so how do you clean your vinyl albums?

After years of the Project VC, which worked pretty well, I use the HumminGuru US machine along with the "Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions Enzymatic Ultrasonic Record Cleaning Machine Concentrate " instead of distilled water. Think I got that tip from someone on a thread here. Thanks SHF! TBH, the Guru wasn't any better than the Project VC with plain distilled water. The Audio Intelligent solution makes a big difference. My records are clean as hell now. The Guru is so easy to use, is hands off, effective and quiet. With the Project I'd sometimes get some fuzz or lint after the cleaning, which I think came from the underside of the vacuum wand. All good now, I actually enjoy cleaning records, whereas before with the Project VC it was a chore that wasn't guaranteed to 100% effectively clean.

 

I used to be crazy when it came to cleaning vinyl records. I used one of those big vacuum cleaning machines. And I bought so many different stuff and mixed. My home looked like I was more into science than music. But at the end I found the records just becoming worse than before cleaning. So much noise and static. Did not matter what I did. So now all I use is a anti static brush on each side of the record while playing, and sometimes a anti static gun. And I also use a Zerodust (which is like a soft little pillow that you put your needle on before playing to remove all dirt from it). My records have never sounded so good! And now my vacuum cleaning machine is just standing in the corner beneath a table... I am gonna sell it some day, but to lazy.

Cleaning records is overrated! And not really needed as long as you take care of the records with a brush.

 

If there's a lot of dust I'll give it a pass under my kitchen RO tap before using my Record Doctor V.

 

Yep nothing cleans the groove as effectively as a clean stylus.

 

You’ve never bought a used record then

 

Cat tongue.

 

Yep.

 

Lots of times. About half the records I buy are used.

 

And none of them have snap, crackle and pop? You must be lucky!

 

Wow! The thing is that there's no snake oil when it comes to cleaning records- it's all about chemistry and physics and nothing more. I care for my collection, I store the records properly and I clean my records (new or used) when I get them. The RCM I've isn't a super expensive one, I've an Okki Nokki that I purchased around 10 years ago and I consider it to be one of the best investments I've made through the years for my sound system as well as my records. I look at my RCM as an integrated part of the sound system. IMO I applied lots of common sense back when I got my beloved Okki Nokki.

About record clamps; they are an integrated part of my vinyl rig with the two Michell decks I use. I see/hear benefits using those clamps, more benefits than disadvantages so I choose to use them as recommended by the manufacturer.

 

Ofcourse they have, but I find it getting even worse after you "clean" them. I think the best thing to do is to always take care of the record from the beginning then there is no need to "clean" a record.

 

If it gets worse, you are doing something wrong. The used records I get always improve after a few trips trough my Kirmuss usm.

And I do on rare instances get a dirty/noisy new LP. Again, a few trips trough my Kirmuss usm takes care of that.

But once clean, they shouldn't need any additional.

 

Disco-Antistat and a solution of distilled water and just a dash of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Doesn't clean to an microlevel detail, but it works pretty darn good overall. It's saved some records I thought were a lost cause.

 

VPI 16.5 usually for all new records added to my collection.

If a record is particularly noisy or dirty, I go Spin Clean > VPI 16.5 > overnight wood glue, then repeat the washing process again. Usually cleans things up nice. I've restored what looked like goners to VG+ even VG++ status.

 

that's what I don't understand, I recently came into a large vinyl collection after a 40 years absence and wonder how we enjoyed our records so much in the 60's and 70's without elaborate record-cleaning machines priced in the thousands and elaborate power- conditioners, again, many priced into the thousands of dollars .

 

Uncleaned vinyl in the ‘60s and ‘70s was like streaming is today, for most people; most people don’t know better sound quality is possible.

 

That guy isn't cleaning his records. He's barely pushing the dust around.

 

The vinyl has only been touched by the inner sleeve, turntable mat, or stylus. New records are new, used records are cleaned and stay clean.
If you know how to handle a record without touching the play surfaces, your records will never get "dirty". I clean used records with warm water a little detergent/alcohol mix and microfiber pad.

 

My answer is vacuum RCM with a good cleaning solution, but I’ve been lazy and not cleaned a record in a couple of years now. Part of that is how loud the vacuum is and how slightly inconvenient it is to assemble the apparatus for use (I have one of the manual-style ones you use with your own wet/dry vac). I think if I could get it into the budget, a more expensive stand-alone RCM, or, better still, something like a Degritter, would get more use.

I’ve been finding new records more reliably clean-ish than they were a few years ago. I don’t know if that’s luck of the draw or an actual decrease in the number of records put in shed-y paper sleeves with all manner of crap on them.

 

What about dust?

 

Carbon fiber brush, used right before play.

 

I do the same. That won’t necessarily get dust that has settled down into the groove, though. And some records come from the factory already dirty.

 

Yeah, I don't have much problem with dust. If there is no static, and your records are clean, you can practically blow the dust off.

 

True, if you never buy a used record, and never buy a new record that has paper flecks, dust, vinyl or metal remnants in the grooves. Otherwise I'd advise a good cleaning that includes vacuum and rinse with distilled water after each application of solution. But hey that's just me.

 

If you’re buying an expensive RCM with the intention of cleaning a couple dozen records and then never buying any more, sure, that might not make sense. If you own enough records, though, they are still going to have cost substantially more than most of the machines people actually buy (I really don’t think most people are buying the ones that cost thousands…). Choosing to make a purchase as part of a hobby is not something that would typically prompt me to call a person “a fool” regarding how that person has spent some money.