[CAUT] New flu info

[Scott E. Thile]

I use straight denatured alcohol for cleaning keytops all the time. It does
not hurt modern plastics, ivory, or ebony. It will sometimes lift the paint
used on some sharps, or whatever is used to blacken the sides and back of
the keysticks. I have not had any problems with it on lacquer or polyester
finishes. 

As Ari mentioned, I don't think cleaning the keys is the answer. You'd  have
to clean them after every use of the piano. More effective to have hand
sanitizer dispensers handy and use that before and after practice or lesson
sessions. It's not like you can stand guard and clean keys after each
student leaves a practice room!

Scott E. Thile
Murray State University 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On 
> Behalf Of Ari
> Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 7:45 PM
> To: caut at ptg.org
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] New flu info
> 
> 
> Hi list.
> 
> I'm hesitante to write since I'm out of my depth but...
> In Toronto hospitals they don't hose down the door handles, 
> door jams etc. with sterilizing liquids every time they're 
> handled, they have, instead, at the entrance to the wards, 
> dispensers of sterilizing fluid you're encouraged to use as 
> you enter, or leave, or both. How about having, once an 
> effective sterilizing liquid is identified, both the prof and 
> student(s) wash their hands with that liquid before the 
> lesson, after, or both and leave the piano
> keys alone.   Even if you succeed in sterilizing the keys you 
> still have
> your hands to worry about.  
> Surgeons used to use a liquid soap called physohex, I may be 
> spelling it wrong, it was said to be pretty potent.
> 
> Ari Isaac.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On 
> Behalf Of Jim Busby
> Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 7:54 PM
> To: PTG-CAUT (caut at ptg.org)
> Subject: [CAUT] New flu info
> 
> All,
>  
> My son Eric is a new Pharmacist and "up" on all the latest, 
> and has some pretty good sources for products. I asked him to 
> do some research and here is what he told me; 
>  
> - Hydrogen peroxide is NOT proven to kill flu germs. It may, 
> but Eric says he wouldn't trust it w/o testing.
> - Lysol wipes HAVE been proven to kill type A flu (Swine flu 
> is type A) but not type B, which is a lot of the others
> - Clorox wipes say they kill flu but they have NOT done the 
> testing. THey have the same active ingredient as Lysol, but 
> other stuff is different and the bottom line is it's NOT 
> tested/proven.
> - Lysol wipes (all wipes w/o alcohol) need 10 minutes to be 
> effective (!!! I didn't know that!)
> - Alcohol/alcohol wipes take only 30 seconds and is effective
> - Sprays (Lysol or Clorox) are far more effective than wipes, 
> mainly because of the alcohol, and take 30 seconds, 
> but...they have alcohol, (which we believe is bad for keytops 
> and finishes.) (Is it really??)
> - Flu and other viral germs can live on a surface like piano 
> keys for 2 days, but Eric says say 3 to be safe.
>  
> I'm revising the revisions of my revised rough copy of the "policy"...
>  
> For whomever told me that Hydrogen Peroxide would kill flu 
> germs, do you have a source for seeing the tests? Eric 
> couldn't find any. 
>  
> Does alcohol really hurt keytops, or is this another urban 
> pianotech legend?? I've never seen it, but there's a million 
> things I haven't seen.
>  
> I hate to run this into the ground, but it looks like we need 
> to study this more. I don't know about you, but BYU and Snow 
> College want something definitive ASAP, and I'm afraid profs 
> will take it upon themselves to start hosing down the piano 
> after each student. Hence my pressing this query.
>  
> Thanks.
>  
> Jim Busby
>