How to Sterilize Musical Instruments Between Students

The mouthpiece is an essential part of all wind and brass musical instruments. The mouthpiece is capable of harboring thousands of bacteria for several days. Musical instruments in many schools many are shared by several students during the course of a normal school day. Consequently, musical instruments have the potential for quickly spreading germs and disease if they are not properly sterilized. Sterilizing a mouthpiece properly involves thoroughly cleaning the exterior and interior of the mouthpiece rather than simply wiping it with sanitizer.

Things You'll Need

• Commercial detergent-sanitizer
• Nylon brushes
• Suction cups
• Rubber cement
• Cloth

Instructions

1. Remove the mouthpieces from the musical instruments. Lay the mouthpieces on a table.

2. Attach small nylon cleaning brushes to rubber suction cups with rubber cement. The suction cups hold the brushes in a stationary position as you are cleaning the mouthpieces. The brushes used to clean electric razors work well. Use various size brushes for the different size mouthpieces.

3. Fill a stainless steel sink with warm water and a commercial detergent-sanitizer product. Follow the directions on the container for the recommended amounts. Place the suction cups and brushes on the bottom of the sink.

4. Move each mouthpiece up and down on a brush fifteen to thirty times. Lay the mouthpiece on a towel and allow it to air dry.

5. Reassemble the mouthpiece and the musical instrument. Wipe down the instrument with a clean cloth and sanitizer.

References

• NCBI: Bacteriological And Cleaning Studies On The Mouthpieces Of Musical Instruments