Di I really need to clean my LP's?

I just checked my similar query on another forum, where one member suggested the following publication, which I shall review this evening:

https://thevinylpress.com/app/uploads/2022/01/PACVR_3rd-Ed_2022-01-17_Master.pdf

  " How do you know ...."

i know from experience. A clean record sounds better and plays quieter, no one will convince me otherwise.

I have experienced the stylus breaking off - from my very costly cartridge - maybe due to too poor cleaning. I don’t want a repeat.

So what do I do?

I mainly have a dry cleaning regime. If the record seems dirty, it goes into a manual wash. All records go through a dry cleaning before I play them, mainly with a Mofi brush. This brush goes lower into the grooves than the others I have tried - so if there is pollution or problems, my player slows down, if I press the brush down.

This is obviously not the full story, but it works - so far - no more stylus loss or goodbye to my cartridge diamond.

I wonder about the advice to clean new LPs anyway. If there is some residue that needs to be cleaned, before the stylus gets into the groove?

My impression is, these "new artifacts" when you buy a new LP are mainly gone, when you play this LP the second or third time. The stylus acts as a cleaner. But this may be a bad way to do it...

Listen to one, clean it and compare. If you don’t hear an improvement, why bother?

Cleaning your records may or may not reduce surface noise, but I’m confident it won’t add any if done properly. I’m also confident it will protect and extend the life of your stylus. I’d suggest cleaning all your records (and any futures) with the Spin Clean, replacing any paper sleeves and then using a record brush before play.

My own personal record cleaning experience started with a Discwasher w/D4 fluid (pad system). It cleaned the dust off but didn’t clean the surface very well if at all. It didn’t add or remove static. It didn’t improve the record’s sound. I used it before every play. I went through a couple over about 20 years. At the time, it was one of just a few ways available to treat a record.

As I moved up the analog food chain, I went to a VPI HW16.5 cleaner. The records came out dust free and spotless. It didn’t remove static but sometimes it added it. Occasionally it improved the record’s sound, but not drastically. I used it with the VPI cleaning solution and had it for about 20 years. I was happy with it and recommend it to friends. I used it before every play.

For the past several years I’ve had an AudioDesk Systeme ultrasonic cleaner, used with distilled water and the company’s surfactant. It removes dust, static, fingerprints, stuff I can’t see but shows up on the filter, and the records look pristine. It doesn’t work miracles, old or used records will probably still have some surface noise after a run through (or two), but they can be anywhere from slightly to greatly improved. I’ve compared new records before and after, and they always sound better after a cleaning. I seldom clean a record a second time, but I use a brush before it’s played. The unit is as expensive as a component, which is what I consider it and it would be hard to be without it.

Good luck figuring it all out and have fun along the way.

@o_holter …seriously? A stylist breaking off because of a dirty record? What… one with glued sand on it. That sounds like a real stretch. My last stylist lasted much longer than 2,000 hours (Van den Hull Frog) with no damage from dust or lack of maintenance. I did little.

I found that sometimes cleaning an brand new album makes a difference, sometimes not. The albums I buy used have no fingerprints and look nearly pristine. Usually cleaning removes a bit of surface noise.

However, for a couple decades I just tried not to let my records be exposed and never did more cleaning than a dust brush with a small amount of Discwasher fluid and enjoyed my vinyl albums greatly without negative consequences.

I am currently listening to a late 1950’s Patty Page album that was very dusty… I ran it through my Nessie disk washer… sounds great. It depends… but the world will not end if you are not a clean fanatic… if the noise on the album is bothering you… clean it… if not, don’t.