[Alan Brinton]

I have sometimes entertained the idea of filling a (fully assembled) melodica with water or some other solution in order to clean and/or deodorize the air chamber and parts that are not otherwise easily accessible. I haven’t been able to think of any harm this would cause, so long as (1) no damaging or toxic materials are involved and (2) the process ends with a thorough flush with purified water and a thorough drying. This morning, as I was working on leakage issues, I decided to fill my Suzuki B-24 with water to see what would happen. I worked my way through getting all the keys to sound repeatedly as I gradually drained and blew out the water. This did not help in finding where the B-24 leaks air, but an hour later everything seems fine.

I have worked some on cleaning and deodorizing old melodicas, alternately using Scope mouthwash, 3% hydrogen peroxide, and rubbing alcohol applied carefully to the accessible inner chambers and reed plates with a soft cloth and Q-tips. But odors seem to reside more in the keyboard and its mechanisms. I have a disposable old smelly melodica on which I can experiment, and I’m thinking about doing a complete flush and a bath, maybe with hydrogen peroxide. The most vulnerable parts would seem to be the reeds and the felt pads on the key mechanism (the latter especially suggesting that the bath should be of limited duration). Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Daren]

I’ve also filled a melodica with water before, to clean it out, without any problems. Some harmonica technicians use an ultrasonic cleaning machine

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