Cleaning makes my records sound worse and skip!

I am probably overlooking something - in which case I apologize in advance - but what is your method to clean records with <10$ of supplies?

 

Yes I would

 

Unless this was a serious question in the first place use WD40!

 

There are many different and effective ways to clean vinyl. Search the forum as there are plenty of threads with great advice.

Some have elaborate rituals which include expensive RCM's and/or Ultrasonic Cleaning machines and use expensive lab grade water and cleaning fluids while others simply clean their vinyl in the sink with regular tap water, dish soap and air drying in a cheap dish rack.

I went middle of the road investment wise and use a Spin Clean for a preclean followed by a cleaning and vacuum with a manual Record Doctor RCM both of which require the user to provide the elbow grease to spin the vinyl. This has worked well for me as the vinyl comes out spotless and very quiet in the end.

Check out some of the other threads and maybe start out and experiment with the sink cleaning method on some Thift Store vinyl to see how that works for you.

There is no right answer for cleaning vinyl just what works for you in the end.

 

Two Words, Spin Clean.

 

At a minimum, get a Spin Clean-like device and water as pure as you can find.

If you're willing to take more time, Disc Doctor treatment is extremely effective. Best brushes for a deep scrub.

Add to any of the above a RCM, suction type (with Osage brushes) and/or ultrasonic for a very serious set up.

What you're doing now is likely nothing more than dislodging material in the groove and shoving father down to contact the passing stylus.

 

That’s not “cleaning” anymore than spraying down with AXE is not taking a shower.

 

I generally aim to clean every record at least once, old or new. Main reason for me is the fact it kills off static problems that used to plague me, then the benefit of a reduction or removal of surface noise.
I started with a spin clean, and leaving to air dry in some wire plastic coated dish racks (sit the racks in a shallow plastic tray to catch the drips, something like the seed tray lids from a gardening store would be an extremely cheap option for this). Problems this presents is the clamp doesn't protect the label well, had some water damage but nothing too dramatic, other problem is you either leave the cleaning solution to dry on the record or you do a second rinse in a clean trough. Whatever happens don't use the drying stand that comes with the cleaner, I forget which model i had but the stand had sharp edges on the corners a slight slip left a little scrape on one or two records, hence the dish rack suggestion.
I decided to invest in a cheaper RCM (the Project one), this removes the above problems, sucks it dry in no time with no signs of residue and I get a good result, never felt the need so far to reclean a record, this machine just seems to clear all the crap away and no static issues any longer. It is noisy though.
Both options tedious.

Went into a record store in London a year or so back, guy behind the counter had a record flat on the counter wiping something into the record with what looked like a duster, probably using Pledge to get a nice shine I decided not to purchase anything from there, i'd rather buy an honest dirty record.

 

I don't even think too deeply about it these days I use a vacuum Loricraft before that I had a Nitty-Gritty, I don't rinse, I spread l' Art du Son cleaner brush then let the machine do it's thing, and it does.
It takes minutes.

 

Lighter fluid is the mainstay of record shops, it takes all the crud of the surface but leaves it all in the grooves.

 

I hope that not all record shops have such “make it look good but who cares about what the customer gets” attitude. I recently went to a record store in Montreal, Canada. They also sell used audio gear including turntables and the techs there (they also service gear) know what they’re doing.

Did I pick up any vinyl there to try and what condition were they in? Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to browse around. I went there to pick up a relatively rare Yamaha preamp that I’d been hunting for.

Cheers,
John

 

Not all just the ones I worked in for years the, shop I frequent in central London has Loricraft RCMs behind the counter.

 

Hard to beat string-type machines.

 

String Driven Thing.

 

This isn´t cleaning; cleaning means you remove the dirt.

 

The cloths and the groovewasher are just reapplying the gunk you cleaned from your last record onto the one that's currently being cleaned.

Toss the cloths and the groovewasher.
Search the online audio stores (for example LP Gear) for record cleaning supplies. Also search this forum. Good luck.

 

Like I said before - SPIN CLEAN. Start there. It may be all you need.

 

Take your record and run a gentle stream of lukewarm water over it.

Use a carbon fibre brush to gently sweep a very dilute mixture of water and liquid soap through the grooves. The tiniest squirt in a saucer of water is all you need. You should see the soap mix evenly flood the grooves. Give each side a dew gentle sweeps around to dislodge any particles of dirt.

Rinse very thoroughly with more running lukewarm water.

Gently pat the record dry with a clean microfibre cloth (this will only remove the drops of water, not what's still in the grooves).

Spray a few squirts of your record cleaning fluid on the still-wet record and gently wipe clean and dry with a new cloth. An easy way to do this is to let the record spin at 45 while holding a cloth in place over the record - minimal pressure, just thought to let the cloth suck up remaining water through capillary action.

Once the record is dry, give it a final sweep with a clean/dry carbon fibre brush.

This is not the 'best' way to clean your records, nor the most thorough, but it will do a decent job and should result in noticeably quiter play without requiring any further expenditure.

Also....make sure to clean your stylus often with an appropriate brush or magic eraser or gel pad or whatever. This is key.

 

Awful name but it works very well, Knosti’s Disco-Antistat and it's available in Australia.
Record Cleaning Devices - GrooveWorks Aust Pty Ltd

I used ionized water to rinse then a good quality microfiber cloth to finish.

 

I am enjoying this discussion.

For those of you who don't use RCMs and run water onto your records (in the sink), how do you keep the LP labels from getting wet?

Thanks,

Scott

 

Check your stylus tip for a wad of gunk, you may have to remove it to see. The gunk builds up and pushes the stylus up and out of the groove making it skip. I use a felt brush like yours and it didn’t like cleaning solution unless you are vacuuming first. Distilled water only when using that brush.
I’ve been down that road of madness due to the above when I got back into vinyl, but I at the time didn’t have my Hoffman pals to help. Man I changed out RCA ends and performed endless re sets.

 

Just hold them at an angle....

 

Records shouldn't create a skip. A cheap turntable with a used up cart, a bad cleaning regimen, and/or defective LPs to begin with is a surefire recipe to experience what you've described.

Otherwise, you shouldn't. Ever.

 

That felt brush he’s got only works with distilled water, he has a squirt bottle of cleaning solution and that brush just smears/pushes it and dust dirt into the grooves.. the stylus scoops that gunk and dust and builds a tight little wad around the stylus that pushes the needle up and out. Man I’ve been through exactly what he’s got going on. I would replace that felt brush with a new one and use a dropper with distilled water. That’s just to get him out of this problem so he can explore other options later ( while he’s jamming to some no skip vinyl)

 

I used Winyl on a noisy record (Star Trek The Motion Picture 2-LP set released by La La Land Records around 3 years ago, blue marble-like vinyl), I followed all the instructions up to the letter and it left the record more noisy. What did I do wrong?