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Question for cleaning records

T

thebigbeat90

New Member
Hey friends, does anybody here make their own record cleaning fluid (with isopropyl and distilled water) and simply use a brush and let it evaporate? I recently came across an article that said that formula should only be used with vacuum machines, otherwise it leaves residue.

Currently I use the mofi ONE cleaning solution, which says it is best used for hand washing only. What could be the difference in this solution vs a homemade one?
 
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I use a formula with alcohol, a surfactant and distilled water. I would not let it simply evaporate:

  • Dirt and debris that has been loosened/lifted from the grooves would remain behind, negating at least some of the work
  • Residual surfactant would be left behind.

I rinse with tap water (using spray hose at sink), and then with distilled water (to remove any solids/contaminants from the tap water), and then vacuum. I have found using a vacuum to give noticeably better results than air drying or wiping them dry.

My existing library - about 1300 LPs - has all been deep cleaned, and my somewhat manually-intensive method is fine for the 20-30 new LP's I buy annually. If I was still acquiring LPs at a faster clip, or had a large library that needed to be done, i would invest in an ultrasonic cleaning system.
 
Here's a recipe provided by one of our esteemed members who is a molecular biochemist. Note that he doesn't state the ultrasonic method in the document, but I'm guessing his preference may have been established before the US record cleaning method became a thing.

Record cleaning based on science

I was asked to post my vinyl record cleaning method but the document was too large so I put it on a web page. Hopefully this link works. sites.google.com/site/vincesaudiofiles/ I had originally written up a protocol and solution recipes for a commercial endeavor. We parted ways so I...
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I have a spin clean and cheap spin clean clone that uses goat hair or claims to at least. Records get cleaned in the spin clean with cleaning fluid wiped off reasonably then get a rotation in the clone with just distilled water wiped off again and then set to dry. Part of why you don't want to let records air dry is because wet records (or dishes or anything really) are more likely to have dust in the air stick to them.

The cleaning fluid I use is less than 2% alcohol which then gets diluted even further by only using a cap full to a 1/4 gallon of distilled water. If the actual cleaning agent is less than that of the alcohol I highly doubt letting it air dry would leave much of any residue.

Honestly though. I've seen so many people use so many different things to clean records. Heck it used to be standard to use Windex (and a lot of record shops still do) which was actually promoted in Goldmine magazines through the 90s and oddly didn't stop till a few commercially available proprietary cleaning fluids came out in the late 90s. and yes I know their were cleaning fluids going back the 70s but they were incredibly expensive and not marketed to the masses.

Oh and here's a bit of industry insider information I got from a guy that works at a chemical plant that packages cleaning fluids. Record cleaners (at least the ones he packages) are the exact same as electronics and eye glass cleaners just more diluted. He told me buy a 4oz bottle of eye glass cleaner and mix it into 5 gallons of distilled water and you have a popular spray record cleaner that will save you 30-40 bucks.

With the above in mind I'm surprised no body here sells their own cleaning fluid in barter town for those that don't have the means to mix up their own.
 
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I run distilled water in my ultrasonic, and a retail product called l'art du son mixed with distilled water in my vacuum machine.
 
thebigbeat90 said:
Hey friends, does anybody here make their own record cleaning fluid (with isopropyl and distilled water) and simply use a brush and let it evaporate? I recently came across an article that said that formula should only be used with vacuum machines, otherwise it leaves residue.

Currently I use the mofi ONE cleaning solution, which says it is best used for hand washing only. What could be the difference in this solution vs a homemade one?
Click to expand...

Evaporating may not be a great solution. The goal is to remove all the particles from the record surface. Evaporation does not allow for that. You either need a mechanical means such as vacuum or a rinsing effect to pull the particles away from the surface.

If you want to mix your own solution that is fine but add some surfactant to your mix and you'll get much better results.
 
In the comprehensive aqueous cleaning guide, a substitute cleaning agent is HE washingmachine detergent that is of the "pure" type without fragrance etc. I use it at about 2% with a few percent isopropyl alcohol. I have an RO drinking water system so, an unlimited DI water supply. I use a sponge and static free cloth to dry. Works very well.
 
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