Fellow woodwinders,

How would I go about cleansing a used mouthpiece?

Cheers,

yoda

DO NOT PUT IT IN HOT WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!

It'll turn green! Wash it in lukewarm water, with disinfectant, and rinse it well before you play it again!

Will any temperature of water not affect the wood?

My clarinet had a used mouthpeice...
I bought a new one

Well, it gets wet when you play Obviously don't leave it in for ages, but a quick wash won't do it any harm. I think its more plastic mouthpieces that turn green, but someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

Laura - probably a good plan! Even though germs don't live well on mouthpieces, they all take a fair bit of wear and tear over the year! (Mine do, anyhow)

I've never quite known how to keep mouthpieces clean. If it's ebonite, do you still need to be as careful as with wood? And if you do wash it in lukewarm water and disinfectant, what proportion solution do you use? And do you just quick swish it in and out, or leave it for a minute or two....


I just bought a new Vandoren mouthpiece to go with my new clarinet, and I'm amazed at the difference it makes. Not that I'm used to it, I've started squeaking again which I thought I'd got over , but when I get used to it, it will be tons better.

In the past, and ordinarily, I have bought a new mouthpiece when faced with this 'problem'. However this is quite a good mouthpiece and therefore I don't wish to change it - just debug it!

I will wash it, without soaking it, with a cloth and disinfectant. This seems a pretty good method!

Stephen Howard has the following bits of advice on cleaning mouthpieces

Here

and

here

One boy at my school was told to soak his mouthpiece in warm water...
He put the whole clarinet in a bath


Turned several shades lighter, but amazingly still worked, as far as i know...

Thanks TSax, interesting articles.... I quite like the idea of using anti-bacterial mouthwashes which I would never have thought of. I read the Hygiene article too, and it made wonder how often we ought to wash our pull-through cloths....

That is rather entertaining

x

They're great links TSax - I will follow Stephen Howard's advice.

Oh for heaven's sake - you guys! When was the last time you heard of someone dying a painful death due to - shock horror- a dirty mouthpiece?

The best advice is to run fast flowing cold water through it and then dry with a fresh piece of kitchen roll.

Antibacterial wipes/solutions will simply remove the weaker bacteria and leave the super strong bugs still clinging to the plastic.

I've had loads of second hand mouthpieces for years, have never done more than swab them and never had a problem!




The boy or the mouthpiece?

Steve

PS

I wash mne in WARM soapy water. I learned this lesson when I once used water that was too hot and the mouthpiece is still green to this day (many years ago!!!!)

So how would you go about cleansing a Buffet mouthpice (for future reference) ? Its plasticy stuff, would it turn green?

x

Yes, it will turn green, though how much depends on how hot the water is and how long it stays hot. It's to do with the sulphur in the plastic.

I have a vandoren 5RV MP that is light green - though still plays well. Likewise, my first clarinet -a student Hanson - is also greenish following years of being taken on holidays to hot places.

Lukewarm soapy water is fine, but run plenty of cold water through it afterwards.

For wooden MPs and clarinets, you should just swab and oil occasionally.


Steve

I have a little protective pad on mine - a lovely breeding ground for germs .... I try not to think about it ....

There is a "pandemic" sweeping across the UK Steve - one must be careful!

I NEVER think about it!
I don't think I have ever washed a mouthpiece - I usually wipe it out with a finger (mine!) and have so far suffered no ill effects that I know of.





a pandemic of what?

boys
green clarinets
dirty mouthpieces ?