We talk to more and more harpists all the time who are finding great satisfaction in bringing harp music to people in hospitals, assisted living homes or hospice situations. The harpists often insist that they get more out of it than the listeners do! Regardless of who benefits the most, harp therapy is an undeniable force for good and it is wonderful to hear stories of our harps being used in this way.
One hurdle that therapy harpists sometimes run into is the need to disinfect their harp. Depending on the situation, there may be specific protocols that have to be followed, and harpists are understandably worried about what this means for their instrument. So to help ease those fears, we did an experiment with sterile alcohol swabs from our first aid cabinet (70% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton pad) to test the effect on the finish we use.
We had tested alcohol swabs on our instruments before with no problems, but this time we wanted to know what would happen during an extended period of regular use. We took a piece of ash (the wood our Ravenna harp necks are made from), sanded and finished it the same way we would a harp, and made it our test subject. Twice a day for a month we wiped the same half of it with an alcohol swab and then dried it with a cloth. At the end of the month we compared the swabbed side with the un-swabbed side to see if there had been any noticeable effects, and we are happy to report that the two sides look identical!
You won’t be able to tell from the photo, but here it is anyway:
We have only tested this method on our own harps, so you should be aware that different types of finish will react in different ways. Alcohol is a very minor ingredient in the lacquer thinner we use, and once the lacquer has cured, wiping on a thin layer of alcohol and drying it off is pretty safe. If your non-Dusty harp is also finished with nitrocellulose lacquer, you can be reasonably certain that alcohol wipes will be okay. However, alcohol will dissolve other types of finish, such as tung oil or shellac, so be careful! If you are unsure what was used on your harp, you can ask the harp maker. In all cases, it would be wise to do your own tests on the underside of your harp or in another inconspicuous area before you start using a particular product.
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Notes
Sanitizing Strings
Alcohol does not have any solvent effects on our nylon or wire strings, so it is safe to wipe down the strings with alcohol wipes. We have not tried this on gut strings, but we suspect they will not hold up as well as nylon or wire.
Therapeutic harpist Laurie Riley says that in her experience, wiping strings with alcohol can give them an unpleasant squeaky feel. If you feel the same way, her alternate suggestion is to use a terrycloth towel and wipe the strings with a small amount of Dawn dish detergent. Then rub the strings with a clean wet towel to get the soap off. This won’t sterilize them, but it’s a similar level of protection to hand-washing.