Brass Instruments and the Bacteria That Love Them
Imagine you are a brass instrument player in a band. You play your instrument to practice at home, in rehearsals, and for concert events. Whether you are a novice player or on a professional level, you play your instrument frequently and you're putting your mouth on your instrument day after day. You want it to be clean right? Now imagine that several other people have been using this same instrument before you. Previous players may have tried to clean it themselves, but how clean is it really when you can't get into bends, nooks, and crannies and really scrub out the instrument? Your instrument is accumulating biological waste over time, not only from you but other people. It's a gross thought in itself, but potentially harmful to your health as well. Whether it's your own germs or an accumulation of multiple parties, bacterial growth and pathogens in high doses can make musicians ill. Continued exposure to the growth can extend the length of those illnesses and allergies. Moist spit keys (water valves) are great environments for establishing thriving colonies of bacteria. It's a dark and cozy breeding ground harboring contaminates that can possibly lead to recurrent bouts of illness. Ultrasonic cleaning, coupled with the proper cleaning agent, removes more contamination than manual cleaning can. The microscopic cavitation bubbles that are produced by sound waves scrub every surface that the water touches. These scrubbing bubbles can get into tight and bendy areas that manual cleaning can't, and in a fraction of time compared to manual cleaning. To be a responsible instrument owner you should have your equipment cleaned. Why not get a better and more thorough cleaning result? It's the smart and healthy choice. Don't believe me? Read this: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274082538_Wind_Ensemble_Infectious_Disease_Risks_A_Microbiological_Examination_of_Water_Key_Liquids_in_Brass_Instruments