Pianotech

  • 1.  Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2022 19:19
    I'm cleaning out a piano which was for ~15 years a thriving Mouseville. Disinfecting the keybed is the easy part. I'd also like to get rid of the strain. I wouldn't go after it with a sander; the most stock-removal would be with a scraper. Would some kind of bleach remove this stain?



    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Member
    Posted 10-21-2022 20:49
    almost looks like red wine. try some products made for wine stain removal. i think i would avoid a bleach and only use something safe for wood. Make sure you wear gloves and a mask when scraping since this is likely a mix of mice waste and maybe blood.also removing wood from the keybed may cause bedding problems. No need to be worried about all the stain left- no one will know its there . Did the piano smell like pee-pee ? cory has a product for that

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

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2022 21:25
    James went:
    "Make sure you wear gloves and a mask when scraping since this is likely a mix of mice waste and maybe blood."

    All good protocol.

    "also removing wood from the keybed may cause bedding problems."
     
    I'm well aware of that. The affected areas are in the "windows" between the keyframe's rails and styles, and it didn't make it to the hardwood inserts for the glides. But the danger with chlorine bleach is that it also attacks the chemistry of the wood, leaving the cells bare and empty. As I mentioned in the original post, if there's any stock removal to be done, it will be done with nothing more powerful than a cabinet scraper

    "No need to be worried about all the stain left- no one will know its there ."

    The trouble is that after I finish with it, it will be passed down through the family. Lord knows who will be the next technician to pull the action.

    "Did the piano smell like pee-pee ? cory has a product for that."

    Sure does! Thanks for the pointer.

    Wim went:
    "Your best bet would be to sand it smooth and spray on a product that eliminates the pee smell. "

    I did that a few years back, with an infestation in a Baldwin spinet. 1.) disinfect the area, 2.) let it dry, and 3.) seal with shellac. This worked!



    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2022 21:04
    Those stains look deep. I don't think you're ever going to be able sand the wood down enough to get rid of the stain. And I don't think any cleaning product will get down into the wood far enough to remove the stain. 

    Your best bet would be to sand it smooth and spray on a product that eliminates the pee smell. But I've found that even that doesn't always remove the smell, but merely hides it long enough for you to think it's gone but comes back after a while.

    Wim



    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2022 21:13
    Bill,

    This may help...

    https://petkeen.com/how-to-clean-mouse-urine-from-wood/

    Worth a shot.

    Peter Grey Piano Doctor

    ------------------------------
    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    (603) 686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-21-2022 21:35
    Peter went:
    "https://petkeen.com/how-to-clean-mouse-urine-from-wood/"

    Definitely! I'll be looking for the Hepper concoction.

    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Member
    Posted 10-22-2022 11:26
    there are many products that have enzymes in the formula advertised to destroy the pee pee smell. Recently I had to replace the casters on a Yamaha G2 where pets had peed all over the brass. The worst problem was the pedal box and lyre. I tried everything including airing it out on the screen porch, different cleaners etc The pee had permeated the wood cells the smell just persisted. One tip I heard to use on wood floors with pee is to spray with rubbing alcohol .

    I like Wims idea to use shellac to seal the area. You can try using some peppermint oil for the smell. If you are worried about some future tech finding this leave a little note . Better here than on the keys and soundboard ,plate, bridges,pinblock, hammers and dampers

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

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 11-03-2022 20:49
    Song without Words……




    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Member
    Posted 11-04-2022 00:04
    Looks good but does it smell good ?

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

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Dirty Keybed

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 11-04-2022 07:39
    James Kelly went:
    Looks good but does it smell good ?

    Sure does, thanks to an off-the-shelf "rids pet stains and odors" cleaner, and 90 minutes of elbow grease. The main worry was how deep the stains were. They turned out to be right on the surface (think, a few mils), and the wood never faced anything more aggressive than a cabinet scraper. I did touch up some areas with hydrogen peroxide. There was another "outhouse" in the far-bass corner behind the back action where the ability to scrape was limited. But that's clean, and I'll seal it with shellac (as mentioned in my earlier post).

    This was the scary part and it's done. The stains on the plate around the tuning pin web, cleaned up nicely in a test with GoJo scrubbing wipes. That's all for the next trip. No "full-bug" attire necessary from here on out.

    ------------------------------
    William Ballard RPT
    WBPS
    Saxtons River VT
    802-869-9107

    "Our lives contain a thousand springs
    and dies if one be gone
    Strange that a harp of a thousand strings
    should keep in tune so long."
    ...........Dr. Watts, "The Continental Harmony,1774
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    ------------------------------

    Original Message