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Cleaning and SANITIZING phones

Started by TIPandRING, November 29, 2008, 06:30:32 PM

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TIPandRING

Hey Gang,

Here's one for ya....

When I work on a phone, regardless of era, I want it clean and sanitary to use, whether I'm going to use it, or others will.

I remember a resto of a early 1970s Automatic Electric 80 black monophone I scooped up at a garage sale. It was disgusting! The mouthpiece looked like someone had a peanut butter fetish while talking on the phone! YUCK! :o

I ended up throwing away the original transmitter capsule and installing a CLEAN one I had on hand. But, since these parts aren't getting any less scarce, I'd like to know what methods you use, not only to clean, but kill any grimeys that might be living in transmitter capsules regardless of phone make.

I tried pure EverClear (110 proof grain alcohol) and squired a little inside the xmitter capsule holes, but it "crinkled" the moisture barrier plastic. Obviously too harsh.  I'm thinking 91% isopropl alcohol and then blow it out with compressed air. Again, I'm talking about cleaning the actual transmitter capsule holes/innards without disassembling the capsule.

What do you guys do?  I'm sure some of you do nothing, but remember, some people smoked, ate and did everything but barfed while using these phones. I want 'em clean. I have a number of transmitter capsules which visually have gunk inside of them, crap somehow passed thru the handset end cap and into the xmitter capsule itself.

I have no problem with the cleaning and polishing of the phone, but want it sanitary too when someone (including me puts my mouth up to the xmitter!  ???

Input please!

bingster

I guess I'm one of the ones who does nothing.  Naturally, the external caps and whatnots get washed clean, but I figure anything unhealthy on the innards isn't going to be able to survive a half-century to do harm to people now.
= DARRIN =



bingster

If you're trying to sterilize, why not just a quick spray with lysol?  Honestly, germs can't live long on their own, so there's probably not much to sterilize.
= DARRIN =



Dennis Markham

#3
I have read eBay listings where some telephone sellers claim to "sanitize" the transmitters and receiver elements.  I don't know how they do that.  I have thought of those things the barber keeps his clippers and scissors in......I think that is some kind of sanitizer.  And you're right Tip & Ring, some of them are very nasty!  I do clean them when I refurbish a phone.  I do the best I can and actually do spend a fair amount of time on them.  In addition to cleaning the back side---the metal contact points with Simichrome polish and a wire wheel, I also clean the framework, front and back.  To get rid of the nasty stuff that are on top of the moisture barrier I use a Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol.  I soak the Q-tip and shake off the excess.  Then I poke it through each hole and kind of bend it to get under the frame-work of the mouthpiece "screen".   It will often turn the Q-tip yellow---especially as you mentioned when someone was a smoker that used the phone.  I will try and keep the liquid from pooling.  There should not be that much liquid present.  I will then use a dry clean Q-tip (or any brand cotton swab) to mop up after the first application.  I then use compressed air to dry it, not blowing directly into the transmitter piece but letting the air travel through my cupped palm as I hold the transmitter.  You don't want to puncture that moisture barrier by using too much pressure from the compressed air.  I will then repeat if needed.  And as Bingster said, a quick spray with Lysol should eliminate any germs, but I agree they're probably long dead.

For cleaning the handset caps, in addition to soapy water followed by drying and polishing with Novus2, I like to spray the cap again with a 409 type cleaner, letting it penetrate into each hole of the cap.  I then use a good old-fashioned pipe cleaner and run it through each hole.  I will do this under one of those bench-mounted, lighted magnifying glasses making sure there is absolutely no gunk stuck to the edges of each hole.  I then hit it with compressed air and rebuff the polished surface of the plastic.  Sometimes the 409 cleaner will remove the Novus so I may have to hit it again with that.  But be careful not to refill the holes with polish.  To avoid that I'll put the polish on my polishing cloth and rub it into the cotton (I use cotton athletic socks---yes I buy them new to use on my phones--never worn) cloth and then reapply the polish from the rag onto the plastic.  That helps keep excess polish out of the holes.  When you're finished with all of that----it's clean!

I know, I've got issues! :)

Dennis

TIPandRING

Well, maybe I should put it like this...probably not so much the germs, unless you *just* buy a phone that was *just* taken out of service, but more along the lines of killing anything that might attract mold/bacteria.

My biggest peeve is what appears to be actual food residue that got "sprayed" thru the transmitter end cap. To me this would be ideal for mold and mildew and whatnot to leach on to. Not to mention some stuff just smells!  :P

That's what I was getting at. Cleaning it all out so it's like new, just not purely looking new alone.

TIPandRING

#5
Dennis==

You posted right before I did 8)

Here's a tip (hint and kink) for you guess...

Guess What I do to remove nasty crap and polish from the "holes" in the end caps???

PIPE CLEANERS

Yes they work like a charm, cheap and easy to use. Best of all, they thoroughly clean the holes out.

EDIT: dennis, I thought I was the only one that thought of that... :D

Dan/Panther

Ever use a Pay Phone, THINK ABOUT IT.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

McHeath

QuoteEver use a Pay Phone, THINK ABOUT IT.

I try not to.  The pay phones in my hood are Nassttyyy!   Like ohmigawd nasty!  I don't know if the Bell System used to clean them or what, but I don't recall them as dirty back in the 70's and 80's, but nowadays if you can find one it will be skanky and you will need a full set of vaccinations after you use it.

I too like to clean the transmitter and receiver, some of them look pretty bad.  I spray lysol in there, not a lot, and use compressed air to blast it out.  This usually cleans it up well, along with a good rubbing of the outside with a cotton cloth.



Sargeguy

#8
Dennis, Howard Hughes ain't got nuthin' on you! ;)

That 302s I bought recently had to be sanitized.  Both had been exposed to moisture.  One had been left outside for a long period and smelled like crap.  I disassembled both, one I wore rubber gloves with.  I took all the metal pieces except the dial, the ringer, condenser and network, and washed them thoroughly with hot soapy water.  Once they were dry I sprayed them with WD-40 and scrubbed them with a brass brush and cleaned them with Q-Tips.  I applied another round of WD_40 and wiped them clean.  I washed the condenser and the cloth with bleach soaked paper towels, and did the same for all the wires and cords.  I dunked the plastic housings in a bleach baths to kill the mold and mildew (each phone had one or the other) as advised by Dennis.  One handset had been soaked and the receiver and transmitter both looked wrecked, so I put them aside and soaked the handset in a bleach bath.  The other one looked fine so I just washed the caps with hot soapy water and wiped down the elements with a Q-Tip soaked in alcohol. I  messed up the #6 dial trying to clean it and sent it out for repair.  I just cleaned the #4H with hot water and a toothbrush, then put it in the oven to dry.  One phone turned out perfect.  The other one is eviscerated in a cardboard box with no dial, cords, transmitter or receiver.  But it is clean..
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

BDM

An ultrasonic cleaner works very well for handset & cap cleaning. Then, simply polish them up.
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI