How can I clean my LP's

I can't afford to but a fancy vinyl cleaner machine, so I would like some suggestions on how to clean my LP's. I just purchased a mono Hard Days Night LP and a mono Four Seasons Greatest Hits LP that are pretty dirty.

This may sound like a stragne question, but can I wash them in the sink?

Thanks for any suggestions.

John

 

John, do a search and you will find many suggestions.

 

I bought this machine for $200:

http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=NGRD1&product_name=Record%20Doctor%20II%20Record%20Cleaning%20Machine

It is built very well and is very sturdy. All the turning has to be done by hand and it is a bit difficult to wash the records while they are on top of the machine. But, I am starting to get the hang of it and most of my records that I have done thus far play pretty clean.

I would never throw my records under a faucet. Even the $1 ones. I'd be afraid the label would get wet. It's hard enough keeping them dry with the quantity of fluid used with the vacuum machine.

 

You don't need to go all the way to a full-scale machine for proper LP cleaning. There are many (relatively) affordable products that will do a good job on most LPs.

I got the Disc Doctor brushes (sold as a kit, two brushes + a bottle of the Doc's cleaning fluid) about a year and a half back and am very satisfied with the results.

Here's their site: http://discdoc.com/

(I'm not affiliated in any way with them).

 

[QUOTE=

I got the Disc Doctor brushes (sold as a kit, two brushes + a bottle of the Doc's cleaning fluid) about a year and a half back and am very satisfied with the results.

Hi,

I was reading the Disc Doctor instructions and they say to scrub in a "back and forth motion". Does this mean to scrub in the direction of the groves, or perpendicular to the grooves?

John

 

John,

If you want to send them out to me, I'll clean the Beatles and Four Seasons albums for you. You should at least see and hear what a VPI 16.5 machine, disc doctor brushes, and RRL fluid does before you rule one out.

George

 

WITH the grooves!

 

Yes with them, I don't scrub across them.

 

Getting the label wet is nothing. Just plop a towel on it and press to absorb the moisture. The label will dry almost right away.

I've cleaned hundreds of records and the label has never come off on any of them...its fused to the vinyl.

 

I use a cheap spray and a microfiber cloth. Amazing results, nah, but it is improved. And you can't beat the price, either.

 

Still happy with DD brush's & fluid here. Pick up a blue bottle of Nagaoka 801 for the stylus on sale somewhere.

I like the warmth of vinyl. Looking forward to the time when I have more cash to spend on it.

 

He did say they are pretty dirty. It seems logical that since the grooves are so small, it would be impossible to get all the gunk out without sucking it out with a machine.

 

I'm not saying a machine can't do a better job. I've never had an LP cleaned by one. I'm just saying that the Disc Doctor brushes do a good job.

 

I use a Spin Clean Record Washer which sells for $59.95 and am very happy with the results. It is available from http:// www.garage-a-records.com .

 

Even if you could spring for the Nitty Gritty Record Doctor II from Audio Advisor, I'd advise against it. I've got one, and as soon as I can afford to, I'm going to get a VPI 6.5 instead. The RDII doesn't do a very good job cleaning the inner and outer grooves IMO.

 

I also have Disc Doctor brushes and cleaning fluid, but whenever I clean LPs, I get a crackling sound for the first few plays. I have tried following the instructions, including rinsing, but I'm still getting that noise. I know a lot of people swear by that product, which they wouldn't be if they were getting the results I am getting. I am wondering if there is anything I could do to get better results. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Rinsing VERY well is the key to proper DD record cleaning. But the 'first few plays' thing is also true - there MIGHT be a little residue left behind by the fluid that gets swept away by your stylus. Or so I've read, anyway.

Watch for a small amount of white fluffy lint on your stylus after the first couple plays (more like just the first, actually) - that's the residue that's no longer on your LP.

At this point I should probably mention that I'm NOT using the DD fluid (not because I don't want to, but because I didn't want to go thru all the trouble of getting chemicals into the country- I understand it's quite the process).

I'm using regular, 'jug-grade' distilled water with a drop of Kodak Photo-Flo in it. Seems to work well, .. only thing I need to remember is to rinse, rinse, RINSE.

 

This may be the case most of the time but I once tried to clean a K-Tel disc and the label got a tiny bit wet and that was enough to damage it permanently - the paper peeled. I am currently trying disc doctor but haven't had success yet - I must not be rinsing well enough because I'm getting the crackly sound mentioned by Bruce. Discwasher is the only method that's ever worked without fail for me although I know it's not considered to be a good method to clean discs! But hey, it's my vinyl, right?

 

What type of spray do you use?

 

You need to dilute D-Dr. more than it recommends, and rinse well. The crackle will disappear after the first play.

 

John, the main thing that a RCM does for you is rotate the record while you are apply fluid and brushing (even if the RCM has a cleaning brush most folks do the cleaning and rinsing by hand) and the big thing that the RCM does is vacuum dry which goes quicker and sucks up dirt that the brushes left behind. So get one when you can afford one. Until you can use either Disc Doctor or Record research Lab fluids and brushes. Put a nice soft Terri cloth towel on a nice smooth table and double the towel. Do you cleaning and rinsing on this surface and then let the record air dry. You can put the record in a dish drying rack or in a dish washer rack (do not close it or turn it on) to dry, it takes about an hour.

 

Okay, thanks, but what's the point in using it if it doesn't sound good right after cleaning and drying it? I Guess I'll only use Disc Doc for really dirty discs since I always clean a disc before I play it.

 

Wet Label