Strep throat and mouth calls??

[paboxcall]

After a couple times of getting throat infections from using calls kept from the previous season even after a mouthwash soak before using them, i would recommend trashing them. I no longer use mouth calls from year to year.

I change mouth calls week to week depending upon use.  Always rinse them with listerine mouth wash at the end of the day too.  I got a terrible sore throat one year that cut into my week's vacation.  Saving $6 or $7 on a mouth call isn't worth getting sick over.

Thing to remember here is if your kid is on antibiotics, and you continue to use the same calls, seems to me there is a decent chance that the bacteria on the call could develop resistance to the antibiotic.

That is a very bad thing....

[C_W]

Went ahead and called Scott today and got a few ordered up.  It don't take long to get them to where you want them, and after missing two days of school its worth it to replace them. 

CW

[drenalinld]

Good choice!

[triune]

Wouldn't chance a doctor visit, I'd replace them.  Once you replace them then give them soak after each use to keep this from happening again.  When I finish running a mouth call, I soak it for about 15 minutes in mouth wash and water.  About a 75/25 mixture.  It is important to soak them before they start to dry and the reeds stick.  Once the 15 minutes is up, I rinse mine under cold water then shake out as much water as possible.  Use to get some kind of flu/cold before each spring was over but since I have started taking better care of my mouth calls things are lookin' up.  Will it work for everyone?  Don't know...but it works for me.

Sure puts a much more pleasant taste in your mouth at daybreak!

[Neill_Prater]

This is an important subject. I'm thinking, and hoping the experts can verify, that bacteria generally needs a moist environment to survive, and that pathogenic organisms survive under refrigeration (in fact, biologic specimens are routinely refrigerated prior to testing), which means chucking moist calls into the fridge is just asking for a problem. I'm wondering if a thorough drying (prop multiple reeds apart) won't eliminate much of the problem? Will bacteria live on a totally dry surface for an extended period of time? 

[Woodsman4God]

Glad I read this post, gives me something to think about when i pull out my mouth calls soon.

The other thing I have to say is that a doctors visit for most starts in a $30 office co pay ad then a co pay on prescriptions. Depending on how many another 10 -20 bucks if you have decent coverage, my thought is throw away the old calls so you can skip the recurrent doctors visit , keep you kid healthy and then use the money saved from doctor/rx and buy calls instead a much better use of that money, $50 bucks should get most of those calls back