How To. Clean A Harmonica Hohner Special 20

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Exercise y'all desire to clean your harmonica? Harmonica maintenance can exist a delicate thing because of how fragile the inside of the musical instrument is. Follow these tips to successfully clean your harmonica.

1
Rinse with lukewarm water. If you take a diatonic harmonica with a plastic comb, just run some lukewarm water through the harmonica. Placing the mouthpiece confronting your palm, tap it firmly to remove the water.^[1]
- Only run water through the harmonica if your rummage is plastic or sealed wood. If the comb is wooden or metal, do not run water through it.
2
Tap the harmonica subsequently each apply. Because a harmonica is played with the rima oris, saliva and other contaminants become blown into the instrument by the mouth. After each use, tap the harmonica on your hand, leg, or a towel to knock out whatsoever loose saliva. This will aid keep it make clean and help reduce the amount of build-upwardly in the instrument.^[two]
- Try to be a dry harmonica role player. This means yous should endeavor to reduce the amount of saliva that you lot laissez passer into the harmonica while playing.
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Let your harmonica dry out after playing. Another manner you can help keep your harmonica clean and rust-free is to let it dry after playing. When you place information technology in the case, leave the case open. This helps any moisture in the harmonica to dry instead of sitting at that place clammy in your harmonica.^[3]
4
Make clean your rima oris before playing. If you have eaten or drunk anything right before playing, rinse your oral fissure with water. Remnants of food can become blown into the harmonica, and carbohydrate or other contaminants from not-water beverages can build up a residue in the harmonica.^[4]
- Refrain from playing right afterward brushing your teeth. Any residuum left over from the toothpaste or mouthwash tin build upwardly.
- Don't smoke while playing the harmonica. This can damage the harmonica.
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ane
Remove the cover plates. Use an appropriate screwdriver to remove the cover plates of the harmonica. Some harmonicas apply a Phillips-head screwdriver, while others use a flat head. Make certain to find a screwdriver of the advisable size.^[five]
- Place the screws in a safe place where they won't exist lost.
- Spray both sides of the cover plates with booze and then wipe with a textile.
two

Remove the reed plates. After removing the comprehend plates, use the screwdriver to remove the screws attached to the reed plates. Proceed the screws in the order from which you lot remove them so they are placed dorsum in the aforementioned hole every bit before.^[vi]
3

Soak the reed plates. Place the reed plates into a solution of warm water and vinegar or lemon juice. Let them soak for approximately half an hour.^[vii]
iv
Make clean the comb. While the reed plates are soaking, make clean the rummage. If the comb is plastic, you can make clean information technology with soap and water. Employ a soft toothbrush to brush the deposits off the comb.^[8] Another option is to spray the comb with alcohol and castor it with a soft brush. Yous can likewise employ something sharp to dig any build-up off the comb.
- If yous have a wooden rummage, do not use water or soap. Just use the castor or the precipitous object. If you have a metal comb, make sure to dry information technology thoroughly before reassembling.^[ix]
5
Clean the reed plates. Remove the reed plates from the water. Use a soft toothbrush to castor the reed plates.^[10] Do not scrub the reed plates with the toothbrush.^[11] You lot want to gently brush the reed plates along the reeds from the rivet down. Don't castor confronting the reeds or snag the ends of the reeds. This can damage the reeds or mess upwards the notes of the harmonica.^[12]
- Never brush across the reed. But brush in the direction of the reed.
- Clean the other side of the reed plate as vigorously as yous desire since it has no reeds.
- Then run information technology under warm h2o to rinse.^[xiii]
- Y'all tin can likewise make clean the reed plates with a q-tip and hydrogen peroxide.^[14]
6
Reassemble. Allow all of the harmonica parts completely dry. Then, reassemble the harmonica.
- Spiral the screws back in gradually. Tighten all three of them evenly before you tighten them as far as they can go.^[15]
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Add together New Question

Question

How practice I go staining off my reed plates?

Soak the reed plates in a solution of Keureg K-Cup Car Cleaner and hot water for 30 minutes.
Question

Do I have to put the screws back in their original order?

If the screws have any differences betwixt them (length, diameter, etc.), then yep, you have to put them back in their original order. If they are even so, don't worry nigh it.
Question

What if my harmonica has no screws?

If it is held by small nails, carefully remove them with very small tools (screwdriver/stylus pocketknife) then replace them with similarly sized small screws. Or just buy ameliorate harmonicas.
Question

How practice I know what the comb is made of?

Look at it. If it looks like plastic, information technology'due south plastic. If information technology looks like wood, information technology'south wood. If it looks like metal, it's metal.
Question

What exact kind of alcohol is needed?

It's best to utilize rubbing alcohol/isopropyl alcohol. This will disinfect your harmonica. However, you lot volition have to rinse it out thoroughly because it isn't good for you to ingest rubbing booze.
Question

Is it possible to make clean it without having to open it upward?

As mentioned above, yous tin but rinse information technology with h2o if it has a plastic comb. If not, you can take a small-scale proxabrush/Christmas tree brush and scrub in the holes. Nevertheless, information technology is proficient to once in a while practice a total deep make clean and open up it up, as that is a more than thorough way of cleaning.
Question

How do I remove corrosion from the reeds?

David Goodwin

Community Answer

Without taking information technology apart, just soak it in coca cola. So rinse well. Y'all may demand to repeat the procedure.
Question

How nigh cleaning and disinfecting a newly-acquired used harmonica?

Take it autonomously, soak reed plates in vinegar solution, rinse and dry out. The comb too, unless it is wooden (these combs will cracking if soaked). In a pinch, you can pour mouthwash or alcohol through the harmonica, tap information technology dry and accident through all the reeds.
Question

What can I do if some holes don't play?

Make sure your instrument is fully cleaned and working. If information technology's not, have it to your local music store.
Question

How practice I make clean mud out of my harmonica?

Yous could, if it'southward plastic, run h2o through it. If not, take it apart and apply a fine paintbrush (or a toothbrush), and gently clean the harmonica. You could use a slightly damp cloth if it is wood or metal, but let information technology dry out thoroughly after.

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Be careful with the harmonica.
Keep your pieces safety in a (preferably sunny) dry location while drying, particularly out of reach from pets.

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Cleaning as well oftentimes may outcome in loss of sound.

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Article Summary X

To keep your harmonica clean, rinse your mouth with water earlier you start playing to avoid whatever food or drink residue getting stuck in the musical instrument. After you've finished playing, tap the harmonica against your hand or leg to remove loose saliva. If your harmonica has a plastic comb, run it nether common cold water . To clean your instrument more thoroughly, remove the cover and reed plates with a screwdriver, and then soak the reed plates for 30 minutes in a solution of h2o and vinegar. For advice on how to clean your comb and how to reassemble the harmonica, read on!

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