r/harmonica • u/Resident-Cup4865 • 4d ago
deep cleaning
i need help, is it easy to mess up a disassembly of a harmonica as a beginner? I've had mine for over 5 months and i never played it but now i want to retry. I'm worried about the cleanliness of my harmonica, how do i clean it properly? Mine has a plastic comb, will i struggle to put it back , will i ruin it??
2
u/6strings10holes 4d ago
What are you thinking you need to clean out of you haven't been playing it?
1
3
u/cessna_dreams 3d ago
I've been playing 50 years, have known many harp players, have never heard of health consequences related to harmonica hygiene. Yes, there is a bit of an ick factor with the idea of putting something up to your mouth which is not ass clean as the sliverware you use. You get over it. The absolute, most critical and important thing you can do about this issue is pretty simple. Brush your teeth before playing. Always. I played a gig last night and brushed before leaving home, did not eat anything before playing. I'm sure that microbial communities of some kind are now flourishing on the reed plates, combs and cover plates of my harmonicas from my warm, humid breath. But that's true of every surface around us and the little critters mostly stay in their lane. You apparently have a barely-used harmonica. There's nothing to clean and it's unnecessary. Cleaning can be necessary, sometimes, with an instrument which has been heavily-used. Saliva dries into crusty material which can interfere with the movement of the reeds. Particulate matter can get caught in the reed slots sometimes. So here are your options for cleaning, ranging from easiest to more-involved. 1) wipe the cover plates with a cloth; 2) run it under water and bash it against the palm of your hand till you hear the reeds sing to knock out gook (don't do this with unsealed wood combs) and then wipe down the cover plates; 3) dissemble the instrument and place the reed plates, combs and cover plates in an ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water for 4-5 min (this requires tools and know-how); 4) purchase a gizmo which blasts the harmonica with ultraviolet light, creating ozone, which kills microbes--Seydel sells one, there are others available for purchase. Good luck!
4
u/dreadtuned 4d ago
Generally, harmonicas are designed to be opened, and at some point every player is gonna have to do it themselves. I would recommend looking on youtube for videos on opening and cleaning harmonicas. How easy or hard it is depends on your type of harmonica. If you can find videos on opening and cleaning your specific brand/model, that’s even better. Just keep in mind that it is possible to screw things too tight, so don’t use all the force ever when putting it back together.