[pianotech] H1N1

[David Love]

Not exactly.  Alcohol based hand sanitizers can be effective against viruses
depending on the alcohol content and the amount used.  While it may not be
as good as vigorous hand washing it is certainly better than nothing and I
wouldn't hesitate to use them.  Not using them because they provide a false
security seems counterproductive.  All hand sanitizers need to be rubbed in
until the hands are dry.  There won't be any fire hazard then.  Viruses
actually can live longer on non porous surfaces such as plastic whether they
are clean or not.  They can typically live on your hands up to about an hour
and under the best of circumstances can live on outside the body for up to
48 hours.  Lots of reading available on this subject.   

 

David Love

www.davidlovepianos.com

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Bruce Dornfeld
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 6:29 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: Re: [pianotech] H1N1

 

Hand sanitizers are proven effective against bacteria, but very few studies
show them effective against viruses.  Personally I will not use them in the
schools where I am tuning practice room pianos; they offer false security
and there are better ways.  I will avoid touching my face, especially my
eyes and nose, until I have washed my hands well.  The other strategy that I
use in schools during the flu season is to wash the piano keys before I
tune.  Whether you use Cory Key Brite or just good old H2O, it will help.  A
clean plastic surface is a place where viruses cannot live for more than a
half a minute or so.  You do not need to directly kill them with alcohol or
something else that can ruin the keys or weaken their glue joint.  I clean
the keys with Key Brite, get ready to tune and by the time the top is open
and mutes and other equipment is in place, there is not much in the way of
viruses left to worry about.  One more warning: to be effective "they"
recommend hand sanitizers to be at least 60% alcohol.  If you put it on your
hands and then light up a cigarette or go to burn some hammer shanks, you
may see your hands on fire!

 

Another less advertised way of avoiding getting sick with any flu is
drinking hot beverages often.  It seems this will flush the viruses from
your throat and nasal passages down to your stomach where they will not get
you sick.  Chicken soup or coffee will do just fine, so go ahead, have
another cup. 

 

Bruce Dornfeld, RPT

bdornfeld at earthlink.net

North Shore Chapter

 

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