geordiebluesman
562 posts
Mar 15, 2012
1:53 AM
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Hi guys, i want to give my harps a good spring clean and I'm looking for info on something effective and available in the UK.
I normally use Surgical Spirit on a cotton bud (Q Tip) but this makes the harps a bit manky to play for a while after so anyone use something else that they could let me know about?
Cheers Geordie.
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andysheep8
18 posts
Mar 15, 2012
2:21 AM
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Vinegar,mate. Seriously, soak reed plates in diluted vinegar, if in a hurry dry with a hairdryer, no lingering aftertaste. Job done!
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didjcripey
211 posts
Mar 15, 2012
3:20 AM
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I don't have any wooden combs and warm soapy water does it for me. Give em a brush with a toothbrush for any hard to move gunk and rinse well. Tap dry and play gently till dry.
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Lucky Lester
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JimInMO
108 posts
Mar 15, 2012
5:40 AM
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I use my wife's denture tablets (Polident). Started this when maintaining my fathers harps. He would do something like playing after eating an Oreo cookie or something similar. Remove the cover plates and soak for a few minutes and rinse.
Plastic combs only....
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harmonicanick
1498 posts
Mar 15, 2012
6:09 AM
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if your combs are plastic then get a sonic cleaner from Maplins and put the whole harp in for a good cycle + sea clean (cleaning liquid that comes with it)
I can get 3 harps in the bath
Also good for cleaning lots of metal items
Oh, and dry on paper towels after shaking out water
Last Edited by on Mar 15, 2012 6:10 AM
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billy_shines
217 posts
Mar 15, 2012
6:47 AM
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do not get vinegar on reeds
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geordiebluesman
563 posts
Mar 15, 2012
8:32 AM
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Hi guys, I should have mentioned that most of my harps are custom Marine Bands, so wooden combs have to be considered in thecleaning process.
Also my main reason for cleaning is that I am a very wet player and all that saliva gums up the reeds an effects the responsivness of the harps.
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Robdog
7 posts
Mar 15, 2012
8:48 AM
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Ricci's video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3RwSiMEQvg
Assuming you have screws in place of the nails this method is ideal. Take the harp apart and just follow the instructions.
You can pick up isopropyl alcohol from your chemist (I got mine fom Lloyds- took a few days for them to order it @£3 for a 500ml bottle, reusable) and substitute any brand antibacterial multi surface cleaner ie the type you wipe down kitchen surfaces with (supermarket brand, @£1 a pop) for the American branded "Kaboom" mentioned in the video. Otherwise, just follow the video.
Last Edited by on Mar 15, 2012 8:49 AM
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MP
2099 posts
Mar 15, 2012
1:15 PM
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for unsealed wood combs, i will use a pen knife and a dry toothbrush to scrape off gunk. then i spray the comb with alcohol i have in a little 2 oz bottle. don't use 70% as it has too much water and may swell the comb. spend twice as much and get the higher percentage stuff.
for reed plates, and covers, i'll use toothpaste, baking soda, and alcohol.
if you use a nasty cleaner like Barkeepers Friend to shine your reed plates, make sure you rinse well then give them a bath in baking soda and water to neutralize the chemicals in the BF.
Barkeepers Friend has abrasives in it so you may wind up tuning your harp after using it.
i only use heavy cleaners to resurrect really old corroded reed plates.
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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HawkeyeKane
786 posts
Mar 15, 2012
1:21 PM
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On a related note, I know I asked this before, but what's a good universal agent to add to your water when using an ultrasonic cleaner on your harps?
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Hawkeye Kane
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Aussiesucker
1055 posts
Mar 15, 2012
2:23 PM
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On a daily basis I use Kendall Webcol Skin Cleaning Alcohol Wipes. These are the wipes that Drs use to cleanse skin before an injection. I use the wipes on my harps before putting them away. 1 wipe will do 3 or 4 harps. This cleanses the mouthpiece. I buy them from a pharmacy in a box of 200 wipes.
Less regularly I strip them down & do the plates in a warm bath with a steradent tablet (denture tablet). After 10 mins I then rinse off & hang the bits on a line in a breeze way using bent paper clips. The comb & cover plates I wash in dishwashing liquid using a toothbrush on the comb. Rinse and hang out to dry. Be careful to mark reed plates with a permanent marker especially when cleaning more than 1 harp. Also I use the marker on the end of the plates & try to keep the end out of the steradent bath as it will remove the marks. I find the denture cleanser makes the harps sound brighter ie it obviously removes dried on gunk off the reeds & it's like getting a new harp.
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HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
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K_Hungus
104 posts
Mar 15, 2012
3:53 PM
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this is what I use
place your harp the numbered side down and shift it ten times, all the gunk is gone. I don't care for the interior. If I tune a harp, I notice I'm filing off some mess first. But that brush works faster than anything else..but only use it when the harp is dry, all that messe will literally will break off of the comb. A toothbrush is too soft and adding liquids will spread it around
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K_Hungus
105 posts
Mar 15, 2012
4:01 PM
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I perhaps should add, I only have marine bands so I dont open them up very much. But I swear such a hard brush will get away of everything on all sides of the comb instant. just keep the 'mouth piece' down so it won't snow back in your harmonica.
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SuperBee
127 posts
Mar 15, 2012
4:19 PM
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I've forgotten why we're cleaning them. I'm sure there was a reason
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billy_shines
221 posts
Mar 15, 2012
5:07 PM
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do not use purple kaboom it has bleach and will damage your reeds.
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Epworthslim
58 posts
Mar 18, 2012
6:29 PM
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the kaboom stuff ricci uses is similar to barkeepers mate that you can get from a supermarket.
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Slim's-Custom-Harmonica-Cases-Website
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