Cleaning records
- Thread starter drummerman
- Start date
There's a huge amount of information and controversy about record cleaning on the net. From simple brushing to expensive cleaning machines.
Here's what I did with a couple of older test records;
Get a nice juicy lime, a micro fibre cloth and a decent, soft bristle paint brush. - Apply squeezed lime juice liberally straight to the record surface and brush in to the grooves for a minute. Leave another two minutes and rinse. - Dont let it dry naturally but doube or tripple fold the micro cloth and hold it tight over the hoover nozzle. Hoover the wet record dry and all the gunk comes out. Leaves a lovely, clean and shiny record. - The difference in sound quality is profound. - It helps if you have a hoover with adjustable power and use it on the lowest setting which is plenty enough.
regards
Here's what I did with a couple of older test records;
Get a nice juicy lime, a micro fibre cloth and a decent, soft bristle paint brush. - Apply squeezed lime juice liberally straight to the record surface and brush in to the grooves for a minute. Leave another two minutes and rinse. - Dont let it dry naturally but doube or tripple fold the micro cloth and hold it tight over the hoover nozzle. Hoover the wet record dry and all the gunk comes out. Leaves a lovely, clean and shiny record. - The difference in sound quality is profound. - It helps if you have a hoover with adjustable power and use it on the lowest setting which is plenty enough.
regards
nopiano
Well-known member
Sounds very creative, but I'm not sure about acidic lime in my record grooves. What's wrong with distilled water and/or isopropyl alchohol which I though was accepted wisdom?
And what do they sound like? Schhh, you know who, or snap. crackle and pop?
And what do they sound like? Schhh, you know who, or snap. crackle and pop?
Another common one is wood-glue. Spread it across as even paste (obviously not on the label), thin enough so it doesn't take weeks to dry but thick enough so that when it dries fully (probably several hours) it can be carefully peeled-off as a big circular sheet, bringing all the contaminents with it. There are quite a few tutorials on You Tube showing this technique in action.
drummerman said:
I don't think that I would leave acid resdue on my vinyl, thanks very much.................
How about not getting them dirty in the first place? In our centrally heated homes and with careful handling just how dirty can vinyl get? :?
The_Lhc
Well-known member
ifor
Well-known member
... Thats exactly what I meant ... a lot of controversy ... whatever one suggests.
I was referring to used/sh records but I dont think you can keep new ones 'clean' however hard you try. Just taking them out of a sleeve and onto the table will leave dust, skin residue etc over time. Plus there is the issue of left over pressing residue and mould release inhibitors which, apparently, further compromise sound quality.
I wouldn't personally wash records every month but there was a considerable amount of dirt that came out which a simple dry brush would have probably just pushed further into the groves, if at all.
As to acidity, I believe lemon/lime juice and the likes are relatively mild acids which should not chemically react with vinyl but their inherent disolving abilities should be almost perfect for oil and other dirt pushed deep into the grooves. Probably safer than alcohol. That and the subsequent rinsing and dry hoovering should not leave much residue on the record but I'm sure there are folks with far more experience than me which may be able to proof me wrong.
It seemed to work just fine, is cheap and doesnt take long.
regards
PS. A prolonged soak in distilled warm water with a mild cleaning solution of the whole record, stimulated by infrasonic bubbles or jets of water as opposed to any direct contact cleaning ie. brushes ... followed by suction cleaning would probably be the ideal solution but I dont think that is easily and cheaply implemented (plus the label would probably come off)
Found this thread which I guess includes some of my version of cleaning ... with no clear concensus of course ... as everything to do with vinyl seems to lack!
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=204925&page=2
I was referring to used/sh records but I dont think you can keep new ones 'clean' however hard you try. Just taking them out of a sleeve and onto the table will leave dust, skin residue etc over time. Plus there is the issue of left over pressing residue and mould release inhibitors which, apparently, further compromise sound quality.
I wouldn't personally wash records every month but there was a considerable amount of dirt that came out which a simple dry brush would have probably just pushed further into the groves, if at all.
As to acidity, I believe lemon/lime juice and the likes are relatively mild acids which should not chemically react with vinyl but their inherent disolving abilities should be almost perfect for oil and other dirt pushed deep into the grooves. Probably safer than alcohol. That and the subsequent rinsing and dry hoovering should not leave much residue on the record but I'm sure there are folks with far more experience than me which may be able to proof me wrong.
It seemed to work just fine, is cheap and doesnt take long.
regards
PS. A prolonged soak in distilled warm water with a mild cleaning solution of the whole record, stimulated by infrasonic bubbles or jets of water as opposed to any direct contact cleaning ie. brushes ... followed by suction cleaning would probably be the ideal solution but I dont think that is easily and cheaply implemented (plus the label would probably come off)
Found this thread which I guess includes some of my version of cleaning ... with no clear concensus of course ... as everything to do with vinyl seems to lack!
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=204925&page=2
MajorFubar said:
This method featured in a recent episode of CSI. They used a credit card for even application.
drummerman said:
I can understand cleaning records from others but normal dust can be cleaned with a simple tracking brush, if using an anti-static device hasn't prevented it falling on it in the first place. The 'pressing residue' etc I believed to be a supposed problem with optical media and not with a diamond in physical contact with the groove.
The potential of damage to the vinyl every time one used a DIY solution of this sort seems likely to be counter productive, especially if you price out your time. I think if I was in to vinyl, particularly used, then I'd lose the risk and time factor and invest in a proper time-served cleaning machine. But each to their own.
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