Two weeks ago we posted an article about the importance of chemical cleaning in brass instruments. Although most woodwinds are not made of brass, there should still be an emphasis on cleaning the instruments. There was a case recently in Atlanta of a man that had developed a chronic lung condition. The article from livescience.com states that,
“Indeed, a lack of regular instrument cleaning seems to be the root of most cases of saxophone lung. In a 2010 editorial in Chest by Dr. Yvon Cormier, she noted that “it is quite likely that the problem [of sax lung] has existed for many years because of the cleaning habits of many musicians. Upon consultation of a few saxophone players, I was surprised to learn that most only brush-clean their instruments, and in some cases, only once or twice a year. Washing with a chlorine solution or isopropyl alcohol was never mentioned.”
This week, in particular, I have opened several cases where the mouthpiece was still on the neck of a bass clarinet. When I removed the mouthpiece, there was a large amount of lime and scale that had built up on the inside of the neck. It is really important to remove this bacteria for the health of the player.
Avoid sickness and send in your instrument for cleaning today!