Do any of you know what chemicals are actually in your expensive proprietary record cleaners? Of course not - the manufacturers aren't going to tell you because they know you'll go out and make up your own cleaning solutions for a fraction of the cost of their over-hyped products. It amuses me that virulent critics of DIY cleaning solutions happily spread expensive stuff all over their precious vinyl without having a clue as to what it is or what it does.
Showing 3 responses by maclogan
In answer to the query as to what I use, see: http://www.audioenz.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?s=a77a534bf29780f554d2dd2c671eee4c&t=3826&highlight=Logan I don't highlight this because (i) the stuff was available only in New Zealand, (ii) it is no longer marketed, and (iii) I bought up gallons when I became convinced of its efficacy. It is a standard spray and wipe recipe containing about 20% ethanol*, buffering ammonia, a non-ionic detergent and an ethylene glycol mono-ether as wetting agent. No coloring or fragrance chemicals. I use microfiber cloths for application and for LP drying after thorough rinsing. * Isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) would work just as well. It does NOT harden vinyl as claimed above - there is absolutely no chemical reaction between PVC and/or PVA and isopropanol at room temperature. Rubbing alcohol is NOT isopropanol. It contains this alcohol as solvent, but also contains other chemicals which might not rest comfortably in an LP grove. Only pure isopropanol should be used to make up the aqueous solutions required for LP cleaning. Never use a pure alcohol of any sort for cleaning - all it does is evaporate and re-deposit all the dirt and gunk it originally dissolved. |