How much isopropanol is effective but safe for viny?

Only my opinion. And I may be wrong.

The questions really boil down to what bad stuff is in the grooves and what will be remove it. The most likely foreign materials would be dirt, dust, oils. Maybe some grease. It ends up that Isopropanol is not a very good solvent. A weak solution of distilled water with a dish washing liquid, like Dawn, would seem a good solvent for this kind of material. Maybe only a drop or two in a quart of distilled water.  Thorough rinsing would be necessary. Very thorough. That kind of residue from a cleaning solution like that is probably not something very beneficial to a stylus or cantilever.

But I may be wrong. It might clean but leave a residue very difficult to remove.

@invictus005 - OK, it may do no harm, but how is it effective as a cleaner?  It's not nearly the solvent as distilled water.  

@ invictus005 - what are you trying to clean out of the grooves?  Water is the universal solvent.  

@invictus005 - You have yet to answer what kind of material you’re trying to clean from the grooves? Do you actually KNOW or are you just ignoring the reality of the process? Have you reviewed the issue from a chemical perspective? What did you discover in your materials research that you can share?

Are the softeners used in the vinyl record leached out with the alcohol?  What harmful impact would that have on the life of a vinyl record?  

If you say isopropyl alcohol is 100% safe for cleaning, are you also taking 100% responsibility for our records if you are mistaken?  

@invictus005 - And STILL you cannot provide a rational explanation for isopropyl alcohol.  In fact, you have yet to post a rational comment.

@invictus005 - Wow...  Maybe you just don't know what you're trying to clean.   

@slaw My post makes perfect sense.  Isopropanol should NOT be used on records.  Period.  It does not clean off the substances that need to be removed from the grooves of vinyl records and removes the plasticizers that need to remain on the records.

I have just spoken with Duane Goldman (The Disc Doctor) who called on a different topic.  Duane has spent his life studying record cleaning as a chemist.  Duane mixes record cleaner used by the Library of Congress and other archiving organizations.   He s VERY familiar with the vinyl compounds and record material contaminants as well as foreign materials that find their way into record and lacquer grooves.  I asked Duane specifically about using isopropyl alcohol on vinyl.  

Duane contributed the following FACTS to the discussion, but won't post. If you want to confirm this, just call him and ask for FACTS about using isopropyl alcohol on vinyl records.

Without posting his string of "colorful descriptions" of those who would ruin their records with Isopropyl alcohol, he indicated that the use of 0% of isopropyl alcohol is the acceptable threshold, but not more than 0%.  

NO ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL ON RECORDS.  This issue was resolved in the late 70's but some people still choose to ignore the actual scientific facts related to this topic.

Isopropyl alcohol does not dissolve the specific foreign material in the grooves which is the mold release and associated mildew.  

I described the @invictus005 method using cotton balls and 91% isopropyl alcohol.  He said it would leach out the plasticizers which can never be replaced.   Use  NO ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL ON RECORDS.

So the readers of this thread can either take the word of a chemist who has been studying record and lacquer surfaces his entire life or @invictus005 who is someone who can't even identify what the material is that he is trying to remove.

Yes, the plasticizers are needed to preserve the vinyl.  Sorry for the confusion.

invictus005 - you dispute chemistry and facts?  Really?  And who is the crazy one?

As I indicated, my information came from The Dick Doctor who has spent his life in research and development of products specifically related to cleaning records. I would prefer to err on the side of caution rather than risk damage to my collection. Your collection is NOT my concern if you choose to gradually destroy it because of your own arrogance in the face of facts.