CAUT

  • 1.  heavy use of hydrogen peroxide to disinfect keys is bleaching sharps

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-20-2021 21:13

    Hi everyone..

    I have posted on one of the piano nerd facebook groups but thought I'd send a note here just for us college people.

    I was asked to come up with a protocol for sanitizing keyboards and after seeing some others' comments and some manufacturers guidelines- recommended hydrogen peroxide for our pianos. We have an avid (sometimes rabid) piano department here and they have been very good about the cleansing protocols I put in place.

    After months of heavy use and cleaning, I am seeing that my natural ebony sharps are becoming lightened significantly enough to cause me worry.
    Has anyone else seen such a change in their sharps?

    I have several clients who are doctors and they have mentioned that the virus does not live on surfaces so much so they didn't bother with me cleaning their keyboard.

    I am wondering if the college should switch to hand sanitizer *that had been applied and dried on the hands* and just a wipe down the keyboard with some Cory key cleaner.

    _Or_ i can go ahead and color the sharps with my leather dye after they get too bad and then spray with some lacquer- which I will probably have to anyways.

    Looking for some guidance here and feeling nauseous that I caused an issue, but I'll give myself some slack since I did plenty or research beforehand.

    THANX ALL!

    :}

    MIchelle 



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    Michelle Stranges
    Western Washington University
    Bellingham, WA
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  • 2.  RE: heavy use of hydrogen peroxide to disinfect keys is bleaching sharps

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-21-2021 07:26
    Hi Michelle et al.,
    I feel your pain; It's been difficult to sift through the information and make decisions on the correct course of action for keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe w/r/t piano use. Since the prevailing wisdom does appear to be that surface contamination is not as big a vector as was originally thought, we have stuck to mostly alcohol-based and other bleach- and h/p-free wipes, and I have been using primarily Key-Brite when I make my rounds (along with washing and hand sanitizer before and after each instrument). When the students and faculty return next week I will be reiterating the extreme importance of hand washing before and after piano use, and also the need to dry the keys after sanitizing to avoid liquid remaining on the keys any longer than necessary for disinfecting purposes. The problem I continue to see (even after multiple warnings and signage) is that people insist on using the wipes on case surfaces (whether polyester or not) as well as the keys. Fortunately, our concert instruments are free of this type of damage (so far), but I must chalk it up to an overabundance of caution, preferable to the opposite.

    My concern at present is focused on aerosol contamination and the need to allow for time before and after I'm in a room (especially the practice rooms and smaller classrooms) to allow for the HVAC system to adequately exchange the air.

    With any luck, by this time next year we'll be at a point where "normal" protocols can be reinstated.
    Stay safe,
    David

    David Dunn, RiT
    Piano Maintenance Technician and Coordinator
    UNI School of Music – RSL 190
    Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0246
    319-273-7337
    david.dunn@uni.edu





  • 3.  RE: heavy use of hydrogen peroxide to disinfect keys is bleaching sharps

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-21-2021 09:46
    Thanks for the question and the info. I've noticed that anything alcohol based tends to take the paint/stain off black keys that are a wood other than ebony. That's kind of a "no-duh" but I'm throwing it out there, anyway. I've seen in previous years that anything ammonia based can cause plastic keytops to crack, so I've been advising against that, also. It's so difficult. I'm mostly in the "wash your hands before you touch" camp.

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    Maggie Jusiel, RPT
    Athens, WV
    (304)952-8615
    mags@timandmaggie.net
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