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Covid Piano cleaning question

  • 1.  Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-19-2021 12:50

    Hi all,

     

    Last year durning the first shut down, many students took it upon themselves to wipe down everything with alcohol wipes!  I now have dozens of pianos with finish blemishes (white streaks) and cloudy key-tops.  Ugh!  Does Blush Eraser from Pianotek work?  They are backordered, so wonder if yall are ordering it as well.  Would Flitz work on key-tops?

     

    How are you attempting to keep students from using wipes on pianos?  I now have an extra ton of work to do.

     

    Thanks,

    Paul

     



  • 2.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-19-2021 13:14
    Do we know what the correct product(s) would be?  If you can determine that, does it come in individually packaged form?  If so, it's probably not 'evnironmentally friendly', but you could come up with some way of dealing with that.    Next would be to provide them and educate users.  After that, it would be surveillance cameras and letters home.  And that's just the faculty.

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    David Skolnik [RPT]
    Hastings-on-Hudson NY
    917-589-2625
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  • 3.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-19-2021 13:52

    The answer is to just wash your hands and wear a mask and hope for the best.  I wish everyone would get the shots. I'm predicting mid Sept for another lock down... I have not seen any kind of cleaner that won't hurt the piano finishes and 99% have alcohol.  I'm not sure what hydrogen pyroxide does in the long term.

     

    We just started mask mandating at USC, but everywhere I go outside our buildings, nobody is wearing a mask.  About half in grocery stores.

     

    P






  • 4.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-19-2021 14:18
    So, this quickly brings up what to me is the most fascinatin' question, in three forms:
    - how far into the black hole of covid - related discussion would members take this ?
    - how long would it take for members to realize where they, again, wandered itno ?
    - how far would Moderators allow this to go ?

    Paul - to begin, your original post question combined a general interest component with one that was more appropriate to CAUT.   It would certainly make sense to research and report information from manufacturers or any other experts with regard to any workable disinfectant substances, however, to pivot (so quickly) to discussion of behavioral protocols such as vaccines and masks can only mean that your regular sources of spectator blood sports are currently unavailable.   I'm not saying these issues are not relevant to us, but we've seen how fraught the conversation becomes.  

    Hopefully we can pull some useful information together shortly.

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    David Skolnik [RPT]
    Hastings-on-Hudson NY
    917-589-2625
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  • 5.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Member
    Posted 08-19-2021 14:11
    I have just completed buffing out two sets of keys that were presumably clouded by sanitizer of some sort.  Some even had a faint gray tone to the heaviest clouded puddle-ish marks.  Big disclaimer and YMMV...with concentrically stitched buffing wheel first use Dico PBC (I assume that means Plastic Buffing Compound?) carefully and repeatedly until most or all clouding is gone. Wipe residual buffing compound off with soft t-shirt before moving on to the next wheel. Then follow with Dico WR1 (white rouge) on a concentrically stitched buffing wheel.  For me, on these keys, this completely removed the blemishes.  It did not remove years of fingernail scratches however!

    Deb

    --
    5 Tarr's Lane WEST
    Rockport, MA  01966
    978-546-8428





  • 6.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-19-2021 14:16
    Paul

    When I was at Alabama we had a student who was affraid of germs, so she would wipe down the keys, and the cheek blocks, with alcohol. As a result, the cheek blocks would get that white film on it. I think I used 0000 steel wool to clean off the white film.

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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    St. Augustine, FL 32095
    Tnrwim@aol.com
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  • 7.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Member
    Posted 08-19-2021 14:32
    Why bother ? Take pictures and send them to the budget committee and Dean of the Music Department. Next get an estimate from a key recovery service to remove and replace the keytops. If the keys are loose get them rebushed at the same time. Send them off and if you are lucky the keys will be gone for months.
    I think QRS had an ultraviolet light system that could be used on keyboards but it took some time to treat all 88 keys.

    Even if you succeed in finding a product there is no guarantee it will get used and many people will continue to use their own cleaners. Its a lose lose situation.  I used some environmentally friendly wipes that did not contain alcohol or petroleums and did a very effective job on the keys especially the sharps. Will have to research the name and supplier.

    Finish blemishes are another matter and are likely due to the alcohol causing havoc. There are products for removing moisture "white ring" but best to check with the piano makers first or a good piano re-finisher. Barb Calli in NC may be able to advise

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 8.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Posted 08-20-2021 04:14
    James K. wrote: "...and replace the keytops. If the keys are loose get them rebushed at the same time. Send them off and if you are lucky the keys will be gone for months."

    If that's your plan, then I want to give you a heads-up: If you want your keys gone for months, don't send them to Debra Legg for new keytops. I sent her a set of keys very recently and I don't think they were out of my shop for much more than a week - including shipping time. And then to add insult to injury, the keyset looks absolutely beautiful!


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    Terry Farrell
    Farrell Piano Service, Inc.
    Brandon, Florida
    terry@farrellpiano.com
    813-684-3505
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  • 9.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-20-2021 08:05
    That’s a good question, Paul. I started using Lysol wipes on keytops 16 months ago. I haven’t noticed any discoloration at all. I always follow up with a soft dry rag. It’s possible that the students in question don’t bother with this step. Before I started the Lysol treatment, I consulted Yamaha tech support. They thought it would be fine. So far, so good. I’m going to continue wiping keytops for the rest of my tuning career. I have become aware of how often I touch my fingers to my tongue, eyes, nose. I try to avoid it but I’m doing everything I can to protect the health of my customers and myself. Not only am I getting into the advanced age group (75), but I’ve always been very susceptible to respiratory infections. With the protocols that I’ve begun, I haven’t had a cold since January 2020.

    Bob Anderson, RPT
    Tucson, AZ




  • 10.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 08-20-2021 08:42
      |   view attached
    A nearby private school (whose pianos are under the care of another tech) instituted a program of spraying a disinfectant in each room after usage throughout the major covid scare. Instructions were to close the piano (in this case 5 SS model O grands) entirely before spraying. 

    Well of course this instruction was not followed, and the result was all the bass strings went dead on these pianos, as well as discoloration of the finish (to one degree or another). They had to replace 5 sets of bass strings (plain wire was oxidized but did not get replaced) as a result. 

    At first I found it hard to believe, but he showed me the last one (before replacement) and indeed they looked and sounded terrible...dead and thuddy.  All as a result of spraying this disinfectant in the room repeatedly. 

    I took pics of the substances used. 

    Bummer. 

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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  • 11.  RE: Covid Piano cleaning question

    Member
    Posted 08-20-2021 09:08
    Thats one way to get new pianos but 5 S&S Model O's ?  What effect did the spraying have on the hammers, dampers, soundboard and moving parts ?

    I wonder how many pianos suffered this fate especially since there are these hand held sprayers that can be used to treat entire rooms . Same is true for electronic equipment, computers, audio/visual equipment, microphones, mixing stations, monitors etc.

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    James Kelly
    Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
    ------------------------------