaw]

Some bacteria do indeed form resistant spores but Streptococcus is not one of them. They will survive only if they find a suitable growth medium and enough water. I suppose the inside of a dirty harmonica could conceivably provide such conditions. The answer is to clean your harmonicas and allow them to dry thoroughly. Isopropyl alcohol will kill Streptococci, so give your mouthpieces a good wipe and don't allow gunk to build up. Unvalved harmonicas that are all metal and plastic can be washed in warm soapy water, rinsed, shaken out and allowed to dry. A clean, dry harmonica left unplayed for two or three days will be perfectly OK. You'll be as safe as houses if you do that.

[Music Cal]

If you are interested in the epidemiology of strep throat reinfection see
this article. If you can't get the full article you can at least read the
conclusion given in the abstract which is available to anybody with
internet access:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=strep+throat+reinfection+toothbrush


MusiCal