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The Hive: Cleaning Microphones

From the Hive:  Recommendations and Advice from our Community Through Social Media Discussions.

Topic: Cleaning Microphones

It was recently asked what is the best way to clean microphones (now that it’s cold season)?  Of course, it’s great to clean your mics if someone who’s sick has used them, but it’s also good to clean them frequently no matter what.

Here’s how our community responded with some additional resources in regard to cleaning microphones.

The Quick Clean:

Many folks recommended disinfecting wipes to quickly wipe down the grill of the microphone after use.  Also, consider using a non-flavored Listerine.

You could also use Purell or another kind of hand sanitizer. I recommend avoiding any with added fragrances just to make sure that it doesn’t impede someone’s use of the mic. Many people have fragrance sensitivities.

Microfoam was also suggested, this is also known as a foaming sanitizer or deodorizer a lot like the gel sanitizers we see all the time.

There are also industry-specific cleaners such as Thomann microphone cleaner or the Microphome Cleaning Kit. Hosa also sells a whole line of cleaner sprays for items we encounter in our industry. For mics, they sell Goby Lab’s microphone sanitizer.

 

The Deep Clean:

Remove the grills and foam. Wash the foam with isopropyl, antibacterial hand soap, or dawn detergent. The grills can be washed with the same items using a toothbrush to get a good scrub or thrown in a dishwasher for a deep clean; just make sure both are completely dry before use.

Others suggested an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Around $40, these cleaners can be used to wash more than microphone parts. Small in size and only needing limited amounts of cleaner and soap this tool could be useful especially if you’re on tour.

When things get really bad you can also replace the grill and foam on a majority of microphones, but hopefully, none of us have to deal with something that bad! Keep in mind antibacterial soaps and isopropyl won’t kill some viruses. Bleach solutions, hydrogen peroxide or replacement is your best option to stop the spread of tough viruses.

Bonus response!

For windscreens or pop, filters soak them in a 10% bleach solution and rinse in cold water. This eliminates germs, viruses, and order.

Thank you to Jennalyn Alonzo for posing the question and thank you to all of our community members for their great responses!

 

Community

Community is the environment that is around us, and as individuals, we play a big part in the community we create and live in. Community is the places you live, work, the social media you produce and follow, the people around us, and the individual we are towards others. Community is our surroundings and attitude. It can be supportive, oppressive, creative, boring, ever-changing, or stagnant. Community is built by individuals but felt by the whole.

What community do you create?  Do you create a community of support and open communication or miss direction and negativity?  I’ve been a part of many communities, and I’ve found that positive communities with people learning, changing, and growing are the best to thrive in.  Communities allow us to question our ideas, gain different perspectives, socialize, find support, and allow us to vent frustrations without judgment. Communities allow us to be ourselves and challenge us in new ways.

Why are communities important? Communities are important because life would be lonely if they lived completely alone. Communities provide support and strength to people facing all sorts of challenges across the globe. Other communities like your town, provide support in your backyard. Communities allow useless barriers to be broken, needed walls to be built, doorways to be created for growth and change.

SoundGirls is a wonderful example of community. Sharing thoughts and ideas openly without threat of abusive responses or rejection is what many people need. People living the way we do, women experiencing what other women are experiencing, and our partners supporting us. We break down barriers that should no longer exist. Support each other and open doors for everyone’s future and share stories of success and failure along the way so we can learn from them too.  We are engaged and growing; we share our experiences, participate in discussions, and learn from each other. We encourage as well as challenge each other to build an active and broader community every day. How have you been engaged in SoundGirls?

What other communities do you surround yourself with?  How are you involved and living in these communities?

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