Record Cleaner

Thanks to RRL and Paul Frumkin for sending samples of there products. I look forward to using them, drawing my own conclusions and enjoying the music even more which is what it's all about.

Just a quick question about enzyme cleaners - I have no hidden motives here as I have yet to clean a record in my life so I'm trying to find out what method is good and cost effective - but I thought I had read somewhere (maybe on Vinyl Asylum??) that some people seem to think that the enzyme cleaner can "eat" the vinyl. Is this just BS from someone with an agenda - you know, my method is the best and only record cleaning method to use - or is there some factual basis for this?

It's BS. I can understand your concern, but if there's any truth in it I've destroyed a hell of a lot of vinyl. And I seriously doubt that.

It's B.S. Enzymes cannot "eat" vinyl. The person who said that on AA also said that enzymes were living things, which they are not. They are proteins composed of amino acids, and they are harmless to elements in the environment.

Enzymes are used in oral care products, baking, fruit juices, yogurt, cheese, and in distilled beverages. Enzymes are also biodegradable. The 4 most common enzymes are (1) proteases, which break down protein; (2) lipases, which break down fats; (3) cellulases, which break down cellulose; and (4) amylases, which break down starches.

Vinyl is none of these things, but many of the things which contaminate vinyl are these things -- most notably, proteins and fats. Hence, the enzymes act on the contaminates; they do not alter the vinyl itself.

Best regards,
Paul Frumkin

Thanks for clearing this up - guess I didn't read the "anti-enzyme" thread very well - even I know that enzymes aren't living things! Guess I was thinking of oil-eating bacteria or something. :-D