Jonathan I have had my spin clean for almost 2 yrs and have never experienced the things you are with yours.I live in East Texas it is always humid here.I use the solution recommended with my spin clean.It does a fantastic job and so do the cloths that they sell.I find them to be the best on the market to be honest.I get a bunch of static from micro fiber I have tried them.I spin it 5 times each way not slow quickly pull it out and dry it off and play it right after I am done and get amazing results every time.I love my spin clean.I wouldn't trade it for any other system.
I have had a Spin Clean for about two weeks. I’ve cleaned several LPs since then. I had previously used a homemade solution of distilled water, rubbing alcohol, and a drop of dishwashing liquid. This did help the looks and enjoyable sound from my records. But upon using the Spin Clean, wow such a noticeable difference! After cleaning a few, I noticed the dust was collecting in the bottom of the Spin Clean reservoir. I think that my earlier method was helping to an extent, but some of the dirt was just being moved around on the record. My earliest cleaning with the Spin Clean also taught me to give the LPs plenty of time to dry, and I’ve also found that the microfiber cloths seem to do better for me. Oh by the way, thanks for your post!
Thanks for the video, I 100% agree with your methods. Used them all myself. I had a VPI 16 cleaner. Regret selling it, but plan on buying one again. Being able to vacuum the water off the record is awesome. I've also used the little steam cleaners that the infomercials show to clean your kitchen and bathroom.
Ron, Thanks for the video. I have to agree with you 100 % about the cloth that comes with the Spin Clean. It's simple cheese cloth and has absolutely no way to penetrate into the grooves of the LP. I went to Costco and bought a package of about a trillion microfiber cloths for $15 and that has made a night and day improvement to my Spin Clean. Next step...I'll try your distilled water only cleaning technique.
Great advice. I usually do just like you used to do. Rub soap and water with a soft micro fiber spunge under the sink and then let the soap run off completely before drying. Works great and I live alone so no problem. I also have a spin-clean and if I have a bunch of dirty records I will try a quick soap and water under the sink and a spin-clean in distilled water without soap before drying. Should be the perfect fix. Lps sound so awesome. Compared them to cds and Spotify today and vinyl is the grand choice. Been collecting since 1985 when I bought my first RATT LP.
hasekdom thanks for watching and your great comments. You seem to have a real good routine for cleaning your records. I have found 1 more thing that really helps look here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kf8B6_v2H0Q.html
I Did what you said and used plain water and it works great. I also used the cleaning fluid then after used plain water to clean very dirty records. I purchased a used copy of Abbey Road. It looked like it was never played. It sounded so bad. Constant crackling. I almost tossed it. I used it with the cleaning fluid. Then i replaced the solution with plain water. It now sounds so quiet. Thank you for the tip on using plain water. I do enjoy your videos very much.
I clean in my spin clean with the provided solution then run the record through plain distilled water in a knock off spin clean without the brushes then blot dry on a bath towel and finish drying with the towels provided with the spin clean. I haven’t had a problem with static. I did about 30 records this weekend and played some immediately after, huge difference between before and after
Right, Ron. As Hank said (right below), records need to be thoroughly dried after washing. I put mine in a stand-up dish rack and let a fan blow on them for about an hour to make sure they are good and dry. I then play them, and I've had very little problem with surface noise. Sometimes, yes, when the record is very old but, normally, my records play very good after washig.
I have had a great deal of experience using the Spin Clean on vinyl records and I have never experienced the problems with static you spoke about in your video. My procedure is to follow the direction in the Spin Clean manual except that I use microfiber cloths instead of the cloths that come with the Spin Clean. Consistently after using the Spin Clean, the records sound much better, to say the least. It could be there is something "wrong" with the tap water in your area. (You said you use tap water.) I have never used tap water for cleaning records with the Spin Clean. I have always used distilled water. Your use of tap water might be the very reason you are hearing sonic disturbances after cleaning records because the records are not actually clean. Try using distilled water instead. Another possibility is that you are using too much of the Spin Clean Soap. The Spin Clean Soap is great in part because it contains an element that somehow causes debris to sink to the bottom of the tank and not float around near the surface of the water. When the Spin Clean soap is eliminated, debris will more likely float around in the water rather than sink to the bottom of the tank. This may be another reason you hear sonic disturbances after cleaning, especially if you are using tap water to rinse.
thank you very much for your detailed letter and help I state in my video I use distilled water I now use a record Doctor v to vacuum my records after I clean them with the spin clean using the one capful of soap as directed by the manufacturer. my records are now static and noise free because I'm getting all the soap out of the microscopic grooves. the cartridge that I use is a moving coil shelter 501 mark 2 retail $1,200 the profile of the stylus is getting deeper in the groove then your cartridges stylus that's why you don't hear any noise hand drying is able to get the soap out of the groove at the point where your cartridge is contacting the record groove . that's why you do not hear the static of the soap. believe me the soap is still in your record grooves and I believe a record Doctor 5 vacuum would make a difference to you and you would hear better sounding records. I put off buying a record vacuum record cleaner for many years until a couple of folks that watched my channel told me I needed to get one so I bought one for $200 and I'm very happy I did
I've also been using the Spin Clean for a few years now with good results. However I also rinse the record in distilled water after cleaning it with the Spin Clean in order to remove the cleaning solution and perhaps any remaining dirt in the grooves. I use another similar but cheaper record cleaning trough for the rinsing (Knosti brand) and lastly, I vacuum dry the record with a device that connects to a household vacuum cleaner (KAB EBV-1 from KAB Electro Acoustics). The extra devices are relatively inexpensive.
Add any wetting agent to your cleaning solution...Kodak photo-flo is the best, Calgon etc. This reduces the water surface tension . Patent pending on my upgrade.
Thanks for sharing this Ron, it's been a tremendous help. Spin Clean could really benefit from your advice by suggesting a final rinse stage with just distilled water in their instructions. I concur with your findings, for general maintenance, just distilled water in the Spin Clean does the trick. Thanks again for taking the time to post this.
wow. Thank god im not the only one who get those horrible sounds after cleaning, i was thinking to my self how the heck can the record get worse after cleaning, because in most cases it would sound worse than before. so once again Thanks alot ron! keem em coming have a good day!
I know, what in the world! look at the record after cleaning looks perfectly clean, look in the bottom of the Spin Clean lots a dirt, so why do the records sound so crackly!! I am so glad You Tube provides a forum for me to share my findings and help a Brother out!!
Nonsense. I've cleaned over a 1000 records with my Spin Clean and have never experienced the problems described in this video. My guess is you are improperly drying your records. After wiping they need to be air dried for a significant amount of time before playing.
The very best way to dry records is the way I do it now. I use the disc doctor V to vacuum the records dry. Wow this works so well the records actually sound better. thanks for watching and your suggestions.
Ron Beaudry Well, that explains your problem. Vacuum machines are notorious for charging one's record with static electricity. I suggest you get a Milty-Zerostat. Should take care of your problem.
I don't have a problem now, they sound fantastic with no static after vacuuming, sorry for the confusion. I have owned a Zerostat for probably 40 years now. but it will not remove the soap noise.
You solved my issues in one video, i got this elvis blue hawaii lp from 1961 looks mint but sounded really dusty i put it through the spin clean a few times and it did nothing, i was feeling nervous because i just paid a hundred bucks for this thing and it did nothing, the water works very very well!
If you're getting residue on your stylus after using the Spin Clean per their directions, you are cleaning the records wrong. However, I do a rinse of distilled water only after cleaning with the Spin Clean solution and I have experienced nothing but good results.
Thanks for sharing your insights from practical experience. You definitely are sensible about Spin Clean issues. Even pre-laundered microfiber towels leave some lint on my records so wonder what else you've used to dry them? Best wishes!
yes I thought about that but from advice from fellow VC folks I did this works awesome!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kf8B6_v2H0Q.html
you are welcome I have a record cleaning update thanks for watching and your kind comments ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kf8B6_v2H0Q.html Ron
Ron, I wonder if you would get better results with a surfactant in your H20 only setup - like 1-2 drops of dawn per gallon or photoflo. Water beads, as you know, so breaking that water tension might take it to the next level, but still be very diluted to not be a factor on the vinyl...
you are right thanks for the tip I have something in a little blue bottle with an eye dropper cap this came along with the maple shade steam cleaner called Deep-Rinse Additive I wonder what this stuff is shop.mapleshadestore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=DCS-DEEPRINSE
Who knows what these guys mix up. I finally read an analysis of gruv glide online and it says it has the exact chemical makeup of Static Guard... crazy, right?
gruv glide was never something that caught my fancy in the early seventy's there was a product called Lenco Clean it was like a second arm you put on your turntable and filled with Lenco Clean fluid, you then played your records wet, well if you ran out of Lenco Clean fluid and played those Records dry the dirt got down deep into the groves and they sounded horrible. so I don't like putting anything on my records. Next lesson was the spinclean soap with out rinsing it off, it also gets deep in the grove.
Hi Ron, I have records that are already clean, EX to NM looking, but I get lots of crackling between the songs and songs that are quiet, very frustrating, I hope this washer helps because I have one on the way
With the money you have in gear and boutique pressings it's time you looked at getting a proper cleaning system, and buy or build some sort of vacuum based system. The Spin Clean is great for a first step, but you need a vacuum based system to truly do the gear and pressings you have justice. Plus, any money you put into a VPI you will get 80% of it back out... there is no other area of audiophilia that holds its value as well. :)
Ron Beaudry I did a review at one time comparing the VPI to the Okki Nokki and at that I was leaning to the Okki Nokki. It is still a great machine for me, but I know they redesigned it a little and moved production to China, so my endorsement would not be as strong. I would look at a VPI, they can still be had used for $450. I bought mine used for $275 4 years ago and sold it for $550 last year. You can still get them new for $650 and you are guaranteed $500 for it used. It would really benefit the quality of the hardware and software you are running. It's all good kit. :)
Well Barry that's what I did for quite a while until I got the record doctor 5 which is a $200 record vacuum cleaner now I can use A little Soap and I also add a little white distilled vinegar for rinsing agent Because now that I can vacuum all Of the soap and dirt out Of the Record grooves they sound better and cleaner no static
What do you think about using 2 machines? One filled with the soap water and the other just clean distilled water ? You would have some nice clean records this way.
hey John i have 2 machines now a spin clean for cleaning and a disc Doctor V for vacuum drying ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kf8B6_v2H0Q.html
Hi Ron I notice you said that after cleaning a record, 'one play and it's good '. Do you find that the playing of a record after it's been cleaned actually helps to clean it further? Always enjoy your videos and very much value your recommendations. Cheers, Greg
Hi Greg. Yes. But I play a few seconds at the beginning of the record, then move to the center, then to the inner, turn it to the other side, do the same for 10 seconds each. Also, if you have a fine MC stylus, it also polishes the grooves. So yes, after one play, it usually sounds perfect the second time. PS: I also say abracadabra while I'm doing this. Then I play the almost the same song title off of Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album. It is my anti-statanic record!
Hi Ron. I bought old vinyl records and the sound is not clean, it sounds like..."dark", I guess that the records are too dirty. I have saw good and bad comments about RCA fluid and other methods/fluids. In this case, you recommend use the Spin Clean or perhaps RCA fluid is enough? Sorry for my bad english.
Yeah you know what I finally ended up doing I got a disk doctor 5 and I vacuum the records for $200 for the disk doctor 5. I clean them with spin clean and then I vacuum them super super amazing great cleaning method and if you're not going to vacuum them you need to use distilled water the gallon put 1 or 2 drops of dish soap in there that's all you need to do probly and you might want to put a little bit of white distilled vinegar for a rinsing agent that helps do
Nice Video !! I just got mine, and the plastic rollers dont stay in position, sometimes they fall in to the water, , especially when i rotate counter clockwise. did you ever had that problem ? ...thanx
Thanks for the LP cleaning tips. One thing I have not seen on here is how to treat mildew on the surface. Sometimes I see flea mkt variety LPs and wonder if/how I would get the mildew off and not harm the grooves. Any advice on this? Would vinegar be harmful? Thank you!
Vinegar is ok to use on records I put about 4 tablespoons with three quarters of a cap of the spin clean soap with distilled water. I was reading a thread where a person stated they used pure distilled vinegar to clean some heavily Stained Records to great success, be sure to rinse after washing or spot cleaning with vinegar he first tried using a enzyme based cleaner with no success here is a link http:/"/www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=33024.
You can also wet a microfiber cloth and rub gently on the spots where you see the mildew spores, the cloth will exterminate the spores very fast. I use those simple ones that are fluffy and not smooth, usually sold in the super markets. Distilled water or sterile water for injections is fine.
if I have a new record i clean it and put it in a new anti static inner sleeve they usually stay clean if i leave it on the turntable and it get a little dust i use a carbon fiber brush
It's not soap but using distilled water after is not a bad idea. You need 2 Spin Cleans! Wiping with a towel is not a good idea. Air dry until it's dry. Don't wipe your clean record with a dusty towel,
Great video....does anyone watching know where I can get a reliable drying rack? There is a company that sells a perfect option of a similar Spin Clean like model but they said they would not sell it separately.... I know there are dish drying racks out there but they seem too large and clunky....looking for something more streamlined to vinyl and holding 5-10 records. Thanks in advance for the suggestions 👍
You should go Analog Planet website and see what Michael Fremer recomends for cleaning records.....He knows more about records, cartridges, turntables, phono stages etc than anyone on the planet...........Nice system in the background.........Enjoy....
If you're interested in cleaning your records I have a new video up. I just made it recently I'm talking about best record cleaning solution. I'm now using two spin cleans. one for cleaning with TERGIKLEEN The second spin clean is for rinsing with distilled water. then I vacuum the records with the record Dr 5 amazing results records sound so much better higher fidelity has to be heard to be believed thanks for watching and liking the videos.
If you want to stay with the Spin-Clean, rather than a vacuum RCM, I would suggest not using water or a water-based cleaner at all. Just go to your local pharmacy and get 91% isopropyl alcohol and fill the reservoir with that. It'll be more expensive, but will do a much better job cleaning your records. It'll also dry much faster and more thoroughly. You can use some filtering material in a funnel to allow you to re-use the alcohol if you want to. If you want to get a bit more ambitious, and spend the extra money, get something like Mobile Fidelity One record cleaning solution and use that. One thing to keep in mind is that you must keep the cleaning pads as clean as possible. I have heard of people who use this machine scratching some of their records due to grit that was trapped in the cleaning pads. You should remove the pads frequently and clean them with a toothbrush and microfiber cloth, preferably after cleaning each record. Some say that using alcohol, or an alcohol-based cleaning solution, can damage the records by removing the oils from the vinyl. I don't buy that based on 25 years of LP cleaning experience. If you're worried about it, though, buy a second Spin-Clean and fill it with purified water and rinse each record after you clean it.
that puts a whole new spin on the spin clean! very helpful comments, thank you very much for taking the time to share your record cleaning solutions after 25 years of research. Very cool stuff. if anyone else has any experience with this concept please let the VC know here your results. thanks.
I respectfully disagree. Isopropyl Alcohol should never be used on records. Alchohol dries out vinyl and, among other record damaging problems, will cause and contribute to static.
Vitaphonist That's very debatable. It's a theory proposed by some that I don't believe. I doubt that the alcohol would be in contact with the vinyl long enough to cause any drying-out of the material. Please show me scientific proof to back your claim.
I have seen the way rubbing alcohol dries the skin so it is easy to believe that, at least to some degree, alcohol would dry vinyl. You are probably correct in your assumption that the longer you leave alcohol in contact with vinyl, the more liklihood of damage. In my opinion, if there is even the slightest chance of damage to the vinyl record by cleaning with rubbing alcohol, I would not use it.
thank you for your kind words maybe you can get something here store.acousticsounds.com/d/58982/Spin-Clean-Record_Washer_System-Record_Cleaning_Machine?&banner_id=242
not necessarily depends on your turntable mine is higher end i still hear he soap if you read the comments a lot of other with different turntables don't have the problem i did but for BEST results adding a record doctor V to vacuum clean is superior
i use the spin to clean my records before i sell them just use water works really good maybe add a little white distilled vinegar and a couple drops dish soap to a gal of distilled water thats what i do
The claims in this video are nothing but absolute nonsense. I have been using the Spin Clean for several years and I have never had the problems you described in this video. My records sounded great after being cleaned with the Spin Clean. My guess is that you used way too much of the Spin Clean Soap and you did not follow the package directions. The Spin Clean Soap is formulated so that dirt from the records being cleaned sinks to the bottom of the Spin Clean Tank.
Sounds like a guy needs 2 of these contraptions. One with the cleaning fluid and distilled water and one without the fluid. After cleaning the record, then a guy could run it thru the second station with just pure distilled water for the rinse. But that's $160+.
I've never had an issue. If you are only using water, then you are not going to remove non-polar contaminants from the surface. This is why chemists clean their glass with water AND acetone (would acetone be a good detergent?). A lot of your biological contaminants will not be removed by water alone. In fact, the brushes are just going to smear your fingerprints to the point of invisibility, as they are mainly made up of our own biologically produced lipids. The purpose of a detergent is to help remove what the water alone cannot remove. With all of that said, there is a possibility that leaving behind some of the non-polar compounds IS NOT a bad thing. Charged particles may be less attracted to the surface and these types of particles might have a greater affect on sound than the non-polar products mentioned. It would be an interesting study. Maybe a little oil isn't so bad.
Not when I use only distilled water to clean the records for me it was the soap that left a residue behind that made noise. where i live I don't have problems with static its fairly humid rear round. could you hear the static sparking when you dried the record?or did you hear the static when you played the record? because that's what I thought at first. some how static was being applied to the record surface, but for me no, not static but soap residue on the record was the nasty static sound
Hi guys, just an update, I bought a Disco Anti Stat cleaner off Amazon and used a solution a guy who had been using it for years advised me, I use Distilled Vinegar, Distilled Water and two minuscule drops of washing liquid. Works like a dream, never looked back, no static whatsoever.. Amazing results.
Stephen Needley Distilled Vinegar, Distilled Water and two minuscule drops of washing liquid. sounds like a winner I will have to try it out thanks for sharing
No problem, just fill with Distilled water and add two caps of the Distilled vinegar and the two minuscule drops of washing liquid... I have had no static at all, no noise at all, obviously as long as the record is near mint and above.. I used the solution that came with my cleaner and although it was good, it's just expensive to replace.. As you know Distilled water is dirt cheap as is the Distilled vinegar so it's very inexpensive.
no i did not like the steam cleaner at all. Is the record doctor V as good as the okki nokki or other expensive RCM's? I don't know as i have never used any other but I know it sucks all the liquid off the record, thats what I use it for. I clean with the spin clean vacuum with the record doctor V