tap water....just once

brightblack · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:17 am Post subject: tap water....just once

Hey All- I don't have record cleaning machine but I do have my own method I've been using for years that works very well for me....Dawn dish detergent, isopropyl alcohol (91%), & distilled water....rub gently with an extra soft sponge, let sit for a minute, then I get into the grooves with a delicate nylon brush & rinse thoroughly....I buy a lot of used records so this process is only meant to be carried out once per record for initial deep-cleaning....My question is: Would tap water be problem instead of distilled water... my faucet has really good pressure & could really clean out those grooves but I've read that tap water contains minerals that could be bad for my records...any thoughts?

Alec124c41 · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:47 am Post subject:

You could use tap water, if you rinse with distilled. Actually, boiled (and cooled) water would be better than straight from the tap.

Cheers,
Alec

Logan · senior member Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 112

Alec124c41 · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:31 am Post subject:

Boiling will remove some of the hardness = calcium carbonate. Look in the bottom of your kettle.

Cheers,
Alec

mysticfred · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:15 am Post subject:

I wouldn't use dish detergent on records, they contain alll sorts of chemical nasties.. Crying or Very sad

Tap water is too hard and contains impurities, better to use de-ionised water from any motor spares retailer, and it 's very cheap (1.49 GBP per Litre).

Logan · senior member Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 112

Alec124c41 · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:07 am Post subject:

1200y3 · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:47 am Post subject:

Do not use tap water. And if using distilled water, it is more available now, and you use dish soap to wet it, you should only need a couple drops to a litre. Try small drops untill it wets the vinyl. If you weren't eating off the record I don't see a reason for heavy cleaning. Not being sarcastic, and I have had many records that were very dirty. For those I use Simple Green, and about 15 ml /L. I mean they are so dirty they should be tossed, but they come out neary prestine. I haven't tried Electrosol or dishwasher rinse agent, but I think it would be safer than heavy duty dish soap, but dish soap does have lubricating properties. I use a vacuum cleaner which is an upholstery brush with a 1/16 inch slot in it and velvet edges. A couple drops of water couldn't kill it?

danmanch · Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:10 am Post subject:

....rub gently with an extra soft sponge, let sit for a minute, then I get into the grooves with a delicate nylon brush & rinse thoroughly ~Quote

Sounds good..But make sure you rinse with distilled H2o.

Logan · senior member Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 112

flavio81 · contributor Joined: 16 Sep 2009 Posts: 2280 Location: Lima

Alec124c41 · Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 4:54 am Post subject:

shhh...listen · Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:18 pm Post subject:

Vulcan Viewer · Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 2:54 am Post subject:

In the UK, water hardness varies greatly. In many places you need to clean kettles and the like quite frequently with limescale remove, whereas where I am, in Plymouth, we have very soft water and in 3 years I haven't seen any limescale buildup at all.

However, water in the UK is often treated medicinally, principly with flouride to reduce cavities in teeth. I would not think this would be particularly good for vinyl though. I have no idea what the chemical reaction would be.

cats squirrel · Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:34 pm Post subject:

why don't you put some tap water on an LP and let it evaporate, then you can see the deposits, if any. Also note, tap water contains suspended solids, something you don't want left behind. As someone has suggested upthread, tap water would be OK, if you used pure water for rinsing.

I would also suggest you use a washing up liquid, and let the suds do their stuff for some while, remember Andy Warhol, and his 15 minutes of foam?