Can I clean my records manually?


Well, I know I can but, will this method yield acceptable results for approximately 6 months until I get a record cleaner? If so, I imagine I need a cleaning fluid and some type of a brush or rag. Can anyone recommend a method. Also, am I correct in assuming that the only value an automatic cleaner provides is convenience?

Further, can a dirty record damage a cartridge? I can't see how it would since dirt is softer than the vinyl grooves and lots softer than a diamond.

Am I that ignorant? Please, let me down easy.

thanx
pawlowski6132

Showing 3 responses by stltrains

yes you can, i use disc doctor fluid and brushes, with my old tt platter on a lazy susan, with all cotton cloths for wiping the excess and then a small shop vac with a cotton cloth over the four inch attachment, works like a charm,
tbg i have to say you might be wrong on your "but not well",statement, i have been cleaning manually for well, a long time and after a lot of records bought by well respected folks who use a auto type cleaner, i have not yet had one lp sound better than those i have cleaned manually, its like every thing else in our world today, easy is better, and thats not all the time true, anyway as long as we get the lps clean thats all that matters, long live our musical hobby and beatles on sunday,
i will be a record cleaning person tonight, got the cardinals and reds, go birds to watch while i go to it, i wait till i have 20 or more lps to clean, i have been hitting the used shops and have come up with a few jems for me, i will break out the lazy susan, mini shop vac, disc doctor cleaner and brushes, one for scrubing, the other for a double rinse with distilled water, it will take me at least a couple of hours, but no doubt about it you have to clean your lps to get way down into the music, btw this thread is a good one, as the auto and manual debate goes on,