Wij hebben vragen ontvangen docenten hoe ze het beste hun harpen kunnen schoonmaken als om beurten verschillende leerlingen daarop spelen. Wij hebben deze vraag doorgespeeld naar verschillende harpbouwers en snaren producenten. Wij zullen hieronder de reacties weergeven zodra wij deze ontvangen hebben:
Bow Brand:
Regarding the cleaning of the strings after use. We are testing the strings response to using an alcohol based sanitiser, and have so far found no adverse effects. We would suggest using a small amount of sanitiser on a cloth and wiping up and down the strings, afterwards the strings should be siped with a clean dry cloth to remove any moisture from the string exterior. We have tested this on multiple strings and found that the strings are fine, but it is important to use the sanitiser sparingly – as gut strings should never normally be subjected to moisture or water. There is not a product available for this purpose at present, other than regular hand sanitisers.
I hope that this is of some help. Regarding the wood and the levers – I would suggest that this query is aimed at the harp manufacturers, as they would have a better understanding of how these products would respond to cleaning products.
Dusty Strings:
This question has come up quite a lot in the US because of therapeutic harp playing in hospitals and hospice situations. To answer questions that kept coming up, we tried an experiment and wrote it up here on our website:
https://manufacturing.dustystrings.com/blog/sanitizing-harps-therapy-settings
One thing to be very aware of is that hand sanitizers like Purel have a skin softener in them that will eventually also soften the lacquer on a harp where someone touches it often and is using hand sanitizer (or lotion).
Salvi and Lyon&Healy:
Please find below our general suggestions about strings OR harp disinfection:
Strings:
We consulted Bow Brand International Limited on the subject of sanitizing strings from COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses: “It seems hand sanitizer does not have any detrimental impact on our strings. The sanitizer we have been testing comprises of 68% alcohol. Even with copious amounts of gel the strings did not react. Moreover with a cloth impregnated with gel the strings dried very quickly due to the alcohol content.” As the World Health Organization suggests, “Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.” We suggest the same before playing your harp.
Finish:
Most detergents that will disinfect COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses could damage the finish of a harp. If it is possible, we suggest that you “quarantine” your instrument for a period of time using your best judgement. The length of time that COVID-19 can survive on surfaces is unknown (check the World Health Organization website for updates to this question). If you decide to use a disinfecting detergent, we suggest you test it on a small, less visible area and to use caution. As the World Health Organization suggests, “Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.” We suggest the same before playing your harp.
Gedurende de periode 21 september tot 3 oktober 2020 is de monteur van Salvi en Lyon&Healy in onze winkel voor het onderhouden en reguleren van uw Salvi of Lyon&Healy haakjesharp of pedaalharp. Het is nu al mogelijk om hiervoor een afspraak te maken. De prijzen zijn als volgt:
Gedurende de periode 9 tot en met 19 december 2020 is de monteur van Salvi en Lyon&Healy in onze winkel voor het onderhouden en reguleren van uw Salvi of Lyon&Healy haakjesharp of pedaalharp. Het is nu al mogelijk om hiervoor een afspraak te maken. De prijzen zijn als volgt:
