Record cleaning

@thegreenline 

Good question, and you will find many answers to it in the AG archives...

In general, most avoid alcohols for fear of surface damage to LPs.   My suspicion is that -OH does nothing to the vinyl-chloride, but it likely removes some of the plasticizers and makes the LPs more fragile, even warped, by this extraction.

Over the years, I have cleaned thousands of LPs,  using a wide variety of gear and solutions.  My advice is KISS.  Begin with a simple faucet rinse, followed by a cleaning with an easily rinsed solution (LP cleaner, Castile soap, etc.) followed by a second faucet rinse, then a final rinse in DI or distilled H2O.  Let air dry for a minuet, wipe with a lint-free adsorbent cloth and let air dry for ~20 min (depending on your HVAC in your home) until the grooves are dry.  Cover with a new inner-sleeve.

If you need to go further, feel free to contact me.  We can discuss more intensive protocols...

The Link shows all that is required to produce a mixture for cleaning and the methodology to achieve, what I now refer to as a Purified LP.

The mixture in the Link, is a solution that seeps into the groove, it is capable of lifting embedded particulate that are low microns in dimension. The solution does not collect on the LP Surface only, as many solutions do.   

I have reported in previous posts when I am organised, I can easily achieve a two side clean of an Album in six minutes, with a time set aside to clean 10 Albums. This is plenty of Albums to support a few listening sessions.

I exchange inner sleeves that have been supplied with the LP as well, to offer a cleansed storage method.

I've also seen very recently the author of the Link, uses a Cleaning Brush from Amazon that has a 0.05mm Fibre as the Brush Bristle.

I will utilise similar in future in place of the Baby Scalp Clean Brushes already being used.

I also have a Gardeners Pressure Bottle for the rinse process, the bottle allows for a Jet Rinse with a misting setting on the adjustable nozzle.  

https://thevinylpress.com/app/uploads/2024/03/PACVR_3rd-Ed-Ch1_2024-03.pdf

I’ve really simplified my method over the years. I currently use a 40khz, stainless steel tank. Distilled water with 8 drops tergikleen per gallon. After cleaning, take lp to my sink and rinse well with distilled water, let it dry on my Vinyl Stack spinner. Works for me.

I second rhg3's recommendation!  Reading Neil Antin's Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition - The Vinyl Press is not an easy read but well worth the time!

I have not included alcohol, thus far, in any of my record cleaning solutions.  However, using the correct amount or proportion of the right type of alcohol in a proper record cleaning solution, using the proper cleaning technique, is not, I believe, harmful to PVC records.  Based upon my understanding of what I've read and researched on the topic, thus far, I also believe that a little alcohol might, indeed, be necessary to clean extremely soiled records.  Many pre-made solutions include some amount of alcohol and surfactant.

Last I read a piece written by The Audiophile Man, Paul Rigby, I believe he is using the Degritter US machine now.  My understanding is that the HumminGuru is nice but limited by its power (i.e.  wattage and cleaning frequency).  Regardless, I am currently using a similar over-the-counter US machine in my cleaning regimen incorporating the use of a Disco Anti-Stat and have done an A/B cleaning comparison with the original Degritter.  The audio quality results rendered on the 3 or 4 albums that I used were, effectively, the same.  Despite this, I am still considering the purchase of the newest Degritter machine because it is so much more convenient (i.e.  considerably less labor intensive) than my current lash-up regimen.  Maybe it'll be a Christmas present to myself this year.   

As @noromance asked, how dirty are your records?

If you’re in this for the long haul with vinyl playback, I’d strongly recommend investing in an ultrasonic record cleaning machine. Everything else—manual cleaning, vac-based systems, multi-step processes works, but it’s labor-intensive and eventually feels like a chore. Ultrasonic cleaning saves a ton of time, gives far more consistent results, and makes the whole record-care routine something you barely have to think about.

It’s one of the best long-term quality-of-life upgrades you can make for a vinyl collection. I picked one (Degritter) up earlier this year, and I honestly can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. The convenience and consistency are on a completely different level.