Vinyl Cleaning Methods - How do you clean your vinyl?

[Vinyllover]

Still using the knosti antistat cleaner. But the results are not pristine, on my wishlist buying a nokki.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Unfortunately, all my vinyl was stolen during our move from Houston to Corpus Christi when our storage unit was broken into. Fortunately, most of everything I cared about had been replaced with CDs.

I always used Discwasher, but it was only partially successful, as every time I played an album, I’d notice a new crackle or pop. That’s when I started recording them to cassette as soon as I got them, keeping their use to only a few plays. That tact eventually allowed me to make near-pristine digital copies of obscure albums that never made it to CD.

Regards,
Wayne

 

[Huiser]

The disco antistat does the trick for me.
But i use a small drill machine to rotate the spindle. Then take the record out with the spindle still attached. And use that to spin the record fast on the drill machine to dry.
That way there is no residu.

 

[Rick McInnis]

Since I received a prompt asking ...

I find record cleaning to be fraught with peril. Sometimes it works well and other times it makes the record worse. In the middle is the confusion of just what did it do?

I have tried almost everything (never tried SPINCLEAN) and have always been disappointed. NITTY GRITTY decades ago - VPI not too long after. George Merrill's spray nozzle.

I have learned to be extremely careful with alcohol. Especially with the big thick heavy records that I think are made with old 45s and recycled vinyl upholstery fabric - the alcohol will dissolve the PVC and leave you with a ruined record.

Surprising how often an old record (have been collecting LPs for 59 years) is not helped at all. In my years of trying to do this well I have ruined many a great record.

Lately I have been using the little bubbler machine from Hong Kong (HumminGuru) and some preparation that was highly regarded when i got the machine - there is a new one ever week - I cannot remember the name and it does not come up on the search engine. I had made a DIY bubbler before and it was not very good but that more my fault. The machine was not made for the duty and my implementation was far from ideal. Once i let the water get much too hot and ruined some of my favorite records. HumminGuru seems to be plenty good but the variability of results leaves me thinking sometimes it is best to leave things alone.

Hard to beat a carbon fiber brush and a good stylus cleaning.

 

[ACHiPo]

All newly acquired records, whether new or used, go through my cleaning regimen, as do existing records that haven't been cleaned with my most recent regimen.

I use external poly sleeves and internal Acoustic Sounds sleeves on records to denote which ones have been cleaned.

My latest regimen:
1. clean with SpinClean using the SpinClean solution 3 rotations forward and back
2. place wet LP into Degritter using 1/2 strength Degritter fluid in RO water
3. clean and dry in Degritter for 6 min
4. inspect and repeat if needed (rarely is it needed to repeat cleaning)

 

[koeniwo]

I use a DIY vinyl-cleaning-machine

 

[Markone]

I use three of the ‘Knosti Disco Antistat’ baths. (If the record is very dirty, I clean it with tap water first and I microfibre cloth.) In the first bath I have the Knosti Cleaning Fluid or ‘L'Art Du Son’ Tonar, whatever. Over the years I’ve tried them all! Whatever you use I believe that the most important thing is to thoroughly rinse the cleaning fluid off! This is where the other two baths come in to play. Both filled with triple distilled water, laboratory grade, from a certified supplier, Not from Amazon or ebay! You will pay more, but you gets what you pay for. (Typical y water is first demineralised by passing through ion exchange resin beds, which removes all ion and mineral contaminants such as sodium and chloride, then heated so it turns to a vapor, leaving behind virtually all chemicals, inorganic minerals, and impurities. Then it condenses back to water - clean pure water) A reputable supplier will usually publish the chemical analysis.

After the first bath I put the record in the rack while I clean the next one. This give a few minutes for the cleaning fluid to work and for the excess to drain / evaporate. When the next one is done the first one goes in the water baths, and so on. The first water bath removes most of the cleaning fluid and then I give the record a quick spin to get as much of the excess water off before it goes in to the second bath. In each bath I give the record about 5 turns clockwise and then anti clockwise. After the baths the record goes in to a rack to air dry. Once dry records are put in to new Mobile Fidelity inner sleeves. I generally only have to clean a record once. My current cartridge is an ortofon quintet blue and its a couple of years old but apart from the occasional brush, its still like new. My rack holds 7 records and it takes about ¾ hour to do them.

 

[atsanona]

I use a carbon fiber brush and a Pro-ject VC2 vaccum cleaner with a diy liquid with surfactant surface agent. In this regard my main concern according my personal experience is with the act of cleaning not to leave any residual substances that are present in some cleaning liquid formula.

 

[ChristopherP]

Okay, my process is continuously evolving. Currently:
Initial cleaning or many years old records: Two spin clean tanks, one with their solution + a few drops of Turgitol, second tank with only distilled water + 5 drops of Turgitol.
Then on the vacuum Nitty Gritty, then into dish drainer, then into new inner sleeve and sleeve outer jacket if not already in place.
For cleaned records: Maintenance is on the TT. Discwasher/Distilled Water spray, goat hair brush, Zerostat does the trick.

 

[tyree91]

I have a Basis Inspiration with Super 9 Arm.
I currently use a VPI HW 17 cleaner, but I'm thinking of getting a degritter.

 

[corbelli]

I love my litle Huminguru. A ultrasonic wash machine with semi- utomated process.

 

[corbelli]

 

[EuroChamp]

I clean every new arrival (second hand or new makes no difference) before I first play it. I also give it a new inner sleeve, always. Cleaning fluid is from Chisto concentrate.
Cleaning is done with a NESSIE Vinylcleaner ProPlus+ - I am superhappy with the results of this very silent machine.
Depending on how long the disk stays on the platter, I would clean it again after maybe 3 to 10 playbacks (and sometimes replace the inner sleeve). I am not using any brushes at all. When I see dust, I wash it.

 

[Audio_Guy_UofW]

Being technical snd somewhat obsessive, I base my cleaning regimen on the expansive document Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records. It covers vacuum and ultrasonic cleaning, focusing on safety (some solutions recommended on the internet are highly flammable), efficacy, and lack of damage to the record. Somewhat daunting in length, but you can focus on the sections of most interest.

Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition - The Vinyl Press

The Third Edition of Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records is a standard reference, covering chemistry, equipment and methods.

thevinylpress.com

Based on this, and depending on how much cleaning is required, I use a double pronged approach. First I use a wet vacuum cleaning process utilizing a small wet vac and the kit from https://squeakycleanvinyl.com/. As per the "bible" I use a diluted solution of Tergitol applied vigorously with a brush, vacuum, distilled water rinse, vaccum, surfactant, vacuum, distilled water rinse, vacuum.

Then I switch over to the Humminguru ultrasonic cleaner (older model, not the new one). I have two tanks, one with a even more dilute Tergitol solution (to minimize foaming) and the other with distilled water. Run through once with the Tergitol solution, (don't dry), then a second time with distilled water (to save time I air dry in my rack rather than the Humminguru blow dry).

I buy quite a few used records, and depending on their condition they get some or all of this process. My drying rack holds 6 records, and if I do the whole process it takes about an hour to do 6. For light cleaning, I just do the Humminguru.

I have found the results to be excellent, and able to recover records from VG to VG++ most of the time. There are a few, however, that even this process cannot restore...either ground in dirt or groove damage. On the whole, however, very effective.

Once this is done, I use a Zerostat and Discwasher before every play to maintain the records. I have records that I have had for 50 years, and the Zerostat/Discwasher treatment has maintained them in Near Mint condition all these years.

 

[miguelito]

See post below

 

[miguelito]

Here’s how I clean my vinyl records:

Step 1- Spinclean 1:
- 800 ml distilled water
- 20 ml Ethanol (2.5% concentration)
- 4 drops Tergikleen (Tergitol)
This step is ONLY used if the record has any visible dirt on it. I usually skip this step for new records.
Couple of full turns in each direction.
After raising the record and letting it drip out into the Spinclean it goes directly into Step 2 (NO drying of any sort)

Step 2- Spinclean 2 (this is a separate Spinclean unit from the above):
- 800 ml distilled water
- 20 ml Isopropyl Alcohol (2.5% concentration)
- 10 ml Propylene Glycol
Couple of full turns in each direction.
After raising the record and letting it drip out into the Spinclean it goes directly into Step 3 (NO drying of any sort)

Step 3- Degritter:
- 1.5 l distilled water
- 20 ml Isopropyl Alcohol (1.3%)
Usually run the Heavy cycle with drying.

Comments:
- I use high purity Ethanol, Isopropyl, and Propylene Glycol (Propylene Glycol is used in the Kirmuss spray).
- Some might question the use of Ethanol - in this concentration it is safe to use on PVC (according to PVC chemical compatibility info). Also, Clearaudio recommends Ethanol, and the guy running the "Perfect Vinyl Forever" cleaning service also uses Ethanol, I think I heard in one of his interviews on Youtube.
- Steps 1 & 2 are really very quick so they don't add a meaningful amount of effort and they make a very big difference in the net result.
- After cleaning the record goes into a brand-new inner sleeve (I like the MoFis but I think most are good).
- My Degritter is the mk 1 version. I use the firmware previous to the last as the last one includes a pre-wash cycle that I don't want, and I cannot disable it in the mk 1 Degritter (you can in the mk 2).

People have asked me: You have the Degritter - Why use the Spincleans? Two reasons:
1- Step 2 puts Propylene Glycol (not a surfactant but a wetting agent) onto the record - this helps the ultrasonic step by allowing the bursting bubbles to go deeper - which is why Kirmuss uses this.
2- The ultrasonic machine is great at getting into the groove but not so great about large visible dirt and oils like fingerprints. If you had a muddy car, would you clean it with a polishing cloth and wax? No, you would wash it with water, detergent, and a brush first, then you would apply wax and polish it. Same holds true for records.

I should add I also have a Humminguru, which I bought before I got the Degritter. The process above would work very well with Spincleans and a Humminguru. The Degritter is a bit better but the Humminguru would do a great job.

 

[dladow]

I wet clean using a VPI cleaning machine. With the record spinning, I use a liquid dosage syringe from the drug store to apply a thin spiral of 3-4 ml of Tergiclean solution diluted per instructions and spread it into the grooves with a Shur-line edger designed to apply latex paint which uses a pad with very fine soft bristles. To rinse, I spray with distilled water and spread with very light pressure using the harder bristle wand that came with the machine, then engage the vacuum to dry. I have found that in addition to eliminating most if not all surface noise caused by dust and dirt, it tends to make the higher frequencies sound better. I also use Zerostat and an Audioquest brush before each play to remove surface dust. I use a stylus brush on the cartridge before each play, and periodically wet clean the stylus with distilled water.

 

[LePet42]

I clean my records with a Loricraft RCM. I clean all records new and secondhand on receipt and then repeat once clicks are heard.
I also place cleaned records in rice paper poly sleeves and it takes a number of listens before they need doing again.

 

[jonb]

I use TergiKleen (which is what the Library Of Congress apparently recommends). I've also used plain dish soap. Scrub with a soft brush, rinse with distilled water. I've also experimented with drying with a shop vac (covered with a soft cloth). Not sure if one method works better than the other.

 

[Audiophilus51]

I have used the very simple Spin Clean to clean my records for years, and I've always thought it did an adequate job of cleaning them. I never gave it much thought, but I've always had relatively inexpensive turntables and a lot of records that I didn't take care of early on in life (late 70s and the 80s mostly). I dabbled in vinyl back in 2012 but really didn't have the room for it at the time. Recently, we've set up a dedicated vinyl room and getting back into vinyl listening again.

I decided to look into the various cleaning systems. Some of them are rather expensive ultrasonic machines, but for some reason, I just didn't think they were enough. Only the uber-expensive models dry the record, and it's blow drying instead of vacuuming. I'm not sure, but I feel like vacuuming is better. Anyway... I came up with a method that works for me. I use the KirmussAudio KA-RC-1 Ultrasonic machine, but I don't go all out on the repetitive cleaning unless it's a really old record. It just appeared to be set up a little better than the other ultrasonic machines and has more even cavitation. I was also able to scoop up an unused open-box unit at a very nice discount. Then I caught the Record Doctor X on sale and use it to vacuum dry the records. It is still more than I wanted to spend at around $1350-1400, but I do have a little more peace of mind about my records now.

After cleaning, I place them in a MoFi inner sleeve.

How do you clean your records? What is your cleaning method?

I use an Alsop Orbitrac for soiled records, and an Audioquest Carbon Fiber brush for surface dust. For styli I use a Discwasher SC1 brush and Audio Technica fluid. I recently added a Hudson HiFi ultrasonic stylus cleaner.

 

[curbfeeler]

Degritter. If the record is grungy it is cleaned with Disc Doctor fluid and brushes, then it goes into the Degritter.

 

[MarkInTheGardens]

I have an original Discwasher System in good condition.

 

[Maxpower]

I was prompted by the site admin to respond here. Weird but, OK.

Initial Cleaning (every LP)
- HumminGuru does 90% of the work for all new vinyl and the cleaner Near Mint secondhand purchases (wash and rinse, two separate cycles)
- I built a motorised vacuum machine for the really dirty secondhand purchases, then into the HumminGuru (two cycles)
- Chemicals: Tergitol diluted in distilled / demineralised water for cleaning, distilled / demineralised water for rinsing

Before Playing (every time)
- Carbon Fibre brushing (moving from the outer to the inner track)
- Stylus brush
- Recently gave-up on the Milty Zero-stat gun, good but just don't last, not worth the money.
Would love to try the ION-001 Vinyl Ionizer but the $3K price tag is hard to justify (10 years worth of Miltys')

Key learning: Ultrasonic cleaning has been a revelation. Manual cleaning, no matter how thorough, just doesn't cut it.

 

[mxk116]

KirmussAudio KA-RC-1 alongside a VPI-16.5 that I've had since the dawn of time.

 

[Robert B]

All albums, both new and used get cleaned on a VPI 16.5. I use a home made formula and a distilled water rinse.