Spin Clean issues/mistakes....need advice!

So I've been using a spin clean for a while now and lately I've noticed that many of my (new) albums have a lot of surface noise/crackles/pops that weren't there before they were "cleaned". Playing the album a few times seems to reduce the noise somewhat. I've basically been using the unit as directed and not rinsing off the vinyl after cleaning: spinning them 5-6 times each way, wiping off (gently) until they look dry using the included cloth and then letting them dry in a rack for about 10-15 minutes, then putting them in Diskeeper 2.0 sleeves.
I also realize that I havn't used distilled water every time, the last batch I did was with "purified" water. I also havn't been washing the cloth in between cleaning sessions and just used tap water to clean the unit and brushes.

Someone please tell me I havn't damaged most of my collection! I've been reading through some of the threads here on the subject and I see the mistakes I've obviously made. So, at this point, what can I do? Clean them again and then rinse with distilled water? Should I let them air dry with a fan? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

I use Spin Clean - generally my ritual is the same as yours - spin them the directed amount, use their cleaning fluid, wipe them with a dry cloth etc. And I do use distilled water as that's free of any impurities. Generally no issues, vinyl sounds fine to my ears and in the few times I've done a before/after it's at least the same, sometimes better. Granted, before/afters I usually do with used vinyl, not new vinyl. New vinyl I won't necessarily listen to prior to a cleaning.

Cleaning the brushes I rarely do - dry wipe off within a week of use in the unit. Same for the unit itself, mainly out of laziness so usually I'll clean only when it starts looking nasty at the bottom. And cloths I'll let air dry and then after a few uses I'll clean them with my whites in the washer / dryer.

Outside of the suggestion of re-doing with distilled water for peace of mind, is it dry in your area? Where I am I will sometimes get static post-cleaning, in the wintertime. Will generally show up on playback but I usual do a quick dry brush wipe and that usually clears up any static discharge for me.

 

Yeah, it is dry here, I thought maybe static might be an issue also. I am using an Audio Technica brush with some d4 fluid before playing (not sure if the brush is anti-static). Still getting a lot of surface noise, though. New records that havn't been cleaned sound much better. Maybe I also need a better anti-static brush or a cork mat?

 

Usually static has a specific sound, maybe replay a few times and if the surface noise is always the same place might not be that. But right now where I am it's an annoyance. "That time of the year".

I have a D4 clone that I don't even use wet...just a dry once over. If not static and it's definitely worse post-cleaning obviously would recommend not using the Spin Clean again until you can figure it out. Maybe take one of the LP's that you know for a fact was better prior, so a quick recording of a small selection and then maybe that distilled water re-run and then replay / see if any difference between that before / after.

 

Are you using too much of the fluid?

I’ve been using a Spin Clean for a few years ago, with almost no issues. However, I did have one album that developed steady crackling after a cleaning, whereas it had been totally silent before. I never figured out what happened. After a few spins the surface noise went away. I figured I either used too much fluid somehow, or one of my cloths shed into the grooves.

 

No, using one capful per batch, cleaning about 40-50 records per batch. Reading through some older threads, some have suggested that not rinsing with distilled water, or not drying correctly can leave residue on the vinyl surface.

 

There’s unlikely to be any damage to your collection. Using as directed means distilled water rather than tap water. Tap water typically contains lots of minerals and calcium and leaves minute deposits on an LP.

Always lay a SpinClean drying cloth out on a flat countertop when drying. Lay the damp LP on the cloth, wipe the LP dry with a second cloth, flip it and dry the other side. Rack for a few minutes to air dry as well. Never hold an LP on edge against anything and dry each side because that will absolutely generate static for the same reason that many plastics being rubbed in free air develop static.

A single SpinClean cloth can generally be used to dry three or four LPs before it has to be hung up to air dry (or tossed in a clothes dryer for a few minutes). Don’t clean more than ten LPs with a single cloth without washing it with other whites in warm or cold water. When washing SpinClean cloths don’t use bleach, softener or antistatic sheets because those things leave deposits that can be transferred from the fresh cloths to LPs.

Don’t use any more than the recommended number of capfuls of SpinClean cleaner fluid. Adding more than the recommended amount usually results in some of the compound being left in trace amounts on the LP. Using too little usually means that cleaning effectiveness and particle capture is reduced.

When LPs feel as though they’re easily rotating between the brushes that usually means that the brushes are no longer making ideal contact (they’ve worn down from use). That’s when they need to be replaced. IIRC, I replaced brushes every sixty albums or so, maybe more.

 

Btw, I don't put them back into sleeves immediately. I rack them also, post drying - use an old dish rack for that.

Those cleaned LP's become my "up on deck" selection. Internal mind games I play with myself so I actually play my new LP's instead of putting them on a shelf for a year.

 

I sometimes think we psychologically notice more noise after cleaning a record, even though the overall noise has been reduced, because we tend to listen more intently after a cleaning.

 

Thanks, that's a relief, I was worried that i'd done some damage. I have used "purified" water a few times, not sure if that would leave any deposits or not.

I've been holding the LP with one finger on the label and one on the edge while I dry. I guess I've been generating static, thanks for the tip!

I havn't washed the cloth since I started! I just let it air dry after about 10-12 albums. I will start washing it between cleanings.

I have yet to replace brushes, have cleaned about 200-250 LP's so far.

 

I'm thinking the same thing - if there are deposits from regular water, should be able to clean them again to get rid of it.

I haven't replaced mine yet and they still seem to grip (so far). I'm at least 200 LP's in easy, probably more.

I do avoid letting the brushes sit in the unit for too long....after a week I clean it out and dry them out. I had read sitting in the water too long will reduce their lifespan.

 

It must now be very easy to rotate LPs in the bath. The brushes likely haven’t actually been doing much scrubbing of grooves at all for some time. I think you’ve got lots of LPs to re-clean!

 

I think it’s possible that, like most SpinClean users, you’ve forgotten how snugly the brushes grip when new and for the first fifty or sixty LPs. If you’re doing between four and six spins in each direction for each LP, your brush were worn to point of significantly reduced (or almost no) function quite a few LPs ago. Sorry.

I think it’s actually best to follow the SpinClean instructions and remove the brushes after every cleaning session. Rinse them using freshly washed hands working in some fresh distilled water. Then place the brushes in a dish rack in a way the allows the pad to dry without touching or leaning on anything. Leaving the brushes in the wash water for days and days ruins their effectiveness and dramatically shortens their life.

A well-maintained SpinClean used as I’ve described in this thread can be almost as effective as the superb VPI 16.5, and can give some ultrasonic cleaners a bit of a challenge too. When someone is set up with some clear, flat counter space, a clean drying rack, plenty of distilled water, and plenty of the SpinClean cotton muslin drying cloths, using the system exactly as directed can consistently and reliably produce sparkling clean results.

In my experience, a well maintained SpinClean system is as good and as effective (and takes far less time per LP) than the Kirmuss system. I still use either an Okki Nokki or a SpinClean to clean recently acquired used LPs before a final pass in my Saidi Audio ultrasonic (an Audio System Desk clone). Superb results with the SpinClean alone are possible.

Change brushes every fifty to sixty LPs. Any more LPs than that is a false economy because cleaning effectiveness drops dramatically. Never store brushes in the bath. Sorry to say.

 

It's still snug. Half the time one of the brushes comes up when I pull out the LP, that's how tight it still is.

Sorry.

Fair enough - but my session is about a week at a stretch, then they get cleaned and dried / out of the unit. Again, so far so good here.

 

I used one for years. I ditched the SC rags for microfiber towels. I've read posts that users switched from the SC solution which is a mistake because it has a flocculating agent in it, a must for a bath cleaning system.

 

My brushes still seem snug too, and yeah, sometimes one brush will come up when I remove the LP, especially with 180g LP's.

 

Yep 180g LP's it's almost a given. But even standard LP's it's pretty frequent. Maybe I have a magic cleaning area.

To @Agitater 's point though, I'll probably should start thinking about replacement brushes. Not necessarily because I need them today but because they are so damn expensive - I mean seriously, $24 for replacements, might as well wait for the next Black Friday sale and just buy another SpinClean then.

Replacing them after 60 LP's btw? Ouch.

 

This forum is obsessed with cleaning.

I never wash any new records I buy and they all play dead quiet. So it's kind of funny to read how cleaning is introducing problems for you tbqh. Not funny for you I realize. But a waste of money and effort imo.

 

I don't use a Spin clean but distilled water works substantially better than purified water, IMHO.

I had read somewhere that Michael Fremer (sp?) indicated he was using Aquafina instead of distilled and it was fine. I gave it a shot and my records all got noisier.

I had been mixing water with 91% iso alcohol for use with my Audio Technica and Discwasher pads. I finally just stopped using water and use straight 91% iso alcohol. I know many here will be aghast at using straight iso alcohol but my records are so quiet, and they dry super-fast.

 

I’ve cleaned hundreds of records with a Spin Clean without any problems.

Follow the directions, use distilled water, change the water after about a dozen records if they are really dirty and wash the drying cloths from time to time..

The Spin Clean reduces static on LPs. Clean records will make your cartridge last longer.

 

Mine have done 300 lps or so and are still snug and very effective - thanks all the same. Its all in the maintenance. They are still popping out with the LP.

 

Why would you even bother with this? A gallon of generic distilled water at a buck per gallon has got to be more cost-efficient than PepsiCo’s purified municipal water. There’s no way you can hear the Pepsi Challenge difference!

 

The Fringe's Spin Clean Do's and Dont's:

Do's
1) The drying towel should be laundered first, and even then better to air dry the records. The drying cloth is a source of lint and particle shed, and contamination.
2) Inspect the cleaning pads so that they are just touching. There should be no space between them.
3) Use distilled water and three capfuls of the spin clean solution works best.
4) Change the solution often enough to keep cross-contamination to a minimum. This will vary according to the former cleanliness of the records.

Dont's
1) Don't spin like a "wild man". It's much better to advance slowly to allow the cleaning pads to "track" the groove. Rapid movement just forces the cleaning bristles to "skip over" the dales which these areas are most prone to having embedded particles.
2) Don't use homemade brew. Yes, we have our own concept on what cleans best... one exception would be a previously owned very soiled record, such as tobacco tar. In such case we do need help from a grease cutting surfactant, such as Ajax dish soap.... avoid citrus additives which are acidic.
3) Don't attempt to use a hair dryer nor a fan to reduce drying time. The hair dryer heating element sheds metal micro-particles, which we would never want that in the record groove.

Other suggestions:
1) I use warmed solution to reduce drying time.
2) A second spin clean for rinse may produce better results.
3) Avoid other potential contamination sources. One of them is the carbon fiber brush.
4) Place cleaned record in a new audiophile sleeve.
5) Ditch the previous cleaning regimen, such as the carbon brush (as said in previous point) A clean record can be played right out of its sleeve. Enjoy the music, place back in sleeve. If any loose dust falls on the record during play, it will not be adhered. Loose dust can be blown off with a can of compressed air.
6) Have I overlooked anything?

About the anti-static carbon fiber brush, ritual is tough to break. At first, it just didn't feel right to me to skip the usual cleaning ritual. People are creatures of habit.. we all are. It's human nature to feel you're doing everything you can to care for your records. I felt a bit disconcerted about just playing the record. Well, there is such a thing as over-caring for a record. Doing too much invites cross-contamination, and also subjects the groove to potential scoring from the brush bristles. A brush is not a stylus, and over repeated use can damage the record. Secondly, a wet cleaned record will be static-free, and remains static-free when removed from an anti-static sleeve. The anti-static carbon brush does not remove static. This is a myth. It just doesn't add any. The carbon brush would need to be grounded to remove static. So, a cleaned record needs no cleaning ritual, no pre-play festivity. Just play it!

 

I clean all new records on my Okki Nokki RCM. After cleaning new records I empty the contents of the vacuum collection tank into a white bowl and I'm always amazed at junk in that bowl, new records might look clean but there's gunk in those grooves, I guess technically one long groove. I guess the main thing is though that your new records are playing quite. I've never had any issues with with the Okki Nokki in the ten years that I've been using it.

 

Interesting post, and I agree! If a new record plays noise free, don't clean it. There is always risk in wet cleaning any record that plays almost perfectly. The toughest to clean are the quiet passages. Personally I have a large collection of previously owned LP's/ 45's from VG+ to NM. I've been lucky to find clean, used records (some from a local Rhino records store back in the 90's.. they used a VPI) however, not many played noise free. So enter the record cleaning machine which IMO should be used only on a record that needs cleaning. I've found some pretty grimy records from yard sales, etc, mostly 7 inch 45's. Some records otherwise unworn, (or minimal play indication) were just filthy. These clean up "miraculously".

When wet cleaned properly, the record should not produce any background noise. One can always tell when something went wrong, the record can produce what I call, "low level background crackle", which I believe to be micro-particles dissolved in solution, but not completely removed from the groove. I have found this condition incurable, as it seems the stylus embeds micro particles into the groove wall.... speculation... Further cleaning does not get rid of it. But there must be a cause, and this seems plausible. I would rather deal with a few ticks per side vs that awful constant "low level crackle"... mostly audible during quiet passages. This drives me insane... although nearly inaudible I consider the record ruined and unlistenable!

I can not comment on the current pressings, because I don't own any. My new purchases from the 70's up to the mid-90's always played noise free... I can not remember a noisy one... (exception are the budget records on lousy vinyl) Back then I didn't have a record cleaning machine, and those records have not been wet cleaned. After 30 + years, most of them will produce a few ticks here and there. Any loose dust, if still in the paper sleeve just blows off with a few short bursts of compressed air. Some I had to wet clean, but not many.

I feel that some hifi enthusiasts/ collectors do obsess. One tick, and the record goes to the RCM. (a mistake) I also feel there is such a thing as over-caring for a record. Sometimes the more we do the worse it gets. Less can be more!