OK, guys & gals. Count me as an A-1 convert to the synergistic combo of a handheld steamer, some record cleaning fluid, and those microfiber cleaning cloths with the deep nap with 90,000 fibers per square inch.
I had a Scunci steamer and an 8-oz. bottle of "Groove Solution" and a homemade record cleaning solution from a local chain of used record stores ($8.99 for an 8-oz. spray bottle). On recommendation of this thread I bought a 25-rag bundle of deep-pile microfiber cleaning cloths (16"16", 90,000 fibers per square inch) from Sam's Club.
This afternoon I took the noisiest used records in my collection--you know, the ones from eBay or from a used record store, you put it on the turntable to play, and go, "Aww, $#!+!," because they're too noisy to play.
I took 3 microfiber towels and the dirty records to the kitchen. I laid one towel on the kitchen counter to lay records on when steaming. I kept one towel for wet-wiping and another for drying and polishing.
My procedure was this:
1. Lay a record on a towel on the counter. (Note: You can place a small cup or bowl over the label to keep it from getting soaked.)
2. Spray it with record cleaning solution.
3. Run the steamer over the entire record, keeping the nozzle about 6" from the record surface.
4. Use one microfiber towel to wet-wipe the LP. Don't be afraid to press pretty hard to make sure you get the microfiber nap into the groove and dislodge the dirt.
5. Take another microfiber towel to wipe and polish the LP dry. In my experience, these microfiber towels impart a sheen to the record, much the way a brand new or barely played record looks when first pulled out of the sleeve.
6. Flip the record over and repeat steps 1-5.
7. Put the record upright in a dish rack to finish air-drying, though with the microfiber towel, it won't need much.
Here's how successful I was:
I have 4 LPs that were so noisy, I'd played parts of them once and put them away, never to play again. After cleaning them as described above, they are now completely playable with occasional crackles in the quiet sections.
I have 4 other LPs that were noisy enough that I only played them occasionally because I liked the music, the performance, or the recording so much I was willing to listen through the noise. In one case, I'd bought another rendition of the Brandenburg Concertos because I wanted a quieter copy to listen to. 2 LPs were a 40+ yr-old pressing of the Brandenburg Concertos. Another was a 45-yr-old RCA Living Stereo pressing of Julian Bream playing classical guitar, and another was a grimy 48-yr-old Everest pressing of a 35mm recording of Mozart woodwind sonatas, rescued from a thrift shop.
After cleaning the Brandenburg Concertos and the Julian Bream album became dead quiet and pristine, just like new. The Everest Mozart album became very quiet and extremely listenable with just the occasional crackle due to surface wear, but certainly not dirt.
Given the cost of a good record cleaning machine and even the cost of a set of deep-scrubbing Record Doctor brushes, I consider the hand steamer/microfiber method a gift. I feel like the cat who caught the canary. This is a very effective and reasonably quick and efficient way to deeply clean LPs!
