Hi Eddie: I've used ultrapure water for rinsing essentially since I started to wet clean about 10-12 years ago. My wife used to be a research tech at the local university and would simply bring it home from the lab; she no longer works there but still has friends in the department and I simply go in and load up every few years at no charge. Unfortunately I cannot do that for friends/other hi fi buffs. Sadly, the price charged by the RCM fluid manufacturers for ultrapure is off the charts and, as you say, it, or even Type 1 Reagent Grade is very hard to source in Canada from scientific supply houses. I really like the ultrapure; not sure what I would do if I couldn't source it. I'd try a high quality distilled product or perhaps try and source Type 1 Reagent but I know it would not be easy. I see you're in TO. I would try and call as many Medical/Scientific Supply houses as you can and see if you can source and actually pick something up locally as opposed to having it shipped. If you find something, let me know as I have a few friends in the GTA that would be interested in a source as well.
@blakep, well said. I think one-step cleaners are popular because they are easy to use and that is all. They make sense for record dealers and people that want to clean a lot of records fast. Of course if I dealer cleans a record I am going to have to clean it again anyway, so it's not a factor in who I buy from at all. In fact, I'd rather dealers just leave stuff alone since so many of them do the "spray and wipe" and just grind dirt deeper into the grooves which means more work for me when I have to clean the record myself.
Absolutely! I've stated a number of times that I would much prefer to buy records that have never been cleaned before, either by dealers or private sellers. That way I know exactly what I am dealing with, as opposed to buying a record which has had "the srpay and wipe" as you describe, or even worse, an improper wet cleaning which has literally just cemented everything into the record/grooves making it either very difficult or sometimes impossible to clean properly! I tend to avoid one dealer locally for the most part because he does the spray and wipe with isopropyl. The records look great but are at a strong disadvantage from the get go and most of the time I am going to have to work harder to get a record like that clean than one that has literally never been touched in terms of cleaning. Records that look too good to be true often are.
Just got mine. Had a copy of Seventh Sojourn that had a lot of clicks and pops which the Spin Clean did nothing for. Ran it through my new Squeaky Clean and... voila! Perfect sounding record. Fantastic little unit. I also run it through my Spin Clean with distilled water only to get the residue all off.
TM-8 for me. One step and doesn’t leave residues that need rinsing. On very noisy records that were cleaned over and over for years with a 20% alcohol based solution the TM-8 Super has rendered them far quieter and brought details and separation between instruments I’d never imagined possible. Expensive but worth it IMo.
They are indeed. Good catch! I'm in London, Ontario, which is where the Sparton plant was located so it's not unusual to find a few of the original Spartons still hanging around here. Pressed from original US plates (Van Gelder in the deadwax etc) so although they're Canadian and do not have the value in terms of being highly collectable, they sound beautiful.
Off-topic, but I have exactly one Sparton LP, a Canadian issue of the Standells' "The Hot Ones," and it's almost certainly equal to the US version on Tower/Capitol. I love record shopping north of the border and seeing all of the unique label and cover variations!
Still using the Squeaky Clean and AIVS "Down with Dirty" fluid. I've made two different strengths of fluid for different tasks, extra strong for used finds & regular for "every day" use. Osage Audio Products, LLC Longer soaks do work better than short. I wouldn't mind having a quieter shop vac, but that's my only complaint.
Got one yesterday and cleaned a couple records. Very impressed. Nicely made and with my shop vac sucks all the moisture of in two rotations. For $125 it's well worth it.
I just got my Squeaky Clean a week ago. I am so impressed, especially for the relatively cheap investment. Highly recommend...I do two revolutions clock wise, then one counterclockwise and voila...a clean record...
Received the Squeaky Clean and so far so good except for one issue. I keep getting tiny spots from the mat underneath. I always use one side of the mat as the “dirty” side and flip is so the other is the clean side. Am I doing something wrong? edit to add that the mat always seems to stick to the record. Always a “tearing” sound when i lift the lp off.
This was more than static - the mat was kind of oily too. The guy that makes the squeaky clean sent me a replacement mat made of a completely different material and it has worked great.
I've been using the Squeaky Clean for a year or two. Cleaned hundreds of records and have been impressed with the simplicity and effectiveness of the 3D printed bits. I have zero issue with manually turning the record to clean it (I see a motorized unit as something that will eventually fail). However, the mat that came with mine lives a visible "print" on the records that disappears once they're fully dry (I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow). The records never cling to the mat, there's just an all too familiar checkered pattern on my "clean" records. The more I use this unit the less I appreciate seeing that print and the reality that I'm flipping a freshly cleaned side onto a "dirty" mat isn't really pleasing. I'm buying mostly new records so with the exception of cleaning my dad's small collection, the LP's are not nasty bin finds. I've only ever used the Ilfotol wetting agent that was originally included and the recommended recipe for a cleaning solution and always do a distilled water rinse. I'm considering buying a different RCM (<$1k) but I think that'd I also still be satisfied with the Squeaky Clean if I could find a mat material of like thickness, one that isn't porous or textured, to replace the "quilted" foam that came with my Squeaky Clean. Today I tried removing the offending mat and cleaning w/o it but w/o that layer of foam the record doesn't mate to the suction wand very well. Another factor in my discomfort is that I also discovered that there was what appeared to be a semi-permanent mat print on the dummy record that came glued to the lazy susan (even though I always disassemble everything after every cleaning and let things dry) making me feel like this mat is literally leaving it's imprint on my records (even though they look and sound better after a washing). I first unsuccessfully attempted to clean the transfer off of the dummy record with 99% isopropyl and then resorted to 400 grit sandpaper. Has anyone with a Squeaky Clean wound up replacing the original mat? Any suggestions for mat material? Have any of you moved on from the Squeaky Clean to some other RCM? What'd you get and how do you like it? Have you never used the Squeaky Clean but love your own RCM? What is it?
I have used the Squeak Clean Mark 3 for over five years at this point and have cleaned 800+ new and used records with it. Mine has two wands, one for cleaning and one for rinse cycles. I did have to replace the material on the wand openings once as that wears out over time - same as any RCM. I also stopped using the brushes that came with my machine awhile ago and use a set of two different Nitty Gritty brushes now. I used to clean all my new records religiously but stopped doing that as I cut back impulse purchases. Most of the new records I buy these days come in premium lined inners and do not have visual indicators of being filthy, like paper sleeve dust or vinyl shavings you see on records from lower-end plants. I also don't believe in old wives' tales like "mold release agent". I do buy a lot of used records (from record shops, not thrifts) so the RCM is pretty important to me. I don't like homebrew cleaning fluids and use AI #15 instead. In the 5 years I have had this machine, I have never had the mat leave an imprint on a record. Mine still has the original mat. I do clean it by spraying it very lightly with distilled water and then vacuuming. It's possible you got a bad mat or something. You could easily swap it out with something else if you measure the thickness of the mat and get something close to the same thickness. A double side soft DJ mat may work. Or perhaps you could find suitable material from a craft store. I would talk to the manufacturer if you are unsure and have concerns. They may be able to send you a replacement mat. As for RCM recommendations, depends what your priorities are. Can you go look at some models? I was unimpressed with the construction of some of them. I think if I were going to buy another RCM, I'd probably consider an ultrasonic machine, though they can get expensive quickly depending on what you buy. There is a new model that has been getting a lot of attention but it's still new so kind of unproven at this point.
I had the exact same issue. That checkered pattern was driving me insane, especially when i’d see it on fancy mofi/ap records. The squeaky clean guy sent me a new mat made of different material. Havent had an issue since.
Thank you, patient_ot. Using an old slip mat as an alternative is a good suggestion. I know I have a few to choose from. I'm not very interested in most of the RCM's I've researched. Record Doctor, Project, Okki Nokki- they all seem to have a variety of issues, whether mechanically or wrt availability. I might give the Vinyl Bug a try if I don't resolve the mat issue. Which, truth be told, shouldn't be that challenging. Thank you, Batman21. I'll reach out to Squeaky Clean with my concern and see if they have an alternative mat. I'd like to have a second wand too.
Hope you get the issue resolved. Like I said, I've had no issues with my machine. It did have a bit of a learning curve initially. There is no way I'd buy any of the machines you listed at current prices. I'd just get an ultrasonic instead.
for other folks that come along looking for general info on the squeaky clean... I bought the squeaky clean while waiting for folks to get their humminguru and to see how that worked out. The ultrasonics like the degritter look awesome but I'm not in the market for a $1k+ record cleaning solution at this point. figured id either get the humminguru or the record doc as a replacement but the squeaky clean has been great. planning to stick with it for a while. there is definitely a learning curve to get your technique down but once you do its great. Ive only used the london jazz club homebrew recipe but once i run out im going to give one from AI a shot.
I have had this RCM for around 5 years and it works great. I don't leave the cleaning fluid on longer than the time it takes to use their supplied applicator to get the fluid into the record going one way with the hockey puck (so Canadian!) and the other. I take around a minute to two minutes to do this and then vacuum it up. Then I apply the distilled water and use a really good 4 inch paint brush to apply the water. This is the solution I have always used and it works great. Now, disclaimer, some records are so worn out, you can't do anything with them. But, 95% of the time, I see and hear an improvement. My solution:
Agreed. I don't think the much more expensive vacuum-based RCM's will do anything better and look like they'll actually be more frustrating. The suction on the underside of the Record Dr. wand repels me and I don't want or need automation. Just functional reliability. Enclosed tanks and motors are also detractors in my book. I like the idea of an ultrasonic cleaner but don't want to drop $3k on a Degritter or Humminguru. Especially since it seems like ultrasonic works best when paired with a good washing first. Do you know of any ultrasonic machines <$1k that are getting consistently positive feedback?
The Humminguru is more like $400-500 IIRC. The downside is it's such a new product, we don't really know anything about long term reliability. Can't really help you with ultrasonic. Most machines use some type of industrial tank as a primary part which should be a proven product at this point. You are basically paying for the mechanical system that comes with the tank, along with any "special order" features that the brand paid for. See Kirmuss, Isonic, etc. I did look at getting one of these machines earlier this year. Ultimately I put it on the backburner because I ended up spending a substantial amount of money on record storage instead. I also don't have space for a large industrial machine. The Humminguru definitely gets points for its space-saving design. However, having not used the product myself I cannot recommend it.
Ahh yes. Those are $3k Hong Kong dollars. Converts to $380 USD. That seems too good to be true... Researching.
