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Quick wet cleaning question

Grindhouse80

Grindhouse80

New Member
hi.

i use a spin clean with a record doctor V. when it comes to drying i dry it with the record doctor and then place the record on a cloth and wipe the record with the included spin clean cloth clockwise to make sure its dry. when i do that i can feel a static charge. i think its the cloth i have the record resting on. any suggestions?
 
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Hi Grindhouse80! Good for you that you are making efforts to clean you records, and while you would be better served in my opinion to go ultrasonic as MRL points to above I believe the answer to your question is in Condorsat's post.....stop the wiping of the record after running it through the vacuum process. This only serves to do exactly what you don't want, introducing static electricity and no matter how clean you believe the cloth to be that you are wiping with, you are actually very likely introducing your record to more detritus, however marginal the residues thereupon may be.

With the Record Doctor, you have a way to vacuum the records so you are only a step away from getting them cleaner than you might ever imagine and sounding pretty much as good as it gets.....that step being procuring an ultrasonic unit and using a proper solution. You don't have to invest a ton of $$$ either, as 6 liter tanks can be had for less than $100 and turning mechanisms are readily available that don't break the bank. You can do a search here on AK as there is a ton of information available on both units and solutions. Just a suggestion.....in any case, I would discourage the wiping activities. Question: why are you using the Spin Clean at all? Are you not getting satisfactory results with just the Record Doctor?

If you are really concerned about the records being as dry as possible, just let them air-dry for a while which should do the trick. In fact, some use an ultrasonic tank and no drying step at all, just air drying! If you should happen to live in a more humid environment, this might take a bit longer than otherwise but you can always get a cheap fan to speed drying up a bit. Does your Record Doctor not dry well? Try leaving the record spinning around on it for a bit longer in the vacuum cycle if that is the case.

Welcome to AK and happy listening!
 
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I use two Spin Cleans and a Record Dr. Vac. Dirty records go through a Spin Clean with cleaner. If they are really filthy I scrub them with a 100% cotton t-shirt. And may run them through the Spin Clean with cleaner again if they are really filthy. Then I rinse in another Spin Clean tank with plain water. Then they hit the Record Dr. Vac. After that a Zerostat gets rid of the static. So in your case I would pick up a Zerostat and hit the dry records with that. Your cheapest solution :)
 
Grindhouse80 said:
hi.

i use a spin clean with a record doctor V. when it comes to drying i dry it with the record doctor and then place the record on a cloth and wipe the record with the included spin clean cloth clockwise to make sure its dry. when i do that i can feel a static charge. i think its the cloth i have the record resting on. any suggestions?
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$3 plastic dish drying rack from Walmart.
 
I have gone ultrasonic but before that I would partially dry wet-cleaned records with a damp microfiber. Air drying then only took a few minutes and didn’t seem to induce any static. You still need a drying rack but you can move through a stack of records much faster. The only problem is, I’m not sure a cloth exists that doesn’t shed any tiny fibers on the records.
 
drmevo said:
I have gone ultrasonic but before that I would partially dry wet-cleaned records with a damp microfiber. Air drying then only took a few minutes and didn’t seem to induce any static. You still need a drying rack but you can move through a stack of records much faster. The only problem is, I’m not sure a cloth exists that doesn’t shed any tiny fibers on the records.
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I US also. The best, absorbent, lint free wipe I've discovered is Kimtech. Cheap, sterile, and work incredibly after a short drying time in the rack. $3 dollars a box, one box lasts about 150 albums.
 
drmevo said:
I’m not sure a cloth exists that doesn’t shed any tiny fibers on the records.
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Fruit of the Loom 100% cotton T-Shirts. Wash them several times before using. Never use a dryer sheet when drying those T-Shirts. I never have any issues with tiny fibers. Just a little static that a Zerostat fixes. Also keep in mind relative humidity in the house causes static too. During the winter static is worse. I purchased a couple Honeywell Humidifiers and it has made a huge difference with static. I keep the relative humidity between 45% and 60%. Plus there are health benefits !!!
 
drmevo said:
The only problem is, I’m not sure a cloth exists that doesn’t shed any tiny fibers on the records.
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I've been using 3M Auto Detail Cloths for the last 10+ years. Easy to clean and last a long time .. well made. They have the added benefit of not leaving any scratches (think how picky car guys are). Just make sure it's original with 3M logo and not one of the knock off's.

81+5Yt4zvLL._AC_UL116_SR116,116_.jpg
 
I'd leave the entry level Spin Clean and the drying cloth out of the process and rely solely on the Record Doctor cleaning method. Next step up from a RCM (record cleaning machine) like the Record Doctor is a ultrasonic cleaner. Unless it's a rare record of importance I would avoid gross filthy damaged records that need multiple cleanings to make them even playable, not worth time effort.
 
interesting, thanks guys for the input. im not sure if i can UC cause i invested in my record doctor not too long ago. i guess i can sell that and my spin clean as a bundle on ebay, any suggested good but affordable UCs?
 
Grindhouse80 said:
interesting, thanks guys for the input. im not sure if i can UC cause i invested in my record doctor not too long ago. i guess i can sell that and my spin clean as a bundle on ebay, any suggested good but affordable UCs?
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Ton of threads on cheaper US options. I use an Isonic, but those are $900. There are others on here with cheaper options that have produced great results by their testimony.
 
Not to discourage you from getting a UC but give the Record Doctor RCM an opportunity to see how it performs without using the SpinClean and cloth. No amount of cleaning will repair damaged records, start with records in good condition not a record someone used as a door mat. My Nitty Gritty Record Doctor got results as good as my VPI 16.5 just not as convenient was the trade off.
 
Like said above, give your Record Doctor a go.

If at some point you want to try US.
I have a Vevor digital readout version 6 liter US. Run 4 records per load. Was about $225 direct from them, last December. I Spinclean rinse and vac dry after. Stack in dish drainer. Not sure extra steps are mandatory. I've cleaned maybe 700 to 800 that were previously Spincleaned.
Helps to have US work area next to a sink.
I use new sleeves after.

There are AK threads on record cleaning and US, too.
20211226_215227.jpg 20211227_160615.jpg 20211227_222817.jpg
 
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Old Guy8 nice US setup and price not much more than a Record Doctor. If I get the Vevor I'd use my VPI RCM to rinse/vacuum the records as the final step. At that point 99.99% of any dirt should be removed from a record. With the cost of new and preowned records today pays to take good care of them.
 
IMO. One thing I think may improve the Spinclean. If you look at record in the second pic I posted. See that water clings to record where grooves aren't visable. You can see a reflection on record. That's the surfactant breaking the surface tension of the water. Spinclean's cleaner doesn't appear to have a surfactant in it, to me. I've gone to Isonic brand US cleaner fluid or Kodak Photo Flo 200 surfactant. In distilled water.

I'm no record cleaning expert. So before you buy a US. Do search AK for record cleaning opinions. There's at least one thread on AK about Vevor. And other US machines.

There's a pinned record cleaning thread in General Discussion. Where many have posted thier cleaning regimens. Lot of info there. Like everything in audio. There are contrary opinions of what works best. Do an investigation here. Weigh what makes sense to you.
 
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Grindhouse80 said:
interesting, thanks guys for the input. im not sure if i can UC cause i invested in my record doctor not too long ago. i guess i can sell that and my spin clean as a bundle on ebay, any suggested good but affordable UCs?
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I used Spinclean & vac for some time & its very helpful. Not US helpful but certainly improves things.
Assuming your room is not too dusty, I'd vac & rack to dry. I tried all kinds of cloths & decided I could just wait a few hours for the LPs to air dry.
I tend to clean big batches at one sitting so eliminating a step is a plus too.

I have a process similar to @Old Guy8 now but I was always amazed at the gunk the Spin Clean got off my LPs.
 
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