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What's the best way to clean your vinyl?

2K views 45 replies 13 participants last post by  IntelliVolume 
#1 ·
Ok I have decided to get back into vinyl. I have not had a TT since the early 90's. But I still have all my old LP's and most of my wife's too. I have even got some of my parents old LP's as well. I have not even got a TT yet. I am looking for one but just picked one up yet that will go with my sx-434 receiver.

So what is the best way to clean a album before you play it? I used to have a round red brush that felt like velvet that I dropped a couple drops out a red bottle and lightly ran it around the album. Is it best to clean them before you use them and then again after you done and putting it up? I have seen a couple of u tube videos of some plastic tubs that the album stands up in and they spin them around.

kj4unx
 
#2 ·
There are many techniques to clean records. They vary in cost and amount of labor. I use a VPI record cleaning machine with Mobile Fidelity record wash and a Mobile Fidelity record brush. I apply the wash to the record and use the brush to try and dislodge any dust, grit or other debris from the record. I then use the VPI to vacuum the wash and debris. I sometimes have to repeat the process for particularly dirty records.

I'm not saying this is the best technique but it works pretty well for me.
 
#3 ·
I doubt there is a "best" way but a lot of serious vinylistas like those machines made by VPI and similar. I rarely wash records but when I do, I go to the sink and use a clean sponge and a drop or less of soap and then rinse thoroughly. Microfiber cloth to dry. I care so little about vinyl anymore that when I buy records now it's as much for the jacket than what's inside.
 
#4 ·
For hand washing MoFi One cleaning solution w/a couple of MoFi cleaning brushes one for wet & one to dry. For a deeper clean the $79.99 Spin Clean. And the least expensive vacuum machine the Record Doctor V $199.99. Of course it depends how much your into the hobby. I would say go w/the Spin Clean and down the road if you feel that you want more you can always move up to a vacuum RCM. My record collection has grown to the point where I'm currently waiting on delivery of a VPI vacuum RCM.:)
 
#5 · (Edited)
fwiw, heres a cheap and inexpensive way to clean recrods . have used this method for years with great success . can get everything here at wal mart for about $20. and can clean a s**t load of albums:
table turntable with rubber mat
paint pad
plastic bottle
rinse aid (one squirt to cover bottom of bottle)
91% isopropyl alcohol (about 25% of bottle)
distilled water ( filled to near top of bottle) leave a little room for shaking mixture should be a light blue color
micro fiber towels for absorbtion of water mix
dish rack to place albums to air dry about 1/2 hour before placing in covers


place album on turntable w/ rubber mat. squirt a generous amount of solution on album trying not to get any on label. take paint pad and with one hand holding pad and with the other hand turning the turntable making several rotations(make sure album is completely wet no dry spots). then take a micro fiber towel and slowly turn the turntable while drying the album. turn over album and repeat. when finished pick album up with two fingers at the top of album(trying not to finger too much of cleaned surface )off of wet turntable and take dry clean micro fiber towel and dry more thoroughly . place in dish rack to air dry. just another easy cheap option.
 

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#6 · (Edited)
I mostly play my vinyl when I archive to flac files.

Before hand I draw a kitchen sink with tepid water, a pH balanced car wash detergent (I use Meguiars Gold) and smasher50's paint pad. Let soak for a few minutes, scrub with pad and rinse liberally under cold running water - a point of observation, my water is extremely soft, so one may not wish to do this process with hard water - then drying with waffle weave micro fiber towel.

Washes the gunk out of the grooves and I feel lessens static......may be not.....just my process and probably blasphemous to others.
 
#7 ·
Better than any of the alcohol-based commercial "cleaners," I have found using simple water with some gentle dish soap works on most vinyl...what I do is mix a bit of Dawn into a small bowl with warmish water, then I place towels down on the counter I'm working on and gently run some water from the tap (I know; some will say this is horrible due to what's in tap water, but I dry them instantly and very well) to wet the surfaces...then I dip a sponge into the Dawn mixture and work my way around the record in the direction of the grooves...rinse both sides after they're cleaned and then dry very well with paper towel and then my velvet record dusting brush/bar once the record is on the turntable...
 
#9 ·
The very first question to ask is -

How much money do you have to spend?

The second question is -

In a given cleaning secession, how many albums do you expect to clean?

Next we must make a distinction between

- Cleaning Record before you Play them.

and -

- Thoroughly washing and cleaning the records in an attempt to restore the sound quality.


For myself, I'm not too elaborate. Until recently, I use a microfiber cloth that I sprayed with a DIY fluid. Just a fine mist to dampen the cloth, then a quick wipe of the records.

However, recently I was in the fabric store and found a remnant of stretch Velvet for next to nothing. So, I took some small 1.5" (ID) PVC Pipe about 3.5" long, I wrapped that with some Poly batting I had laying around; a couple of layer. The took the Velvet, and sewed a seam making it into a Tube. Slipped that over the Poly batting which itself was slipped over the PVC. I tucked the ends of the Velvet into the tube, and shoved in some 3/4" (ID) pipe end caps to hold it all in place.

For my Cleaning Fluid, I use a 2 ounce Spray bottle from Walmart Drug/Cosmetics department, to which I add Distilled water, and 2 or 3 drop of 70% Isopropyl Alchohol.

Recently I discovered I has an old bottle of Radio Shack Professional Anti-Static Record Cleaner Fluid. Don't know if it is any good, most likely it is a vast majority water, but since I have 4 ounces, I add a couple drops to the spray bottle.

Note Alcohol will make your vinyl brittle over time, so don't use it in excess. Really one drop per ounce is more than enough. With the light mist on the cloth or the Velvet, the actual amount of alcohol is very minimal and evaporates virtually instantly.


For Record WASHING, that is a completely different method.

https://www.avforums.com/threads/wash-your-vinyl-records-easy-cheap.1583453/

This is a UK forum, you might have to join to see the Graphics and Photos.

I use a label Protector I made from Plumbing parts. Initially wash with mild dish soap and tepid tap water. I scrubbed the records with mildly soapy water and a natural bristle paint brush.

The Brushes and Painter's Pads I use are used for one purpose only, and that is cleaning records. It is important that the brushed and pads stay clean and that there is no cross contamination.

I scrub it, the run a Painter Pad on the surface following the grooves. The Painters Pad, the fuzzy type, gets down in the grooves pretty nicely. Rinse with Tap Water and dry with a micro-fiber towel.

Then spray with Alcohol, scrub again with a DIFFERENT Painter's Pad, rinse with Tap Water, the dry with a DIFFERENT micro-fiber towel. Note: the Alcohol is only on the record for a few short seconds before it is rinsed off.

Don't be tempted to use Vodka, much of the Vodka sold has Glycerin added to give it a better mouth feel. If you are unsure, invert a glass glass, and put a few drops on the bottom and let it evaporate. If there is a sticky residue left behind, the alcohol has Glycerin in it.

The final stage is to spray with Distilled water, scrub with a DIFFERENT Painter's Pad, and dry with a DIFFERENT micro-fiber towel.

So, one natural fiber paint brush, three small painter's pad, and three mico-fiber towels.

Make sure the records are 100% dry before you put them back in the Sleeve or mold/mildew will grow on the records.

That's one method, I suspect, there are as many methods as there are people to think them up. I research on line many methods, then using that information, I made up my own.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#10 ·
For my Cleaning Fluid, I use a 2 ounce Spray bottle from Walmart Drug/Cosmetics department, to which I add Distilled water, and 2 or 3 drop of 70% Isopropyl Alchohol.

Note Alcohol will make your vinyl brittle over time, so don't use it in excess. Really one drop per ounce is more than enough. With the light mist on the cloth or the Velvet, the actual amount of alcohol is very minimal and evaporates virtually instantly.
Your "Cleaning Fluid" is distilled water. Adding a drop or two of alcohol doesn't do anything to aid cleaning.

If you want the full story on cleaning solutions, this would be it.

If you want the short story on several recipes, this might help.
 
#15 ·
If you follow this TNT-AUDIO link (provided by someone else in this thread) you will see what I mean about a recipe for every person willing to make one up. This is one of the links I used to come up with my method.

How-to: record cleaning devices and fluids

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/fluids.html

Note these products -

- Triton X-114

- Monolan 2000

- Photoflo

These are surfactants and wetting agents used in photography to cause fluid to sheet off of photo prints rather than beading up on them.

These can still be found in Camera/Photography shops but they are getting harder to come by.

Note, the final cleaning solutions on require a few drops of the Photo Fluids.

But, again, there is one distinction that those providing these formulas fail to make. Are these Pre-Play Cleaning, or are these thorough Washing solutions? That is an important distinction. You might wash with a heavy concentration of alcohol, but you would never Pre-Play clean with that concentration.

Usually both are referred to as Cleaning Solutions, but you would not use one in place of the other.

My personal method, as I have described for Washing is soap and water, rinse and dry, alcohol scrub, rinse and dry, finally Distilled Water scrub, rinse and dry. The Alcohol assures that all the soap comes off, and the Distilled Water assures that all the Alcohol comes off.

For Pre-Play Cleaning, Distilled Water is good enough. I just add a couple drops of alcohol, but others need not to the same.

Now some will claim that you need Triple Distilled Pharmacy Grade Distilled Water. Frankly, common grocery store Distilled Water is fine.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#19 ·
Between suggestions of vinegar and all sorts of liquids and the tip I once read about which suggested using WOOD GLUE -- I know this is a recognized method by enthusiasts but I've also heard horror stories about residue it leaves behind and how it strips labels off like a lap dancer from her clothes -- it seems way too wacky and time consuming to clean these things...I know some diehards will say "it's all in the enjoyment and magic of the vinyl medium," but I simply can't see spending all this time cleaning music and getting to play it hours later or the next day...
 
#20 ·
Between suggestions of vinegar and all sorts of liquids and the tip I once read about which suggested using WOOD GLUE --.
White Wood Glue does work ... if you do it right.

If you put it on too thin, it is extremely hard to get off. But it does absolutely clean your records spotlessly.

But equally, there is the potential for complications.

I would go to the Salvation Army or Goodwill Store and buy a crap used record or two, and clean them first until you get the hang of it. Don't put any of your good albums at risk until you are sure if and how it will work.

Also, keel in mind this (wood glue) is something you do once in a lifetime per album. It is not something you do regularly.


Steve/bluewizard
 
#25 ·
Cleaning, washing, regardless....A 1000:1 dilution of alcohol in water works the same in this application as 100% water.
 
#27 ·
Perhaps you need to read this:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/a-very-long-primer-on-record-cleaning-fluids.58986/

Excerpt:
3. An RCF must be able to “dissolve” contaminants on contact. Polar solvents like alcohols can; water cannot unless it contains alcohol or surfactant. With alcohol/water mixtures, the amount of dissolved contaminants varies with the type and amount of alcohol that helps disperse them throughout the water. A surfactant removes organic contaminants differently. At concentrations above the cmc (critical micellar concentration), surfactant molecules spontaneously aggregate into small spheres called micelles. Each micelle consists of a few to a few hundred surfactant molecules. Their polar heads are aligned outward to form the spherical surface of the micelle and allow it to be soluble in water; their hydrocarbon tails point inward to form the organic core that acts like a reservoir to “solubilize” a large amount of contaminants. The cmc of a typical surfactant in water ranges roughly from 0.01% to 0.25% by weight.

...and further down the document...

Leaching Plasticizers: How Bad Is Alcohol?

This is easily the most confusing and misunderstood topic about RCF. First let’s get one thing straight: old Shellac records are incredibly sensitive to all alcohols and none should be used on these precious old records, period.

Vinyl is not at all sensitive to alcohols but the plasticizer within the vinyl matrix is. Alcohols can slowly dissolve a plasticizer out of the vinyl thus rendering it brittle in the long run. This dissolution is, however, a slow process—the alcohol must first “wet” the vinyl surface, “enter” the grooves and finally “diffuse” into the vinyl matrix to dissolve the plasticizer. Each step of this process depends a great deal on the polarity of the alcohol and its concentration. When an alcohol is diluted with a lot of water, it quickly loses its ability (polarity) to dissolve plasticizer. A mixture of 5 to 15% IPA in water has a limited ability if any to leach plasticizer especially when the contact time is restricted to a few minutes or less.

There are many legitimate reasons for using alcohol (or alcohol mixtures) as an additive in an RCF. 1) Alcohol leaves no film behind and thus has no sonic signature—this is a very desirable quality to some audiophiles. 2) Though inferior to surfactant, alcohol is still a good cleaner and will work adequately with new or moderately dirty records. It cannot remove deeply imbedded dirt or very sticky materials but it can handle a broader range of contaminants than a surfactant. 3) As long as the concentration of alcohol is low and the applied liquid quickly removed from the Vinyl surface with a powerful vacuum, an alcohol/water cleaner is perfectly safe.



Sounds like:
1. your dilution of alcohol in water is way to high a ratio to be effective
2. Alcohol, as a cleaner, is just OK, not as effective as a surfactant, but still useful within limits
3. water alone (or with a very low alcohol content) lacks the ability to wet the surface, penetrate the grooves, dissolve contaminants, or transport contaminants away. In short, it's the least effective cleaning solution, for any type of cleaning.
4. to use alcohol at a reasonable and effective dilution, it's 5 - 15%, and should not be allowed to just evaporate, it should be removed.

Next we could argue about the actual need for routine pre-cleaning, but that's seems just about as pointless. Shall we move on?
 
#29 · (Edited)
...

Next we could argue about the actual need for routine pre-cleaning, but that's seems just about as pointless. Shall we move on?
Excellent information. But I still feel the need to make a distinction between Pre-Play Cleaning and Washing of Records.

Pre-Play Cleaning simply remove light loose particulate matter from the surface of the records, it is not intended to be a deep cleaning. In this case, the only purpose of the RCF (record cleaning fluid) is to make the dust cling to the cloth or other cleaning device.

Washing
is intended to be a deep cleaning, and the nature and actions of alcohol and surfactants is very significant.

Also, you tangentially brought up the use of a vacuum, Using a vacuum to draw the water and cleaners off the Album really is the best way to clean and dry them. I have seen and have bought a small Wet/Dry Vac at Home Depot for less than $30.

You can pick up the Crevices tool for about $10. Cut a long slot into the crevice tool and cover the edges of the slot with velvet or felt to prevent scratching the records.

In another thread some one scavenge an old turntable and simply used the patter as a platform to clean/wash the records. I think in his particular system, he had less than $40 into the turntable, the vacuum, a couple of wands, and a couple of turntable mats which help prevent cross contamination.

When you weight that investment along side the $500 to $1000 you can put into a professionally made Record Cleaning Machine, it look pretty attractive.

That is a very old thread, but if I can find it, I will post a link to it. First I have to figure out what forum it is in.

Still the information you posted really does help to put things into perspective. Thanks for that effort.

Perhaps I'm a bit fanatic about the distinction between Cleaning and Washing, but I suspect many people are using Washing fluids as Cleaning fluid, and I think those solutions are far to strong for the purpose. Which is why I wish people would make the distinction.

I suspect true Cleaning (Pre-Play) fluids like the Discwasher D4 (linked previously) have very low concentrations of Surfactants and Solvents.

Further Pre-Play cleaning both in action and in fluids is far to gentle to really do any deep or serious removal of contamination, but then it is not meant to, it is meant to remove loose surface dust before playing the record.

Also, on a side note, does anyone have any direct experience with these fluids -

- Triton X-114

- Monolan 2000

-
Photoflo

Again, these are fluids that cause other fluids to sheet off a photo print rather than bead up on the surface.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#35 ·
Yeah, I considered the Spin Clean; can their fluid be used with any record cleaning brush? In other words, if I didn't want to buy the reservoir system but just the fluid (which is sold in a Fry's near me), could I apply the fluid with a brush like any other kind of cleaner?
 
#39 · (Edited)
For Pre-Play cleaning, I really prefer a sprayer. Just a fine mist on the cloth or the records, and you should be able to wipe dust clean.

Keep in mind, you only use 3 capfulls from the small 4 oz bottle for the entire Spin Clean full of water, and this washes several records. So you could add a few drops to distilled water and it would probably make a good Pre-Play cleaning solution.

What I do to test solutions is to either put a few drops on vinyl (clear vinyl that you buy at a fabric store), or onto glass. Take a glass glass, make sure it is spotlessly clean, and turn it upside down, put a few drops on the surface and wait for it to dry. When dry, see if there is any residue. You don't want residue.

If any residue is left behind, then I would only use a weak bit in distilled water, or just distilled water.

Or you could add a couple of drops of Dishwasher Rinse Agent to the water. Again, if you do, use the above test to determine if there is or the amount of residue left behind after it drys.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#37 ·
Yeah, I've seen his video too...I've probably seen all of the YouTube videos about record cleaning already; it's where I got the idea to use the method I employ now, which is the Dawn soap and water...
 
#38 · (Edited)
And here is someone else's method of washing a Vinyl Disc in the Kitchen Sink -



He submerges the Record in the water, I don't recommend that. You can make you own label protector as shown below. Instructions at the Link provided.


Once again, here are the materials and method I use for washing records, though admittedly this is for small volume, mostly due to my limited space -

https://www.avforums.com/threads/wash-your-vinyl-records-easy-cheap.1583453/






Stage 1 -

Put the Label Protector on and tighten it down.

You need -

- a Sprayer with Isopropyl Alcohol 70%
- Common Dish Washing Soap
- A Sprayer with Distilled Water

Fill a small bowl with some tepid water, and a bit of dish washing liquid. You want soap, not dishwasher liquid; minimum dye and minimum perfume.

Though it seems a huge waste of water, turn the tap on and adjust the temperature until the water is mildly warm, but not even remotely hot, and let it run. Once the temperature is set, it is too hard to keep turning the water on and off, and getting the same temperature back again.

Use the paint brush to rub the soapy liquid on to the surface of the record an into the grooves. Clean both sides in this fashion. I tend to use a circular motion with the brush to try and get it down into the grooves.

Then using a paint painter's pad, rub in broad circles following the grooves of the records. Both sides.

When you feel it is sufficiently clean, rinse with tepid tap water.

Wipe the record with micro-fiber towels to dry it. I use two different colors, though three different colored towels would be even better, so you don't mix the hard water drying towels with the distilled water drying towels.


Stage 2 -

Alcohol is not generally good for vinyl, it makes it brittle, so we really want to minimize the time the alcohol spends on the record. Though I use straight 70% isopropyl, you could dilute that by 30% or 50% with distilled water, making the final mixture between 35% and 50% alcohol.

Spray one side of the Record with alcohol, and wipe with a new paint pad in the direction of the grooves. Rinse quickly in tap water. Do the same to the other side.

The alcohol acts as a solvent, and not only directly cleans, but combines with the soapy water residue to make sure it is completely rinsed off and that no residue of soap remains.

Dry with Micro-Fiber Towels.


Stage 3-

Spray with distilled water, rub in the direction of the grooves with another new paint pad, do this to both sides and wipe dry with a micro-fiber towel.

If you have a rack for air drying diner plates, this is ideal for letting the Records air dry, as it keeps them separated nicely.

The records must be completely dry before you put them back into the sleeves as there is a chance that mold and mildew will form on them if they are not completely dry.

Steve/bluewizard
 
#40 ·
My Ghaaaddd in Heaven....sometimes I question why I got back into this medium in the first place...
 
#46 ·
Yeah basically what I do :)

Me too, and what I was trying to describe in my post about it...


I use a gentle dishwashing soap like Dawn, scrub in the direction of the grooves (round and round) real good, rinse, and dry real well. I don't think this is any worse, at least, than using alcohol-based commercial record cleaning fluids...
 
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