I came across a strange piece of "info" yesterday, well actually, it was in an instrumental joke. Here is the quote: "he cleans his silver flute head joint out with listerine every month"...sounds liek a bad idea, yet, I wonder what would happen if you DID clean your silver flute headjoint out with listerine...your thoughts? (not that I would do this, but I find it a matter of interest)

by the way, the "listerine" mentioned is the mouthwash brand...in case you were blanking on it.

The smell of that stuff would soak into the cork.

...or worse, it could just melt the cork.

It could be that the guy likes the smell of it...

Disclaimer, Not recommended for the young ones.....It's meant as a joke.


Perhaps if one IS concerned with germs, one could hold the head joint with the crown cap down, put their thumb over the embouchure hole and fill the head joint with some Austrian Stroh Rum. Then after a few moments to allow the chemistry to do it's work, down the liquid.
This will pretty well help to alleviate all concerns about germs for a time.....especially if followed by a pint or three of a good stout.
As a side effect, it tends to cure the player of all concerns about wrong notes and bad intonation.

Okay,

To be serious for a minute.

It is possible to get hepatitis B from playing another persons instrument. You shouldn't play another persons instrument without cleaning it first. You can use 90% alcohol. But you can also use something called Sterisol which is sold in Music stores. Sterisol is only 70% alcohol, but it is better than nothing at all.

Just spray it on the mouthpiece of the instrument and let it sit for about 60 seconds and then wipe it dry.

Hepatitis B is a very serious disease and is on the rise world wide. You can get it from direct contact with bodily fluids. (saliva)

I don't mean to be a germaphobe but you should take precautions.

I don't clean my own flute constantly with alcohol I just swab it out after I am through playing it every day. I generally don't let other people play my flutes or piccolos. If they do play them, I clean them with the alcohol or Sterisol.

I don't think that listerine is a good idea.

Just my 2 cents.

Wow. Another use for Everclear...

I wouldn't care to acquire herpesvirus/cold sores this way, either.

I DO agree that we have become germophobes, though. I drink raw/unpasteurized milk, from my own cow. (After I nearly died from a small intestine perforation, and the surgeon removed a significant portion of my small intestine, I am unable to digest pasteurized milk. I can only digest milk fresh from the cow.) So many people freak out about raw milk, thinking that surely it would contain enough evil to kill you right away.

I think common sense can give us a good approach. If we are play-testing flutes at a big convention, where everyone and their sister tries a particular flute, a disinfectant would be appropriate. If it is simply you and your non-cold-sore-carrying, non-hapatitis-carrying, not-sick-right-now-with-a-cold flute teacher, maybe we don't need to be paranoid.

Our flute section leader always said that Apricot Brandy was a cure-all. Now I'll have to tell her that there's another use for it- that she ought to keep some in her flute bag at all times!

Wow. Another use for Everclear...

Nice to see someone else has a well stocked bar.

vampav8trix, does make a good point that I adhere to.
My point is that there are better sterilizers out there than that bottle of Listerine.

I generally keep my flutes away from others mouths and fingers. When visiting those booths at flute fests, it is best to take precautions with these sorts of things there. You never know who has been playing that pretty platinum flute before you pick it up.

Ahhh...I keep a shot glass in my case, actually. No kidding. =) I have heard of a LA phillarmonic bassoon player who soaks his reed in alchohol before he plays, it apparently helps is reed when playing in altitude...although he soaks his reed in the stuff normally just cuz he likes it.

If you are going to use alcohol might I suggest the lower strengths like 70%. Although you might think 90% is better because it is stronger you actually may find 70% more effective.

Why you might ask? What is the difference?
Well 90% alcohol is basically alcohol (90%) and water (10%)
70% alcohol is alcohol (70%) and water (30%). Water is the carrier agent to get the alcohol where it needs to go. A 70% solution will get places the 90% solution can't. Next time you're at the doctor's office look and see what strength they use. They use a lower strength because the water will carry the alcohol deeper and more thouroughly thereby resulting in a more efficient sterilization.

I do know of several clarinet and sax players who soak their reeds in a 50/50 solution of water and listerine. I also know of a clarinet player who beleives in letting the natural germs and flora develop on his reeds beleiving they give him a better tone as the germs/bacteria/etc fill in the gaps of the reed fibres.

But this is the Flute forum.
If you feel a need to sanitize use the 70% solution of alcohol. The water will get it where it needs to be and the cork won't stay wet because the alcohol will dry the water out. Stay away from listerine and what have you, as the other agents in these products (dye, fragrance, etc) will accumulate near the cork and I don't think our bronchia really want to constantly be breathing in fragrances and dyes.

I consider most of those precautions to be exaggerations of a perceived, non-existent risk. There are probably more risks in drinking a beer in a bar at the street corner (have you seen how the typical barman "cleans" the glasses?) than playing someone's else instrument. My instrument at least has no saliva on the lip plate, there could be some in the inside, but there is no easy way it could get in my mouth.

Anyway I would not handout a dripping instrument just after I finish one hour of exercises to anybody, perhaps not even to myself.

Hepatitis B is mainly transmitted in non protected sexual intercourse above anything else. (sorry for minors, but they should know this anyway, the soonest the better. I hope the word does not get replaced by little stars by the server).

I never caught colds or flu and I refuse to get vaccinated for it, at least while this immunity lasts.

My theory is that I am probably immune to most germs and viruses because I swim every day in a soup of them (a public swimming pool). I accidentally swallow some water now and then and with it, those little beasts, that could be attenuated by the chlorine and other water additives or not. But this works for me very well, so this habit is my perfect universal vaccine.

I recommend this. And I am serious about it this time.

Jose Luis is right as well.
I was just thinking of the premise to Wells' "War of the Worlds" story.
If one tries to avoid germs, it weakens the person's immune system against them. Germs and viruses can't be avoided if one wants to live a normal life on Earth. They exist in our water, food and in our air. Our stomachs work better when certain types of bacteria are present.

If one wanted to avoid germs, they would for example never eat at a restaurant. It's not that the food is bad, (it is not always very healthy) but one can't even begin to know how any of that food is handled.

Also in a similar vein recently I saw something on peanut allergies and how they are successfully treating about 1/2 of the people who are allergic with peanuts. They gradually introduce peanuts into their diet. (Very gradually in very minute doses at first). until they are up to eating a few of them without affect.