Cleaning your vinyl records effectively, quickly, and cheaply

[JohnnyB]

On the left is a http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/Saeco-Incanto-Deluxe-Espresso-Machine-p/scg10499.htm'>Saeco Incanto Deluxe espresso machine that goes for about $800. On the right is an http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GXZ2GS/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=4075529545&ref=pd_sl_557sjbhbcu_b'>Aerobie Aeropress manual espresso and coffee maker that sells for $20-25. I've had coffee from both types and the Aeropress makes as good or better coffee than the expensive pump espresso machines. That's because the downward force of your hand provides the pressure rather than a tightly sealed and ruggedized electric pump. Another plus for the Aerobie--you can pack it in your suitcase and have gourmet quality espresso wherever you go. Try doing that with the machine on the left.

OR

On the left is a very nice electric automated record cleaning machine that sells for around $1500. You can get such a machine for as low as $550, but this one is fairly nice. Really nice ones go up to $4000. On the right is a bottle of Ajax dish soap ($1.29) and a bundle of 25 16"x16" microfiber terry towels which you can pick up at a Sam's or Costco for about $10. Optionally you could add a http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00114LAP8?ie=UTF8&tag=bespaigun-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00114LAP8'>handheld steam cleaner for about $33.

OR + +

Like the fancy espresso machine, the cost of the record cleaning machine goes into ruggedized, water-resistant well-sealed close tolerance parts. Like the Aerobie does for coffee, the Ajax and microfiber towels will clean your records as well as--or better than--the record machine. In fact, I recently discovered (thanks to the tip from an audiobuddy) that the dish soap plus microfiber works better. It cleans more thoroughly on one run-through. And it's fast. Some guys who clean their records are fastidious about avoiding leaving any residue, so they rinse and rinse with distilled water. Me? I grab the handheld steamer and blast the tap water rinse out of the grooves. Steamed water is distilled water. Plus it has the heat and pressure to blast the last bits of detritus out of the groove that was loosened by the soap and water. Well, most of it anyway.

Here's how to do it:

• Fill and plug in the handheld steam cleaner if you plan to use one.
• Lay out two microfiber terry towels side by side on your kitchen counter.
• Set aside a third towel for soaping up and a fourth for drying.
• Lay a record on the first terry towel.
• Lay a line of liquid dish soap around the record groove area.
• Wet the cleaning towel and wipe the dish soap thoroughly into the groove. Move your towel clockwise and never perpendicular to the groove.
• Flip the record over and repeat on the other side.
• Thoroughly rinse all the soap and suds residue from both sides of the record--under the kitchen faucet.
• Lay the record on the second flat towel--the clean one for drying. Try to be quick and avoid getting the label wet as much as possible, but don't worry if it gets wet.
• Make sure you carefully dry the label; I pat it with a paper towel.
• Optionally, at this point you can blast the record groove with the handheld steamer. I put a little oriental rice bowl over the label to keep it from getting wet and blasted.
• Flip the record over and do the same.
• Wipe the record surface dry with a clean dry terry towel.
• Flip it over and do the same.
• Put the record in your dish rack to let it finish air drying. It should be pretty dry by now anyway.
• Repeat as time, energy, and dirty record supply allows.

I've tried many ways of cleaning records including using some pretty expensive record cleaning fluids ($10/cup and more) and they can't touch the effectiveness of this method. All these people coming up with these expensive record cleaning formulas and the best answer is lurking under your kitchen sink.

This method is so effective that on some records that were particularly dirty, by 2/3 of the way through the first play after cleaning the sound started to grit up. Cleaning the stylus fixed that. Apparently, despite the steam blast and the clean wiping, the detergent loosens so much grunge that some ends up getting dug out by the stylus.

[gorch]

I've been using isopropanol alcohol with a drop of dish soap for years. Isopropanol evaporates with no residue. The little drop of dish soap is required to reduce the surface tension of the alcohol. So it better rinses into the lane. Clean it with soft cloth like microfiber and you are there.

[specialk]

I've been using isopropanol alcohol with a drop of dish soap for years. Isopropanol evaporates with no residue.

The purer the isopropanol alcohol, the better. 70% may leave a residue after evaporation. 90% pure or better is what I'd use.

[JohnnyB]

And I'm saying you don't need the isopropyl alcohol-based record cleaning fluid. I've gone through bottles of the stuff and they don't clean nearly as well as a cheap bottle of dish soap. In fact, the garden variety detergent may be an advantage. I haven't tried Dawn yet because it's such an effective grease cutter I'm not sure how fast it will rinse off. The Ajax rinses off fast, which means your label doesn't get as wet and is easy to dry off without damage after rinsing.

Case in point is a Mobile Fidelity audiophile remaster/reissue of Supertramp's "Crime of the Century." I got it off eBay in 2007 and was so excited. When I tried to play it it was like Rice Crispies--unplayably high surface noise. I cleaned it several times with isopropyl-based record cleaning fluid followed by blasting it with the handheld steam cleaner. It didn't make a bit of difference, leading me to conclude at the time that it was a bad pressing or had sustained permanent damage.

When I tried one application of the dish soap last week followed by the steam blast, I tried playing the record again and the surface noise was nearly gone. I got similar results with several other records I had previously avoided playing because they were so noisy. I got back into vinyl almost 5 years ago on a very tight budget and most of my records are from thrift shops and used record stores and some giveaways. Therefore some have been unplayably noisy. This Ajax method is making most of those records playable after repeated attempts at cleaning with record cleaning fluid. And on pretty much any record I clean this way, I get more clarity, smoothness, frequency extension and dynamics.

[gorch]

Understand. Are you using it pure or water mixed? Meaning, what's the best concentration level?

Any special flavor to be required?

[JohnnyB]

Understand. Are you using it pure or water mixed? Meaning, what's the best concentration level?

Any special flavor to be required?

I don't use a specific proportion of dish soap to water. I squirt a thin circle of Ajax around the center of the groove area. Then I spread the soap around the groove area and work it in with a soaking wet microfiber terry towel which I've run under the hot water faucet and given a small squeeze so it's not dripping all over everything. Still, it needs to be pretty wet to activate the dish soap and spread it around. After about a minute of scrubbing like that (always parallel to the groove), the surface of the record is wet and soapy. Then I rinse the record under the faucet until all the soap has been rinsed off. Instead of distilled water I finish up with a blast of steam from a handheld steam cleaner. I don't use distilled water in the process. By using the steamer most of the water is removed from the record and what's left can be easily dried by a clean dry microfiber terry towel.

For "flavor" I use the Ajax lemon-scented one as pictured in my original post. My audio buddy uses the lime-scented with bleach, but I'm not sure if I want to use bleach.

[belgian]

I use a cleaning machine from clearaudio and after some experimenting got the best results with following procedure - I use 2 of these containers with brushes

http://www.amazon.co...21480112&sr=8-1 and the machine only for the last stage (rinsing) . First with a enzyme based cleaner for organic dirt -10 % solution - second with 25% Isopropyl & a spoon of Dreft dishwasher (I think it's sold under another name in the States). I use for all my solutions demineralised water - because the tap water is very hard overhere and for the last rinsing with distilled water (this is done with the machine). The machine vacuums the rest of the destilled water.

I must say I did this in my shop and got some very dirty records cleaned with good results. I charged about 2.75 $ for this procedure. I could do about 20 - 25 an hour.