Germ-carrying reeds?

[Saxy Man]

I'd like to know if reeds can really carry germs :oops: because once in 5th grade I had one that when I played, I got a sore throat.

Thanks,
Matt

[Joseph Boucher]

I've never got sick from one of my own reeds and I've been playing for 46 years. I wouldn't use one that some else has used though. The only time that I wouldn't play with a reed that I had used is if I was sick or came down with the flu or at the time I was using it . When I was recovered, I would put in a new reed. If your paranoid about your own germs, why not use a new one every time you play. It'll cost you, but you'll feel a lot safer. Joe.

[Gandalfe]

My wife is an Registered Nurse and a clarinet player. She sez that reeds can carry germs but with normal use reeds that you play should not be dangerous. However, she recommends you do not play other peoples mouthpieces or reeds because you could get something serious like mono. (If you don't know what that is, look it up 'cuz it is serious stuff.)

I played sax from fifth grade to college and don't remember ever having problems with my reeds causing me to get sick. But it doesn't hurt to be careful.

[Saxy Man]

I know what mononucleosis is, but thanks for the info.

[randy]

Scrub your mouthpieces with an anti bacterial soap about once a week,.(NO HOT WATER W RUBBER MP"S !!!), and you can soak your reeds for a few minutes in Hydrogen Peroxide if you like..
Randy

[Lowell]

Worse than mono is Hepatitis and other nasty viruses. Never use a strange mouthpiece without first disinfecting it. I use a 25% solution of water and household bleach. Soak for 5 minutes, scrub inside and out, rinse well and dry with fresh paper towel.
As reeds dry most germs will die because they require moisture to survive. Viruses can sometimes live for weeks on a hard dry surface. I once had a red smut ( mold ) on my reeds that was being spread via the reed holder. I had to throw those reeds out and disinfect the mouthpiece and reed holder with bleach. It has not returned in 2 years. It did me no harm but a pro friend says it can cause nasty sores on your lip. I carry a small spice bottle full of fresh water to soak my reeds before playing. A bit of gin or vodka in the water prevents mold by sterilising the reeds.

[timobrien]

Mine soak in cheap Vodka.

Ain't NOTHIN' gonna live there.....

[Jazzophone]

I had a tip once that disinfecting mouthpieces with vinegar was the way to go. I've been doing that for a while, I've never had any problems with getting sick or anything (and I've had to juggle around mouthpieces as I'm in junior high ... :P), has anyone else tried that? Is it legit?

[Morry]

Any porous surface can harbor bacteria, especially surfaces that are organic in nature. If you are worried, buy a bottle of mouthpiece dissinfectant, or dip used reeds in Listerine.

[djonk]

<<Viruses can sometimes live for weeks on a hard dry surface.>>

What would the danger of contacting SARS, from buying a Chinese mouthpiece?

[Morry]

Pour Listerine over it and go toot your horn.

[Media Lint]

When you get a cold or the flu the time between the onset of your symptoms and the time when you feel well again has your immune system decoding the intruder and counter-attacking with antibodies. Once those antibodies are about you're pretty much immune to whatever it was for a significant period of time thereafter because the antibodies are still there, and therefore ready for an immediate retaliatory attack should the culprit try to invade again.

As good sanitary practice I like to rinse both mouthpiece and reed after each use. In actual practice I do this about half the time. Anyway, I just stick the thing in my mouth to wet it and go play. If I'm going to get sick it's probably going to be a result of the thousands of people I contact on the train to work, at work, when I go out, and what not. My own infected reeds are the least of my trouble.

[hornstar]

ditto Media Lint's post. a reed is sort of like your toothbrush. your body makes antibodies that fight off the bug. these will be in your system long after the bug goes away, long after the reed is kaput. the difference is the toothbrush is usually left out to dry in the air, and the reed is not.
that said, there are some precautions I take to discourage day-to-day skankiness. I try to play with a clean mouth; if I'm home, I brush my teeth first, if I'm out, I use gum, water or alcoholic beverage to try and get rid of food particles and mung. I never leave the reed on the mouthpiece after I'm done playing; that may seem obvious but many students leave them on afterwards and in addition to reed warp, it gets really nasty. I wipe off the reed and mouthpiece (rinse under water if I'm home and in the mood) and put them away. I put the reed in a ReedMate, which is clear to let in light and has a charcoal filter system.

[Joseph Boucher]

hornstar, I like what you said about "alcoholic beverages'". I think I'll carry a small flask in my gig bag from now on. :D

[Sigmund451]

Jazzophone, Many harmful germs can survive vinegar. It doesnt cut it....its a dangerous world out there.

What I have come to understand is that even the comercial sanitizers are not enough if you are playing someone elses mouthpiece. They have been found NOT to kill the TB virus which is on the rise...and new versions of it are often treatment resistant...bad stuff indeed. (I work in healthcare)

When I get a mouthpiece...especially a used one I drop it in a cup of good old cheap rubbing alcohol. That will kill everything. Then while wet I give it a good, but nor rough scrub with an old toothbrush.

I dont use alcohol for regular cleanings of my own items because I dont know its effect on hard rubber....I cant imagine long term exposure is a good thing for it. However, I have never noticed any effect of one or two good cleanings and it beats the heck out of the health risk.

[top_gun25]

timobrien Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 5:42 pm Post subject:

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Mine soak in cheap Vodka.

Ain't NOTHIN' gonna live there.....

CHEAP vodka? HMMMM dont know bout that........

Morry Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2003 12:13 am Post subject:

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Pour Listerine over it and go toot your horn.

MINTY FRESH!
and doesnt it kill 99.9% of germs any way?
Good idea.
But i use sterasol, a powerful instrument sanitizer... works great as it was made to steralize reeds, Mouthpieces, whatever. let set 1 min and it is germ free.

[werkinsnake]

I wouldn't use someone elses mouthpiece and reed, but if you use the same reed that you used when you were sick, you will not get sick again. Your body's immune system addapts to any virus or germ that you've had. Thus a person will only have a certain type of cold/flu once in their lifetime. And any germ that you put on your mouthpiece will be harmless to you. Though I know that after a while reeds don't taste that great.

[top_gun25]

not so true... some are BACTERIA.... then you will get sick over and over and over and....
germs are what you are resistant to.. but they are not alive.
BACTERIA are what GROW and MULTIPLY on moist reeds... just steralize them once in a while. and make sure your reeds dry FULLY before you put them in your mouth... never put a reed you used last night in your mouth if it is still moist!

thats how you get sick!

[AuntSaxophone]

I'd like to know if reeds can really carry germs :oops: because once in 5th grade I had one that when I played, I got a sore throat.

Thanks,
Matt

Ahem... If I might say so myself... Germs are everywhere. Even if you lived in a bubble, there would still be risk of getting germs inside your body. Most humans have what we call an immune system which is usually effective at keeping us healthy most of the time.

From time to time people get sick from germs. Perhaps there was a sore throat bug going around when you were in fifth grade. However, unless you used someone else's reed, there shouldn't have been a problem.

If you're so worried about it, there are many different ways you can kill germs. Some people use mouthwash to keep their reeds relatively germ free. Others use Alchohol and various other substances.

[bartone]

I donno about vodka. I could see getting pulled over and hauled in for having an open container of saxophone in the car...

(Get back, copper! I've got a saxophone, and I'm not afraid to use it!)
bartone

[Star_Eyes]

I think I'm allergic to reeds :( whenever I use a new one, I get a sore throat and start sneezing. Goes away once they're broken in though...

[Jackssax]

Well I've been going through problems related to bacteria living in my reeds for over 3 years. This seems to be a really uncommon thing (hopefully 98% of you will never come across it) but unfortunately I have and a handfull of others have as well.

I think from day to day normal hygiene is cool but if you do cut, scratch of split your lip be extra cautious of what could be living in your reed.

My current practise is extreme but is working in my case.

*I disinfect each reed after playing in Milton (baby bottle disinfectant) overnight and leave it to dry out completely before putting it back in the playing cycle.

*I disinfect my mouthpiece every few weeks in the same stuff (only for about an hour (I don't want to leave it in too long incase the milton messes with the hard rubber)

*After playing I'll wash my lip and use some mouthwash to clean my mouth out

*this doesn't relate to hygiene but I sand down my reeds and rub a bit of wax on the surface to lessen the friction caused by the reed.

I get an infected lower lip which was originally caused from some old reeds (possibly growing something) combined with heaps of heavy playing over a weekend. I got an infection (grose yellow stuff coming out of scratrches) which still comes back if I play too much, damage my lip or lapse in reed hygiene. All is going well at the moment,there are a couple of posts here with the whole story http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=372216#post372216 and http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=37902&highlight=serious+lip+issues

I am currently practising strict reed hygiene, using an atibiotic cream if it gets bad and taking dietry supplements (to do with chealitis) and have been quite good for the last 6 weeks. I'll post a big blurb once I'm sure I've cured it.

Sorry this is so long but it's important that everyone is at least aware of the worst case scenario (it sucks!)

Cheers

[jazzbluescat]

Sorry 'bout your lip problems, Jackssax. But, your post reminds me of the cell biology course I took a while back, all the things that grow on your skin, etc. yuck You never know what's lurking....