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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Hydrogen peroxide--miracle cleaner or toxic menace
Hydrogen peroxide--miracle cleaner or toxic menace
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Gnarly
1686 posts
Mar 03, 2016
7:12 AM
I am having a discussion on FB about the use of H2O2 as a cleaner. It was suggested to me on another forum to use to clean windsavers on chromatic harmonicas. Seems to work . . .
But there is a fellow on the Harp Repair page of FB who seems to think that danger lurks around the corner for those who use this liquid.

I thought I would put it up for discussion. Does anyone use this common household item to clean their harps?
1847
3252 posts
Mar 03, 2016
7:18 AM
i was under the impression it was one of the safest cleaners out there. i have a bottle on my desk,and a Qtip. a dental hygentist friend of mine suggested using it to whiten teeth, if i remember correctly.
ME.HarpDoc
131 posts
Mar 03, 2016
7:43 AM
Besides being a retired dentist, I also have a Masters degree in chemistry ( not bragging, just to let you know I'm qualified to answer the question). Hydrogen peroxide will clean organic biofilm pretty well. When it does, it breaks down to hydrogen and water. It doesn't stick around and create toxic materials that stay on harp. Any concern, simply rinse off harp after using. Bottom line, no problem using.
nacoran
8976 posts
Mar 03, 2016
7:54 AM
I may be hoi polloi (FB reference) over here, but I'm still sticking to H202 being good. And now that I'm typing on a full sized keyboard I can google faster and back it up. :)

http://www.ozoneservices.com/articles/004.htm

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Gnarly
1687 posts
Mar 03, 2016
8:33 AM
Thank you my peeps--now for a big swig of peroxide . . .
Crawforde
78 posts
Mar 03, 2016
9:06 AM
Uh. It's safe and all Gnarley but don't drink it.
It will make you vomit, and make sure you have the stuff they sell at the pharmacy. The lab grade H2O2 requires a little more care. Still nothing to worry about as far as off gassing goes.
Gnarly
1688 posts
Mar 03, 2016
9:14 AM
Only joking, my friend . . .
Crawforde
79 posts
Mar 03, 2016
11:58 AM
Sorry Gary, got scoped this morning and am still a bit loopy. Jokes get lost in the twilight ;)
STME58
1610 posts
Mar 03, 2016
2:34 PM
The 3% solution you can buy at the drug store is pretty safe. When you get up to 90% you literally have rocket fuel!

A chemist and his friend steped up to a bar and asked for a glass of H2O, his friend said to the bartender, "I'll have an H2O too", he died!

Last Edited by STME58 on Mar 03, 2016 2:57 PM
nacoran
8978 posts
Mar 03, 2016
2:41 PM
I seem to remember a special on military hardware where the German navy has a sub that is powered by peroxide. (Quick Google-Fu finds old ones but not the new one.)

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Rontana
300 posts
Mar 03, 2016
2:48 PM
Two things you're never without when you live way back in the sticks are a giant jug of isopropyl alcohol and a bigger jug of peroxide.

Not only are they good for cuts, scrapes and cleaning harps, but the peroxide (when mixed in the correct ratio with baking soda and liquid dish soap) is the best thing I've ever found for de-skunking a dog.

Last Edited by Rontana on Mar 03, 2016 4:02 PM
harmonicanick
2396 posts
Mar 03, 2016
3:07 PM
de-skunking a dog.

Wow, what does that mean, says English guy to Rontana, oh I would add I do not live in the sticks, wherever that is:))))
JustFuya
866 posts
Mar 03, 2016
4:40 PM
I recall it being used to bring out the natural blond in your hair. like Isopropyl, I always have H2O2, on hand.

I used to use vinegar closely followed by baking soda to neutralize the acid. Now I use plain old hot water.
Frank101
145 posts
Mar 04, 2016
1:53 PM
harmonicanick - you may have seen skunks in comics/cartoons? (e.g. Pepe le Pew)

They're related to polecats and have the ability to spray a truly noxious-smelling liquid the odor of which lasts and lasts.

People are aware of this & stay well away. Dogs, however, are generally not aware of this, so ...
bublnsqueak
49 posts
Mar 04, 2016
10:50 PM
Milton Fluid - safe for baby safe for me!

Not tried drinking it though.
MindTheGap
1246 posts
Mar 05, 2016
12:09 AM
It's drizzling sleet this morning, but there are some benefits to living in the UK. No poisonous spiders, and you never have to de-skunk your dog with hydrogen peroxide.

I don't know if the stories are true, but we used to hear about people having to destroy their cars if they were sprayed by a skunk. Or maybe if it's they ran one over?

Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 05, 2016 12:13 AM
Thievin' Heathen
709 posts
Mar 05, 2016
6:12 AM
No skunks in the UK? How does any music ever get to market?
STME58
1614 posts
Mar 05, 2016
10:14 AM
I have run over skunks with my car and the smell goes away in a few days Even without H2O2
Philosofy
736 posts
Mar 06, 2016
10:17 AM
Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer. While its safe to use on the reeds and cover plates, if you soak a plastic comb in it, it could cause the surface of the plastic to get brittle over time, or possible warp a little. I"m not sure what the windsavers are made from, but they could oxidize as well, losing flexibility.
STME58
1617 posts
Mar 06, 2016
10:42 AM
When I saw the comment about the oxidizer interacting with the plastic comb, I thought of this.
You can mold a fuel grain out of plastic and combine it with a strong oxidized, nitrous nxide in this case, to make a small rocket. These little rockets even have o rings that cause catastrophic failures if not installed properly, just like NASA!

Last Edited by STME58 on Mar 06, 2016 10:42 AM
nacoran
8983 posts
Mar 06, 2016
10:12 PM
I can't be the admin everywhere on the net...

Mark Zuckerberg just sent me a private email saying that he was adding hydrogen peroxide to the list of topics that are not allowed to be discussed on Facebook. It just causes too many arguments!

(Okay, most of you won't get this, but sometimes you need to leave an obscure joke hanging without an explanation.)

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Gnarly
1692 posts
Mar 07, 2016
8:03 AM
Well, so far two people have not affirmed the use--that one guy on FB, and Mike Easton, who didn't say he didn't endorse its use, just that he didn't routinely take the advice of the fellow who suggest using it.
However, searching Slidemeister (the forum where the advice was posted) brought up several posts of members recommending it.
And it's worth noting that hydrogen peroxide is routinely used as a
gargle!
nacoran
8984 posts
Mar 07, 2016
9:26 AM
Yeap. I've used it as a gargle occasionally myself.

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
mlefree
616 posts
Mar 07, 2016
1:18 PM
Look. If 3% H2O2 was in any sense at all dangerous, it wouldn't be available over the counter at any grocery store to any 6 year old who had the 99 cents to buy it.

The unnamed person on FB who is so up in arms about this is a nut case. Completely irrational.

Not worthy of further discussion.

Michelle

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nacoran
8986 posts
Mar 07, 2016
1:35 PM
Here here Michelle!!!

Lol. I just thought we could have a 'crazy facebook survivors' support group meeting here. It looked like most of the posters, with the exception of the one who was driving everyone nuts, were regulars here- Joe, Gnarly, you, Isaac, Mike F., and a couple others I vaguely suspect might be specific members but was less sure on.

edit- and Deak snuck in there at the end. :)

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009

Last Edited by nacoran on Mar 07, 2016 1:37 PM
SuperBee
3493 posts
Mar 07, 2016
1:56 PM
I was watching from a safe distance. Plenty of childishness on display from both sides of the Atlantic in that thread. I agree with the general sentiment on h2o2, but I've never used it. X clearly had an unsupported view. Why you all found it important he acknowledge that, I don't know. Just be secure in the knowledge you are right and allow the man to maintain his self-respect. He's a lovely person as I'm sure you all are also. We all have blind spots.
Gnarly
1694 posts
Mar 07, 2016
2:11 PM
Yes, I think "Tech X" might even post here.
I am going to keep using the liquid in question for wind saver cleaning--I even got Suzuki to buy me some!
But I don't see that it is that effective on short harps, just for valves--which, to be honest, should probably be replaced when they get dirty.
nacoran
8987 posts
Mar 07, 2016
7:28 PM
Superbee, I think I stated several times that he was welcome to use whatever he wanted. This was the second thread he'd blown up on the peroxide issue in just a couple days. If he'd left it at, 'Anyway, I don't like to use it I could have respected that opinion. In the other thread he mentioned something about his gf's hair and peroxide. We all have our bugaboos. When I was a little kid my dad had a really, really bad flu. We were sitting watching TV and he was eating tomato soup and suddenly he went into convulsions. I still don't eat tomato soup... but I realize my own bias in it and don't go around attacking tomato soup. That was what was setting me off. He was posting rebuttals every time anyone said anything about it.

I've had times I've repeated bad knowledge publically repeatedly over and over. I've screwed up stuff with the circle of fifths (particularly about relative minors) and stuff about temperaments of Lee Oskars (not equal tuned, although perhaps closer than some other harps). When I'm not sure if I'm right I stop and look it up. Tech X was, I think, pretty liberally misquoting other people in the thread.

Like I said, we all have our bugaboos, the things we can't think rationally about, (man, you should see some of my OCD craziness, I get downright nuts sometimes) but I think it's important to try to recognize them within ourselves for what they are. If, at any time during that discussion he'd said, 'hey, I've had a bad experience with it and don't want to use it, but that's just my opinion' I would have been fine with that.

I've seen him posting on FB on other forums and this was the only time I've had any problem with him. My comment about the banning of the word peroxide was intended to just blow off some steam and hopefully help people relax.

I wish tech X the best of luck and there certainly are plenty of substitutes for peroxide. I just wish he wouldn't spread bad science. That was what was getting my dander up, and to an extent that he was misquoting what people said (and then arguing with them when they said so). I've noticed I am more likely to keep engaging when the notifications pop up in my FB post. I had that problem on Fark for a while when they started pushing notifications to responses. I ended up turning off the feature. I enjoy a good debate when there is a chance that one side or the other will move (even if it ends up being me) but just yelling back and forth just raises my blood pressure for no good reason.

But, I'm breaking one of the unposted rules. Rule #42, don't take arguments from thread to thread or forum to forum, so I'll leave it at that.



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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009


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