Cleaning LP's

I think a very small percentage of the users on this site do this. There are many who are using turntables that don't come with dust covers at all, or don't come with the type that can easily swing down after you put a record on. And another large number on this site who have the dust covers that you're describing, but will take them off when spinning records as they say it adversely affects the sound.

 

I have been made aware of this. All I can go by is my own experience, which remains inconclusive.

I still stand by that turntable maker's suggestions as basic common sense. Audiophiles can sometimes be their own worst enemies - overthinking issues that have long since been settled, undoing good engineering practices in favor of perceived wisdom, making a practice that was designed to be simple and enjoyable into a convoluted OCD ritual.

Full disclosure: I own a Nitty Gritty RCM. I think they're great for what they're made for: cleaning records. But that doesn't automatically mean all records must be cleaned.

 

Yeah, I don't clean every single record either....even though I have a VPI sitting right next to my turntable. But for a turntable manufacturer to say, "don't worry about visible dust as the needle will just sweep it aside"....that doesn't sound like good common sense to me. Of course, some dust will be collected by the stylus as we've all seen. But surely, some will be ground deeper into the grooves, causing the stylus to wear faster. At least that sounds logical to me. I don't have any hard data to prove this. But this is what I've known to be common knowledge since I started playing records in the 60's. Get the dust off of them, one way or another. And try to keep it that way.
And, I will say that Rega is the only manufacturer I've ever seen with this philosophy. That being said, I owned a Rega RP6 for a number of years and really liked it a lot.

 

I don't clean new records.

I do clean used records if they look obviously dirty or sound bad. Any time I have cleaned a dirty record, it is night and day difference and for the better.

 

I think you should clean new records to remove the mold release agents and remember, record packaging plants are not operated in clean rooms or by white gloved employees. I have purchase brand new records with finger prints and smudges.

 

My needle has a hard time ignoring dirt when it runs right into it. I keep telling it to ignore the dirt, but it just won't listen. I've threatened it with more tracking force, but to no avail.

 

For my $$, Rega's advice is jibberish. It's almost as if they forget that whatever I put on my records, I vacuum the residue afterwards. I could pee on my records and vacuum them, there would be no difference. Then again, I own a Linn - what do I know about Regas?
DD

 

This

 

My first thought as well.

 

I clean all my records, new and second hand. They sound better after they have been cleaned.

Oh, and the story of how my brand new HiFi News Test disc gummed up my stylus the first time I used it (thus ruining the disc) ? Still true.

 

The only object to touch the disc on a regular basis should be the needle, Any form of cleaning should be kept to a minimum if that is possible.

 

And they are right! I never ever wet clean any records. I never brush them either - this has worked for the past 35 years for me so why change now? If a record is that dirty it needs wet cleaning, I'd chuck it in the trash or (far more likely) never entertain buying it to start with.

 

No, it's because it is the 'right' advice. Rega in the UK have consistently held this view and demonstrated this approach whenever they show / test their equipment to prospective purchasers. I agree with their advice and it has served me well to date.

 

None of my collection has ever / will ever be allowed anywhere near wet cleaning equipment. I have LP's purchased from new 35 years ago that have very little dust on them, whilst they have never been brushed or wiped over. All my LP's are stored in poly-lined sleeves and when played there is zero crackle or background noise that wasn't there from day one.

 

Big Stylus Likes This.

 

Still i ruined some cassettes by cleaning the magnetic tape and trying to remove the static with my zerostat gun.

 

One issue I run into that made me recently purchase a VPI RCM is that I find all manner of jacked up "cleaning" by used record sellers that has simply pushed all the grime deeper into the grooves via wiping them to make them look better. A brush won't get near enough out to mitigate the high level of noise.

I am up for suggestions on better ways to go about this, however, so please teach me something here.

 

Those that are deeper in the groove are not the visible ones, so Rega's advice is valid.

 

Hi. I, like you are recent newbie to vinyl. About 6 months. I had a turntable years ago and kept my 30 or so lp's. Now I'm back into it and eager to get the best sound from my vinyl. I use la art du son liquid mixed with lab grade distilled water and a velvet pad. This works well, but I now also use winyl gel glue. Apply and peel when dry. This works best on really dirty records. I now have around 140 Records. This hobby is addictive and expensive. Well worth it though. Enjoy.

 

It's a curious thing indeed. I have read all about the great washing procedure some folks almost religiously practice and the chemicals used but then the very same people play and sometimes even leave an LP on a turntable without a dust cover. When I bought my current deck, I was astonished to visit a dealer's shop and to discover that most decks today do not even come with a cover as standard (but usually at vastly over-priced additional cost) and that some even require an after-market manufacturer to provide them! It seems dust covers are passe these days. I insisted on a deck with cover as standard as especially where I live it is a very dusty place and even with cover down the deck surfaces get very dusty quickly. In no way does playing a record with cover down affect the sound. If you believe that you might also wish to try listening to your LP's standing on one leg with a clothes peg on your nose. Now that makes a difference!

 

Started cleaning on a VPI 16.5 in 1991 now only the last few years after experimenting with thrift store LPs I developed this method ...it only takes 8 mins per side then you are done! I use this method for ALL LPs now...the sound of the music is amazing coming from jet black backgrounds with no groove noise at all......remember to rinse and rinse again! Upgraded to the VPI Cyclone and just love it! My records have never sounded better and there is NO debris on my stylus even from the first play of a clean record. BTW I have been using the same stylus for 8 years still looks sounds new.
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Milty ZeroStat vinyl surface.
Wipe gently with record cloth over label/surface removing dust/debris.
Milty ZeroStat vinyl surface.
Blow compressed air (short burst) over vinyl surface once the record is on the platter removing the last bit of dust/debris.

Disc Doctor brush #1 few drops of VPI fluid with 91% isopropyl alcohol added with a couple of drops of Rona Window Cleaner
(alcohol based), 3 caps of white/clear vinegar. 75/25 distilled/alcohol mix
Gently scrub back/forth motion (per disc doctor instructions) around 5-6 times.
Leave Disc Doctor brush #1 on the surface and let the platter rotate close to label 3 times in both directions.

*Vacuum forward 2 times/reverse 2 ½ times*

Disc Doctor brush #2 few drops of Disc Doctor fluid.
Gently scrub back/forth motion (per disc doctor instructions) around 5-6 times. Remove foamed fluid with DD brush.
Leave Disc Doctor brush #2 on the surface and let the platter rotate 3 times in both directions.

*Vacuum forward 2 times/reverse 2 ½ times*

Add distilled water to a last applicator and apply to vinyl surface let rotate 3 times back/forth.

*Vacuum forward 2 times/reverse 2 ½ times*

Add distilled water to Cyclone brush, apply to vinyl surface let rotate 3 times back/forth.

*Vacuum forward 2 times/reverse 2 ½ times*

Last Record Preservative added, let rotate 3-5 times

Milty ZeroStat vinyl surface.

Remove cleaned LP
======================================

 

I've recently switched to the Audio Intelligent Fluids after soliciting advice on this forum.

Their brushes are used to spread the fluid over the LP, and not to scrub. The fluid soaks on the LP for about three minutes, and the vacuum sucks the fluid/dirt off the LP. No scrubbing dirt deeper into the grooves. Depending on which fluid you use, a rinse with distilled water may be needed but it doesn't have to soak like the cleaning fluid does.

This may take a little longer than scrubbing, but the results (for me) are superior to scrubbing.

Osage Audio Products, LLC

I've had used LP's that I thought were damaged clean up & play nicely after the AI fluid.

I've been using the AI #15 for very dirty LP's, and the AI "Down with Dirty" concentrate for maintenance cleaning. The AI "Down with Dirty" is very affordable compared to the other commercially available fluids out there.

 

Holy moly!@!!!!!

 

Their advice is good for the average person, as there are so many poor cleaning products and worse, bad advice from "experts" going around. Obviously, anyone that owns a good RCM and uses proper cleaning products knows that it can improve the sound of your records (including many new releases). I mean, the results are clear. But the average person has no idea what to do. It won't help the record or the Rega cartridge if someone uses soap and mineral-heavy tap water to "clean" records and then allows the residue to dry on the grooves. Or he/she searches "record cleaning" on the internet and ends up watching this guy.