Hantavirus- Demousification

[gordon stelter]

Use of chlorine bleach, in any amount, inside a piano,
will result in massive rust deposits and the piano
will need to be trashed. Even if you restrung it,
lingering chlorine fumes would rust the new strings.
Use something else to disinfect, and I am eager to
hear suggestions on just what this might be? I am
about to try cleaning and bleaching some
mouse-infested keys ( where they usually poop ) and
the keybed, with oxalic acid. Will report on how this
works to eliminate odor and remove stains.
    But I will also probably paint the keysticks and
keybed with spray epoxy, to seal any remaining odors
in.
    Action parts that are black from ammonia fumes
from the urine can be largely cleaned by dunking them
in a water- based automotive degreaser ( like "Purple
Stuff" ) then rinsed, dried on a screen, refelted and
lubricated.
     But, if the mouse infestation is bad enough,
absolutely NOTHING will fully remove the stench, as it
will have permeated the case wood and action parts
completely. It is a  pheremone sexual attractant,
excreted along with the urine and feces, and will
continue to attract other mice to the piano as long as
it exists.
     Thump

--- Joel Jones <jajones2@facstaff.wisc.edu> wrote:
> allan
> Saw your email in the archives about  hantavirus as
> I was searching for
> info.  I just returned from a service call at a
> college to fix a 'sticking'
> damper.  Instead I found a big mouse nest made of
> stringing braid, and felt
> bits from the action.
> 
> Have you been involved with cleaning  a piano after 
> a mouse has used it for
> his nesting?    What guidelines do you follow?
> 
> I know from past discussions not to turn on the
> vacuum.  Remove the nest and
> residue without raising any dust.    The article off
> the web advises
> spraying with disinfectant.  After 30 minutes spray
> with 10% solution of
> chloring bleach.  After 30 minutes wash with bleach
> or disinfectant.
> 
> This little fellow has obviously been all over the
> piano, so I suspect a
> total GI cleaning is going to be necessary.
> 
> Thanks for input. 
> 
> Joel
> -- 
> Joel A. Jones  RPT
> Piano Technicians Guild
> Assistant Institute Director
> June 29 - July 3, Nashville, TN
> http://www.ptg.org/conv.htm
> jajones2@facstaff.wisc.edu
> 608/833-1488
> 
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info:
https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives



	
		
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