Record Cleaning Machines

@herman,

Ultrasonic cleaning can be very effective against oils and greases, and the lower frequency units such as the Isonic/Kirmuss at 35-40 kHz are preferred.  BUT, they need some chemistry to both lower the surface tension of the fluid to better wet the record & soil and to add some detergency to  emulsify/clean oils and greases. 

Ultrasonic cleaning can be very effective against oils and greases, ...... . BUT, they need some chemistry to both lower the surface tension of the fluid to better wet the record

makes sense, but many claim they are using ultra pure water to great effect which does not make sense if the record has oil (fingerprints) on it. In my experience with an ultrasonic machine and distilled water these fingerprints were not removed.

How does grime get in there without fingerprints? Records are only exposed while playing, Then immediately put into MFSL rice paper sleeves.

What we've been told over the years is that in the process of stamping a record certain chemicals are used to allow the stamper to easily separate from the vinyl. These chemicals should be cleaned from a new record for optimal playback. I have no way to verify that. I do clean all my new records and they sound great so I will continue to do so.

Here is my 2 cents.
I have used the Nitty Gritty, Okki Nokki, iSonic, and steam cleaning. I have used home brew fluids, and most of the commercially available fluids.
They all had their benefits, but NOTHING has cleaned my records easier or more thoroughly than my new Degritter! Nothing.
I have an original version of Duke I stole from my girlfriend in 1982. It was very well loved (like that girl was) over the years. In other words, it was trash(ed)! I cleaned it many times using all the methods listed above, then I got my Degritter. WOW! After one cycle I could hear the difference! Then I said, "Why not try more?" Two more cycles--more improvement.
Then I hit it with some TM8 manually and left it on. Back into the Degritter. CRAP! It is almost like a new record. Not perfect, but incredibly close.
Now I use 4oz of TM8 in the Degritter tank and get fantastic results all the time! No rinsing!
I just put a record in, and go into my listening room to enjoy tunes. 10 minutes later, the record is ready to play. If it is a used record, it may take 2 or 3 cycles to get really good, but I guarantee the Degritter gets your records the best they can be, period. 
Isn't that what we really want, anyway?

All I can say to the skeptics of the efficacy of cleaning records, including brand spanking new records and those that have been fastidiously cared for since purchase, is that cleaning them does, indeed, benefit audio performance. Of course, like most things in life, a little knowledge helps and the more you know, the better your results will be. As such, I consider "Precision Aqueous Cleaning of: Vinyl Records" by Neil Antin (March 2021 Second Edition) indispensable reading! Not an easy read but worth every every second of your time if you are serious about high fidelity. If you've never cleaned your treasures before, no matter how well-cared for they are, whether you choose to clean them manually, with a Spin-Clean, vacuum machine, ultrasonic machine or combination thereof, you WILL hear an improvement in audio performance. Of course, this presumes you have a reasonably good quality turntable, cartridge, phono stage, sound system, in general, reasonably good hearing acuity, decent vinyl spinning habits (e.g. use of carbon fiber brush; stylus cleaner; record handling & storage, etc.) etc. Chances are good this is not an issue if your on this website.

I've been buying records (new) since the late 50's. My immediate collection is, predominantly, from the 60's through the 70's and 80's but I do have a few recent re-pressings. All of them are in high-quality anti-static ploy sleeves. I cleaned some of the older ones, manually, in the 80's. More recently, I've started using an ultrasonic cleaner and Knosti Disco Anti-Stat. Even using my present cleaning regimen, my records looked shiny, brand new, clean beforehand and came out looking the same way. So, I didn't expect much afterwards. I was SO wrong. The difference was/is surface noise is virtually eradicated, bass is very noticeably more profound, more tight, more accurate, as is the entire frequency response up & down the scale. Even with my 70 year old ears, I can readily and easily hear the difference.

IMO, Ultrasonic cleaning is definitely an improvement over a basic wet vacuum cleaning. I had a very noisy RCA Direct to Disc that I had assumed was beyond hope, yet after the US cleaning, it was much quieter and is now very impressive. I do think the US cleaning is a great way to go, question is which machine and method...