Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records

Sorry for being so pedantic, but first of all ALL enzymes are proteins, not just most of them or some of them. In general, enzymes act to catalyze chemical reactions that would happen anyway but happen much faster if mediated by an enzyme. (That's actually the definition of a catalyst; it moves the reaction forward.)  With that in mind, I wondered why enzymatic activity would be beneficial for cleaning an LP.  My guess is that enzymatic cleaners help to break down large possibly insoluble molecules, possibly precipitates that are by definition insoluble, into smaller more soluble molecules, which can then be either dissolved (in water, alcohol, and or with the help of nonionic detergent) and washed away.  What exactly are the substrates for enzymes that one can find in an LP groove, I do not know.

Drbond, if a “sealed, mint” LP does not respond to the cleaning you’ve already done, I’d give up and either toss those LPs or tolerate them as is. I doubt any further cleaning will fix them. Good money after bad, and all that.

My experience is as a molecular biologist. We used ethanol and acetate to precipitate DNA and RNA. SDS plus or minus Triton X100/Tween20 to solubilize cell membranes and intracellular organelles. Also there are a slew of nonionic detergents with different characteristics suitable  for isolating various proteins with specialized physical chemical properties. That was usually a hit or miss proposition.

I do not wish to delve deeper into denatured alcohol. I would steer clear of it for anything except mandatory use. And that does not include cleaning records. I think it is ill advised to go out and buy products of complex composition, when really what is needed to clean a record is only a fraction of what is in the solution, and one has to be concerned about what else is in the solution. In this case, we are talking about alcohol. First of all denatured alcohol is derived from ethanol, and I believe for reasons stated above that propanol is slightly superior for the job of cleaning a record. And on top of that you can acquire nearly 100% pure propanol  without going to the black market or a guy named Joe. But that’s just my opinion and I commend you for the tremendous effort you have made to codify the subject.

Antinn, I was mainly countering Mijostyn’s inference that denatured alcohol is essentially harmless. According to wiki, in some cases DA MUST contain at least 10% methanol in order to be labeled as such. That’s bad for us humans, but other potential constituents of DA could also be bad for LPs, based on the wiki entry. Moreover, I would think that propanol, being more polar than ethanol and a little less volatile, would be at least a bit better for the job of solvent than even unadulterated ethanol.

More drum beating on denatured alcohol. It is just ridiculous to use it or any product that contains it, for record cleaning when anyone can buy nearly pure propanol or isopropanol for this purpose. Not only does denatured alcohol contain up to 10% methanol, a poison, but it also may contain more than one other constituent that may damage LPs. I advise anyone who doubts me to read the wiki entry on denatured alcohol. If one insists on using it, wear gloves that are impervious to methanol. It can be absorbed through the skin.

Ok. Use it.

“Ethanol” is ethanol or ethyl alcohol, a 2-carbon alcohol, not”denatured alcohol likely with isopropanol “. Propanol and isopropanol are two different isomeric 3-carbon alcohols. Not that it matters much. I would not recommend denatured alcohol for cleaning LPs, however.

pH 8.6 I would say is at least mildly alkaline, probably OK. Most soaps are.