What is the best record cleaning solution

flavio81 · contributor Joined: 16 Sep 2009 Posts: 2275 Location: Lima

The thread has been created to post what the posters (we) found as the best record cleaning formulas. Thus, i posted what i use with great success.

Granted, we don't know the LONG term effect on the vinyl. I (we) are not sure it is 100% safe. But i'm not claiming i am 100% sure this is safe on the long term. I only say it works, and it works really well.

Besides that, what other alternative formulas are there besides 50% isopropyl-water, and/or Photo-flo and/or a household detergent?

Photo-flo is discouraged to be used on vinyl records by Kodak itself. But that does not stop people for using it with success.A poster above uses dishwashing soap... He is not alone, many people do it. In theory, it would leave more residues than Photo-flo or the concentrated windshield cleaner i'm recommending.

kolchris · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:22 pm Post subject:

K-M used to recommend ethanol for their machine . Has this changed?

midfi · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:23 pm Post subject:

the best record cleaner is made by us Very Happy

Will be going on sale soon, have been sold here locally for about a year and a half. We have 2 flavors, one for general cleaning and one enzyme based for vacuum cleaning. We have a pretty good local following on it too. There are a lot of good record cleaners on the market, prior to getting in with the guys I'm with I used Phoenix record cleaner from SleeveCity. Good stuff.

southpark · Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:24 pm Post subject:

Anyone know what is considered the best cleaning fluid to buy in the UK? I understand I could make my own but...

Letitroll98 · Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject:

Zer0beaT · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:12 am Post subject:

I was wondering if using white vinegar for records with possible mold for a minute or two would damage it assuming it is rinsed very very thoroughly after and vacuum dried?

I'm just curious because I find vinegar really unsettles mold, mildew, etc very quickly like nothing else. It would seem a very good solution for vinyl no?

davidsss · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 11:12 am Post subject:

Someone else in another thread suggested cleaning records in warm water with one third vinegar. I have tried this with particularly dirty records and it has done no harm to the record and has definitely improved the sound. I followed this with my normal cleaning using a fluid and a distilled water rinse, all vacuumed off. Vinegar is a mild acid so it pays to be careful. I'm no chemist but I don't think vinegar harms vinyl (vinyl is pretty tough, after all we drag a diamond through the grooves periodically).

DS
_________________
My System: Micro Seiki BL51 Turntable, Stax UA7 Tonearm, RCM Sensor Prelude Phono Stage, Blue Angel Mantis Cartridge, Rotel RCD865BX Cd Player, Melody I34R (Astro Black 40) amp and Osborn Epitome Speakers.

southpark · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:38 pm Post subject:

Could you use the Okki Nokki cleaning fluid without the actual machine?

Anyone?

registeredla · senior member Joined: 28 Mar 2009 Posts: 367 Location: Il

For the last month I have been using Mobile Fidelity cleaners in my VPI HW 17 record cleaner. I have tried both the enzyme based and the heavy duty cleaners. They work very well with their velvet scrubing brush. Once sucked dry they look and sound like new. Sure the product is not cheap but a quart bottle in the machine cleans a good 300 records. The math works out to tenths of a cent per record.

bakelite2 · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:54 am Post subject:

I have tried many different solutions and settled on a local product called OCRVC. I purchase it in concentrated form and dilute it to a 40-50 to 1 solution. By far the best I have come across and I have been using this for over two years now with no problems. One cleaning and one rinse is all that is needed.
One other thing is that it is also very cheap.
BH

axis 67 · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:32 pm Post subject:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Disc Doctor Solution. I have had excellent results using that and his cleaning pads. I first dry clean with a Hunt brush or Discwasher brush to remove as much dust as possible, then clean with Disc Doctor. I use a VPI 16.5 for only one revolution to remove most of the cleaning fluid and then use a seperate cleaning pad for two rinses with distilled water, vacuuming after each.

Many years ago I believed the Discwasher and D4 would get a record as clean as possible. I thought the angled fibers lifted everything from the grooves if I applied the gentlest touch I could manage. One good wet cleaning with a VPI changed that.

Letitroll98 · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject:

Welcome aboard axis. DD solution has been very well reviewed by others. Never used it myself, not for any specific reason, just never got round to that one. But from what I've heard it's the go to solution for a single step cleaning.

Dadimo · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:05 pm Post subject:

I think its funny that most people that own a Nitty Gritty say the only thing they disliked about it ( or most disliked ) was that the supplied cleaning fluid was not that good. I see that Nitty Gritty sells a new enzyme record cleaner also now.

Vulcan Viewer · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 5:22 pm Post subject:

Alec124c41 · Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 7:59 pm Post subject:

There are several kinds of wax in that.

Cheers,
Alec