How do you clean your LP's?
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Tech Talk
Forum Description: Discuss musical instruments, equipment, hi-fi, speakers, vinyl, gadgets,etc.
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27001
Printed Date: January 27 2025 at 04:58
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Topic: How do you clean your LP's?
Posted By: mystic fred
Subject: How do you clean your LP's?
Date Posted: August 06 2006 at 07:27
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To the Vinyl Junkies among us, LP's produce brilliant sound quality in most cases but how do you clean them?
When playing albums i use a "microfine" dusting brush, in the old days they recommended a barely damp soft cloth, or "Emitex" cleaning cloth. One album, "Beggar's Banquet", i took to an all-nite party the day i bought it, and in the morning i found it on the floor covered in beer!! A wash under the tap did the trick and i still play the same copy to this day.
There have been many cleaning systems and solutions over the years, the strangest was in the 70's, a thick glue-like substance which you smeared all over the LP and placed in a rack to dry. When dry you could peel it off like a skin, taking dust and tiny specks of grit with it. Later on there was a sticky roller-cleaner which was supposed to remove dust and dirt, but you had to keep washing it.
For years i used "Isopropyl Alcholhol" (applied with a soft cloth) which i was able to buy by the litre from the local chemist, unfortunately these days chemists won't sell it to me anymore and it seems to be only available over the internet by the ml. or the gallon, so i've had to look at other methods.
I still buy second-hand LP's on a regular basis and you usually find they are dusty, dirty and covered in greasy finger marks. In a shop you can check these but buying over the internet is risky. The worst horror story i had recently was a Supertramp live dble. album i bought advertised as "mint" looked like it had been stored in a shed, and the LP's were covered in dusty green mould!! I got a refund but the seller refused to refund my return postage!
Many records issued during the 70's came in cardboard inner sleeves and dust and grit usually acted as an abrasive on the record surface! I never did find a mint copy of "Houses of the Holy" ( my original copy through many many repeated plays had become "noisy"), those quiet passages during "No Quarter" sounded awful, i ended up getting a new 180gram copy. Surface noise does not have to be mandatory when listening to LP's, i have many which have no surface noise at all!
The "Last" system i tried some time ago works fairly well but doesn't lift all the dirt from the grooves, it comes with a bottle of fluid and a plastic "brush" applied in a circular motion.
 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Knosti-Disco-Antistat-Record-Cleaning-Machine_W0QQitemZ250014883738QQihZ015QQcategoryZ48648QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting -
The system i use for cleaning at the moment involves two solutions, i bought a "Knosti Anti-stat" washing system ( basically a cheap version of the "Moth" cleaning machine, the Rolls-Royce of cleaning systems), which has a narrow bath to place the record in, mounted on a special "hub" which when rotated washes the record between two brushes. The special "Antistat Fluid" solution is £20 a litre including postage, it is highly concentrated and leaves a slightly sticky residue which makes the record stick to polythene inner sleeves. I tried reducing the consistency of the fluid with rainwater but to no avail. A further wash with "am record cleaner" available on ebay did the trick, it seems to be completely alchohol based and leaves no residue, though not completely effective on its own with the supplied cloth as it can't remove dirt from the bottom of the grooves. The antistatic properties of most cleaners are useful as it prevents dust being attracted by a static field evident on new records.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Knosti-Disco-Antistat-Record-Cleaning-Machine_W0QQitemZ250014883738QQihZ015QQcategoryZ48648QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting">
 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Knosti-Disco-Antistat-Record-Cleaning-Fluid_W0QQitemZ250014574045QQihZ015QQcategoryZ48648QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting"> So there you go, anyone got any magic cleaning solutions, systems or tips??
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Replies:
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: August 06 2006 at 07:34
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I use bleach or some kind of abrasive kitchen cleaner on my ELP LPs.
For the really stubborn stains I use a blow torch.. 
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Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: August 06 2006 at 07:35
I have no LPs ... no cleaning required whatsoever. But I hear that some audiophile even clean their CDs with some magical sound-improving lotions ... 
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Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: August 06 2006 at 07:37
..thank you for your valued scientific input, Tony !
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Tony R wrote:Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: August 06 2006 at 14:55
| I've been wondering this myself. So far I haven't really cleaned my LPs at all. I do use a carbon fiber brush every time I put the record on, though. I've heard that the Knosti Disco Antistat record cleaning machine works well if you use isopropanol and water instead of the original fluid, but I haven't bothered buying one. |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: August 06 2006 at 15:02
Nice topic, deserves a serious answer  :
I use a double soft brush cleaner (Praalder B.V., famous Dutch hi-fi store) since many, many years and I am very careful with my LP's, I often got compliments that my LP's are so clean. Well, I have revealed my secrets
 ... it's that simple! |
Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: August 07 2006 at 02:59
| I wash them gently with warm (not too hot) water, and wipe them clean carefully with a cloth. |
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: August 07 2006 at 15:35
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MAIN TIPS FOR KEEPING AND CLEANING VYNILS First, a tool to use each time you play your record, is the felt brush, like the one pictured below. It's much better than the cloth cause it doesn't loose it hairs. This kind of brush removes both dust and static electricity. There's no specific brand, but the one provided with the "Metanac" (see further, and picture below) is good. TO CLEAN THE VYNILS: There are many products. The "Metanac" is a good and efficient product that you simply apply directly on the record with the felt brush. Another way is to do his own cleaning liquid, proceeding as follow: -1/3 90°c alcohol -2/3 distilled water -A few drops of neutral soap (without detergent, very important). You have to wash your records with that liquid, using a soft matter to softly rub, or throwing the liquid on the vynil using a kind of water gun. Then there's the drying issue, which is to find a way to remove water without adding hairs by rubbing with a cloth. Then, for the cartridge keeping, there are two things: -Cartridge demagnetizer (any brand, make a search on the net). You have to do it from times to times. -Cartidge stylus cleaner liquid (any brand, make a search on the net). You have to do it from times to times. Here are the main products to start, considering that there are many products, solutions for it. There are even sophisticated and expensive record cleaner machines. Metanac record cleaning product with its felt brush: 
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Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: August 07 2006 at 17:04
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My local hi fi store highly recommended this stylus
cleaning formula........
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Audio-Technica-AT-607-stylus-cleaner-10ml_W0QQitemZ5861881354QQihZ008QQcategoryZ48648QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting">
 audio technica AT607
"Cartridge demagnetizer (any brand, make a search on the net). You have to do it from times to times. "
i'll look out for this, Oliver!
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: August 07 2006 at 22:49
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...when i was a kid with tons of vinyl albums (early 70's), i used to use dishwashing detergent first to get all the finger marks off, then i carefully sprayed anti-static stuff on 'em. the anti-static spray "removed" much of the "clicks" and "pops"... . |
Posted By: Meddler
Date Posted: August 07 2006 at 22:59
Hand soap and water. 
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: August 08 2006 at 10:53
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read in another forum:
Put a Nitty Gritty or VPI machine on your Christmas list (it'll make as much difference as new speakers. Best LP component you could have after a turntable. Or before.). They can make a world of difference.
Until then, use a soft, clean cotton cloth and gently clean the album under tap water, drying it completely w/ a second soft, dry, cotton cloth. There's debate that dishsoap pulls something out of the vinyl, but there are vinyl soaps out there. Check http://www.needledoctor.com/ - www.needledoctor.com - they've got lots of stuff.
AND
I got back into vinyl about a year ago. I tried several cleaners (commercial solutions/systems and home remedies), all to no avail. The pops and clicks were terrible. A friend then introduced me to his new Nitty Gritty cleaning machine, and offered to clean one of my LPs for me. I took over a copy of PFM's Photos of Ghosts that was simply unlistenable. He cleaned it once, and it made a HUGE difference. After 3 cleanings on the NG machine, the LP is virtually silent - truly remarkable. I can't recommend the NG enough. I have since bought my own.
Yes, it's a bit pricey (you can get the manual one for about $250), but at least for me, it has been well worth it - perhaps the very best $250 I have spent on my entire stereo and LP collection. I now buy used LPs now with reckless abandon, not having to worry at all about whether they will be noisy. While the NG won't cure a scratch, it will make your old gunky LPs deliciously silent. It was a joy to throw out all of those cleaners that I had previously purchased. If only I had invested in the NG first, I would have saved myself about $125 in useless cleaners. Any comments from this Nitty Gritty???????????
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Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: August 08 2006 at 11:00
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Not tried myself, but heard good things about it. Yes, there are cleaning machines which work. "Best LP component you could have after a turntable" Yes, and after a better cartridge, possibly a moving coil, which also makes a world of difference! 
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Posted By: Eetu Pellonpaa
Date Posted: August 09 2006 at 02:27
We once "cleaned" an LP with my friend by listening it through a grammophone. You can hear the music with it, but it's the last time... 
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Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: August 09 2006 at 09:12
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the nitty gritty looks great but they're expensive..£445.
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Posted By: tdreamer
Date Posted: August 15 2006 at 15:36
| I usually just use tapwater and a clean dishcloth. |