Removing mold from LPs?

Mold? In the rest of the world it's "mould", oh well... Makes CDs sound kind of attractive, no? I remember, years ago, in Audio or Stereo Review someone who lived in the far East having a problem with fungi on LPs and what was recommended, if memory serves me right, was the type of product that Radio Shack used to sell in a spray bottle and, judging from the powerful odour, contained some type of solvent. The problem, I would think, is that the solvents must have an effect on the vinyl. Combine that with the fact that this vinyl is decades old, and one should worry about the negative effects. I see people at used record stores using all sorts of products on used vinyl to clean it and get it to shine that must produce deleterious effects on the vinyl. The other thing is to make sure that the jackets are not contaminated and that the newly cleaned records are stored in dry conditions that do not encourage the growth of spores. I don't think that a water-based product would be too effective in curing this problem, but folks living in hot and humid climes must have a better idea than me as to what works. I would be leery of any product that would cause the vinyl to break down over time. Once they are cleaned, exposing the records to light for some period of time would be helpful,

Well since it's already a mess, to kill the mold add a little chlorine, bleach will work, followed by a mixture of
1 part ethanol/denatured, (not isopropanal) and 4 parts water, make a gallon and add a drop of ivory liquid dish soap. The water needs to be distilled, and you will need to rinse with distilled water after cleaning. Hand clean only.

Use the chlorine bleach try a couple of drops or so and progress slowly.

Good luck, btw, the 20/80 with ivory makes a dandy replacement solution for record cleaning machines, including my Monks.

jeff

Here is your answer, VERY simple and designed specifically for your problem
http://www.buggtussel.com/vinylzyme.asp

Dosn't have to be a science project

HTH Dave (8-}

Agree, Buggtussel does a fine job on old moldy records. Then clean with your regular cleaning solution.

That Buggtussel stuff is sold by Steve Monte (Quest for Sound). Look him up in the dealer showcase here in Audiogon.

You can also purchase it from www.redtrumpet.com. A great website for vinyl and import cds.

I believe you are out of luck on this one. You can prevent mold, but once it attacks the record it eats into the vinyl and cannot be repaired.

Thanks everyone for the input. I think I will try the Buggtussel and see if that helps. The website photos look promising. And for the record Pbb, the American Heritage College Dictionary (3rd Ed.) lists the definition of "mold" as: "1. Any of various fungi that often causes disintegration of organic matter; 2. the growth of such fungi."

"Mould" as far as THIS part of the world (USA) is concerned, is the British variant of "mold."
;-)