Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?


It has happened again. Major tweak and record provider has available a steam cleaner made especially for records. Anybody try steam for cleaning lp’s? What were your results? Since a unit can be had for about $20 at Target, 15% of what the tweak provider is charging, is it worth a try?.
tiger
Tvad: Shooting down other people's ideas is not my view of a good time. I detest that. My only hope was that (perhaps) I was saving someone from a "Armor-All" moment including yours truly. With years more steaming time , I felt an obligation to give the best advice possible. Experimentation -- Go For It ! Steaming to the best of my knowledge has only improved a person's listening experimence. AND, thats a good thing.
This looks a great way to clean vinyl the first time. Assuming we all take care of our vinyl, how often does the steam cleaning need to be done?
In my opinion, only once but that view has been challenged by a record fluid designer who believes the process should be repeated semi-annually. Changing the inner sleeve at the time of steam cleaning ,as well as, encasing the LP cover in a poly clear cover reduces potential contamination . Of course, the air quality/purity in the home does affect the outcome as well. In my case I 've made the decision to have my home intensely cleaned : "Environmental Purification"; carpet deep extraction cleaning & sanitzing, dry cleaned drapes, all duet work extracted of dust and a house electronic filter. Cost about $ 500 - $ 1,500. I'm sure many feel that "over-kill" but that's a personal choice.
Crem,

Thanks for the info. Since I won't be have to steam clean the albums often, I figure I'll give it a try.

I picked up a steamer at Walgreens (it rang up as $19.99 although it was marked $29.99). I will pick up some water at Pep Boys tomorrow.

Target has some microfiber "pucks" that were marked as 90,000 fibers per square inch. They look they will be perfect for lightly scrubbing the debris out of the grooves while steaming.

Darrell