His criticisms are correct, his bottom line is correct: alcohol/distilled/wetting agent, that's what the Library of Congress uses. IF you can afford $200, you'd be crazy not to make a motorised ultrasonic cleaner (see you tube). I clean 5 records at a time, the labels never touch the liquid. Rinse with distilled, dry them on a record rack, with a fan. Finally, put each record in an antistatic sleeve. Nothing is perfect. but this comes close.
Some say, the fan sends more dust back on the record, then actually just wiping them down. But like you said, no way is perfect. Shoot., I've dried off most of the stubborn watter with a blow dryer set on cool. Just move it around a lot.
@@Brian-qg8dg A blow drier on cool seems perfectly sensible. I'd heard the fan debate, but when I first play a cleaned record, my Relax record brush doesn't pick up a speck of dust, let alone leave a line, that I can detect. Hence (without any science) I think it's too small an issue to address.
I use Tergikleen which is a derivative of a chemical that the Library of Congress uses. Just a few drops in a gallon plus of distilled water, through my ultra sonic machine, vacuum on Record Doctor and let sit to dry. If it’s good enough for the Library of Congress it’s good enough for me.
@@scientificaudiophile your reply here implies distilled water is NOT good for vinyl, yet it's the main ingredient in your vinyl cleaning solution. I'm confused by your response.
The vinyl siding on a house is not the same as for a record and the siding does not have thousands of microscopic grooves that come into contact with another object to re-create sound.
@@dbsean he's saying he used distilled water, but not water that has been distilled 4 times as many spirits are. Its a bit of an tongue in cheek comment
One thing some people do, which I don't feel is necessary, and that is wet clean brand new records before they even listen to them. Fair enough if a new record looks dirty as some do, but if a record has no surface noise when you play it then best left well alone. Just make sure you take care with handling and use a carbon fibre brush to remove any dust while the record is spinning.
Next time when you get a new record play it and then ultrasonic wash it. Often the difference is huge. Sometimes there are lot of stuff left behind from the pressing. And if you have a good stylus you will hear the change like night and day. Sometimes even so well that you hear instruments that you didn't even know were there. Only thing you need is 6L industrial ultrasonic cleaner and attachment for records motor that spins. About $300 all up. Clean filtered city tab water works just as well. No need for distilled water and no solutions or cocktails or rubbish in the water. ONLY WATER. Hard well water is a different thing. That I can't recommend using.
Hmmm agree on the Mofi wash and rinse product but can't say I agree on just wiping the LP with a clean micro fiber cloth. I mean, we are dealing in a microscopic world here and a rag is just going to glide across the top of the grooves leaving cleaning fluids in those grooves to be eventually scraped out by ones stylus. (eventually gunking up the stylus. ) Personally I use a vacuum system arm to vacuum the wash out then a different arm to vacuum the rinse out while it all is still wet. But...that's just me...
So glad I seen this. I knew a lot of what I've seen was a bad idea. I actually wondered if a baby nail brush might be a good idea, not to press on yourself but I was thinking of maybe two in a row, parallel with the vinyl layed on the deck, it may cover the surface, apply the solution, then lift and I was going to modify a piece of pvc pipe with multiple drill holes and a microfibre wrap and hoover the liquid away. Before I do this, does this sound agreeable? I'm talking about a spinning deck, and the center pin being used and a level created via shims. To make it perfect every time kind of set up. Do you concur? 🤔
Thumbs up for this video. This guy knows what he's talking about. I've been using these exact ingredients for many years. There are a few YT videos that offer this same method, but not many - because as this guy says in this video - these other people do not have the knowledge. Distilled water with 99% Isopropanol (20% mixed of desired volume), Ilford agent (5% mixed of the desired volume).
I agree about the dangerous RU-vid videos. Some are appalling. I use both a vacuum machine and a Degritter ultrasonic. I've used/test at least a dozen cleaning fluids. I thought Tergikleen would be the solution but there were some issues. If a record is truly dirty or used I start with the vacuum then use plain distilled water for a thorough rinse in the Degritter. I follow that with a lab grade Type I pure water rinse on the vacuum machine. I'm a rinse freak and as a largely classical listener, it's beneficial. Last, I quit using microfiber cloths last year. Someone in the industry with a very serious microscope convinced me that they are not, in fact, lint free and that the lint is, of course, microfiber, small enough to lodge in the grooves. He recommends cloth diapers but I actually prefer old undershirts cut into piece or "antique" hand towels so worn you can almost see through them. Does a better job of drying as well.
I have used the much maligned Permostat since the mid-70s. Those who disparage its use either have never used it...or not used it correctly! I have a very large Lp collection (I used to run a classical record - and later CD - store) mainly collected in the late 60s, through the 70s and into the 80s. All are in the pristine condition that they were when I obtained them...I sometimes changed a record four or five times to rocure a decent pressing. After Permostatting it's noticable that the stylus clogs up, and a certain amount of 'crumb' is left on the record surface. No matter, this is the deposits that are in all grooves of a record - even ones that look pristine. After 4 or 5 plays this diminishes, and subsequent plays produces little or no deposits. NB. If you don't play a record sufficiently after Permostatting, but just store it away, you may find that on playing it, it seems noisy compared to how you remember it. You merely need to play it a few times and the tell-tale stylus clog and surface 'crumb' tells you it's becoming cleaner! My records are statically inert after being treated nearly 50 years ago some of them, I discern no 'damage' whatsoever....on the contrary, the Permostat, apart from removing the static charge thereby releasing the dirt, also lubricates the groove surfaces to an extent, reducing wear. Permostat has become difficult to find in the last few years...although I just bought some from Holland which came with the original buffer.....at a price! BTW I have used top-quality styli Shure, Ortofon, and now, the new Goldring E4 which is excellent. None of these have shown any sign of damage from the Permostat...in fact their life may even havebeen extended by the lubricating effect of the anti-static cleaner.
A graphic came up appears to be a ratio Distilled water, 160 ml, 99% pure alcohol, 1 ml ilford ilfotol wetting agent Do you go into deeper on making and storing this. Is this the same mixture you would recomend using with my ultra sound spin machine? Please go into deeper...Thanks Super helpful so far
i bought one of those cheap 170.00 sonic cleaners on ebay. used it on a rare record that skipped multiple times and sounded cruddy. after a cleaning it still looked rough but sounded new. i dont know if it worked because of the warm water is was spinning through for 20 minutes or if the surfacant and the machine did the work but something good happened
Hi, glad I found this video and channel today! Totally agree about the quality control of going the DIY route. But do we need to rinse this solution, or just wiping it up is fine? Thnx
I just tried the cleaning very crackly 1970s Twiggy album with a few drops of dish soap (in about 250 ml of luke warm water) and record cleaning brush, and it's actually very good. But then I tried it on a crackly Genesis album, and it made no difference.
It's basically trial and error! Been selling records for 20 years Married for 30 years I am sure I probably screwed up on my honeymoon! Clean it play it & and if she sounds great you did it! The vinyl I mean not my wife 👍
Hey Chris, great video again but as an audio engineer from the early 70s with high-end broadcast equipment and my own personal turntables, JVC, Pro-Ject Classic and an early 80’s Thorens, I am a staunch believer in wood glue that I have used for years, an old DJ trick still Works perfect going on 50 years …..that’s OK with me.
Inherited a large collection of old records that haven't been cleaned in decades. Any tips on the method I should use to tackle this? I'm completely new to this stuff.
I've use at least 10 cleaning solutions over the years. Many differences, many similarities but always based on distilled water. For me the key is rinsing. I don't care if the product used says it needn't be rinsed. All do in my experience. I use a Degritter for my last step. In my view it is a brilliant way of rinsing. I can take an LP that was thoroughly cleaned on another machine, which does a good job with a quality fluid, play it, then come back later and run it on a pure distilled water rinse and it sounds better. Some solution are VERY difficult to thoroughly rinse. My last rinse is lab grade I pure water. Distilled water still has a fair amount of particulate matter in it. A small amount follows a distilled water rinse. That's as good as I've come up with using many products, both solutions and machines, including Kirmuss VPI, Pro-Ject, and Degritter, not to mention various brushes. When a record is properly cleaned and rinsed with the pure water at the end there is very little drying needed. It's almost completely dry by the end.
@@CookieCurls It depends on the type of music and how far I'm willing to go for a specific album. At a minimum a distilled water rinse in the Degritter. On prized stuff and in particular classical, where there are so many very quiet passages, I do a final rinse on my vacuum machine with laboratory grade Type I ultra pure water. I do the rinse, vacuum and then place in the Degritter for about 30 seconds (1 revolution) on a low fan speed to insure it's totally dry before putting it into a new sleeve.
I've found many microfiber cloths are NOT lint-free and will leave your record dirtier than it was before you cleaned it. Any recommendations on specific microfiber cloths to use?
Wait. Would you recommend the Groovewasher Walnut Record Cleaning Kit? I've heard very good things about this kit and the bottle that comes with the kit tells you what is in it. It is 100% distilled water with no iso alchohol.
Reading their website it says “Laboratory grade, double deionized, carbon filtered & UV treated water”. I would definitely feel comfortable using this product. Thanks for letting me know it exists.
everyone recommends what they are rich in! or what was paid for! we do a plasma cleaning before start make a physical vapor deposition of the diamond on the vinyl.... totally dont touch any "water"
20% of IPA is WAY TOO MUCH. I use distilled water with 3-4 drops of surfactant Tergikleen. Max 5 drups into gallon of distiled water. With Tergikleen based solution, IPA is not recommended at all.
Can I please be very dumb and ask for a video of you making up your solution. like the full life cycle from the type of bottle you use, the batches you’d normally make, I recon 500ml(?) and whether you’d it in a degritter etc. Thanks so much for the vid. Liked and subbed
Distilled water may not remove all the impurities, so you send it through another distilling process. No, they don't evaporated it and distill it again, they use giant distilleries to do it repeatedly. Here is a video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fp552QM1Uno.html
For me, tap water is fine if I just do it once. i.e. a cleaning of a really dirty record. It's a one time thing. And though I use distilled for "repeated cleaning" during normal playing, I doubt it matters. And regular ol' wal-mart alcohol is just fine. No need to be anal about it. I have ~3,500 records and my methodology works great for really dirty records, and for "already deep cleaned" or new records, A discwasher with plain water is fine for me. I also use electronic candle lighters as a "zerostat". Works great. I wish I had this dialed in 40-50 years ago, when I was an "audiophile". All my records had pops and clicks, though they may have been rare. No more.
TY but I tried brand new Micro fiber cloths and part of the material from the cloth came off onto the record. I have had bad luck with this. A thick clean cotton towel seems to work well for me
So GrooveWasher G2 (a well established and highly rated brand of cleaner) makes a point to say there is NO isopropyl alcohol in their "purified, deionized water." As others have echoed in comments here, there are too many contradictory messages out there. Do you represent Discogs using their logo on your video Thumbnail with a sensationalistic "DON'T" arrow pointing to it meaning what?
If you’re cleaning 78’s, which aren’t made of vinyl, you do NOT want to use any alcohol. That’s probably what they’re referring to, as that would make their solution safe for all records. However, alcohol is a better cleaner, so it’s better for the 99.99% of people who will never use it on a 78.
I have no direct knowledge of the Kirmuss cleaning system. I will say, that I haven't seen a manual system outperformed, though if deep cleaning many albums, a automated system will save you a lot of time.
Its is used by the USA Library of congress/ preservation of vinyl records in their archives, sold on Amazon one bottle yields 30 gallons ten to 20 drops per gallon of distilled water or RODI WATER. must must must rinse with fresh distilled water of after a cleaning with the solution. Posting a video only one the difference not my process.
THIS is why I stopped ✋️ collecting vinyl. They degrade from use, and I only ever felt safe listening to these things once, and that one time be transferred to Audacity to edit... Once they're FLAC files, problems solved. A good, solid digital copy, and I would only ever grab records that never made it to CD, which are not really a whole bunch I'm seeing here, so yeah... CD's are just so much better for quality, and convenience...
@@TMWSTW-hy5ph That is interesting to hear, though price-gouging of first press vinyl records are running rampant, and CD's, even the first pressings are a lot cheaper, and sound the closest to the master tapes, without those loudness war-era remixes. I can see how vinyl would sound closer, but getting one in very good shape is a large setback in prices. Not anything like my high school days in 2008, where they were $3-5, or $10 a pop.
You talk like 99% isopropyl is everywhere and easy to find. It is not. And the day I use Photo-flo on vinyl records is the day I give up two hobbies. Yes, I shoot and develop film. I would NEVER use this stuff on vinyl records. Ever.
I get the part where you say "Don't trust a product that doesn't tell you, what's in it". But honestly, I'm a broke kid who just wants his records to live a little longer and listen to them every once in a while. I'm just trying to figure out the basics, on how to keep my records clean. But after watching this video, I became very reluctant to even try it out of fear to "destroy" my records (how exactly? mechaninal damage to the grooves, damage to the chemical composition of the vinyl ?) But I guess not cleaning my records is the abolute worst possible cleaning advice I could follow. Also, WHY am I to use 99% pure alcohol, WHY is Isopropol not enough? As a channel who has the word "scientific" in the channel's name, you leave a lot to be desired in terms of the "science". No explanation, no reasoning, only "don't do this, this is wrong" and "onyl do that, that is the onyl wright way to do it" WHERE'S YOUR EVIDENCE? Why should I believe YOU instead of someone else, who makes a similar video with the same type of arguments, but with opposite opninions? Lastly, there are ways to adress and deal with false advice, misinformation and the like. Hostility i.e. the way you're doing it ISN'T one of them. Directly calling out the people themselves instead of only adressing the things they say is a major red flag. (Not even a single mention of how you don't intend to target anyone directly) Congrats, you made me avoid your channel alltogether and I doubt I will be the only one.
I'm young as well and in the last half year I've been digitizing my collection with the Vinyl Vac. You would buy a 40-60 dollar shop vac and hook it up to this, altogether roughly 100 dollars. And let me tell you it has been the best cleaning setup I've ever had, I used to use the glue method and it worked but the vac sucks up everything so you should have a perfectly clean record when all said and done. I also use alcohol along with the Vinyl Vac solution on the records. I think if you just keep the amount of alcohol down you should be fine, and your vinyl will be preserved. I have also heard good things about enzymatic solutions instead of using alcohol if your worried.
He was trying to help. I agree he did seem to attack, but it was also informative. Although why this and not that he did not explain, it should be obvious. If it is not regulated or explained what is in a product, don't use it. It's snake oil or worse. US tap water at least has all sorts of chemicals in it, drugs, etc. Probably worst of all, hard water depending where you are at. Distilled on the other hand should not. The one thing I would have liked him to explain was why 99% alcohol. But I digress. He is also probably thinking long term, like his children or grand children and great grand children inheriting his records. Not the common person who, as a child, I never remember a record ever being cleaned. Maybe a light dusting of a feather duster and just because it happened to be in the way. Haha!
As someone who has been buying and listening to vinyl for over 40 years, my advice would be don't worry about it. Just play your records and enjoy them. All these youtube videos have turned people into OCD lunatics. Your records will be fine and will likely outlive you.
I will say that I try this combination and it's actually pretty cheap. Most expensive thing is a 99% alcohol but then everything else is just a few bucks. I recommend it because you can actually save a lot of money and you do know exactly what you're using. It's been working really well for me. Also think the microfiber cloth is pretty crucial instead of just some brush.
Sigh. This must be one of the main things killing the vinyl hobby. Everyone on the internet saying a different thing, everyone acting like the one and only who knows. I've been OCD:ing over my wet cleaning option for a while, and I just said fuck it and ordered the GrooveWasher G2. I know, "it leaves crud and a film on your records, the sponge is shit, don't ever use it, you should listen to Guy #145" - at this point I'm not going to trust any one party on the internet, I want to start listening to the goddamn records...
He’s a audio file he cares all about the quality of the music so he’s obviously gonna be complaining about the solutions which isn’t his own I don’t really care about solutions it’s just about how you like to music and that’s what vinyl is about listening to music your way
PursuitPerfectSystem channel made a video much better than this one with microscope check before and after with various techniques. This one is clickb*it.
I'm having a full on anxiety attack about it. I use the spincare set and I was happy but now everyone is telling me I wasn't eben supposed to use a microfiber cloth... I can't afford a cleaning machine now...
490ml distilled water 5ml ilford ilfotol 5ml 99% ISO alcohol You do not need much alcohol. You will likely not hear a difference between a 25% and a .5% solution.
This is good advice, the goal is to clean records without damaging / scratching them and without leaving any residue behind. The combination of products he shares are perfect for this and way cheaper than any off the shelf product. Nice job 👍
dish soap and warm water will not ruin records (it hasn't ruined mine). After the 'deep clean' I spray with distilled water, isopropanol & surfactant with micro fibre cloths. The first round gets the bad stuff out. The second treatment I use every time before I play the record. Full agreement with your recommendation: Either it states what's in the cleaning solution, then you decide. Or it doesn't, and you make your own.
I too have been using mild, unscented dish soap and tepid tapwater to clean records for years and have had NO ILL effects whatsoever. I own about 1500 records and have never had a problem with my cleaning method. Also, I clean my records without submerging them and I do not saturate the labels, so calm down about "ruining" the labels. But for what it is worth, most labels can take a lot of water exposure with no problem. They do not disbond, do not discolor and will usually be just fine unless the labels are the mattte types of the 1950s and early 60s.
When I get a used record and it appears filthy dirty, I use cool soapy water and a cheap unused brush (such as a chefs basting brush). I brush a generous amount of the soapy water on the playing surface in a circular motion back and forth a couple of times. Try not to get the record label seriously soaked. After that, I rinse the record with cold water. I dry the record with a regular clean towel (or one of the many good microfibre towels) and let it air dry the rest of the way. So far, I’ve had great success with this method. I rest my case.
Thanks for the video. But can you provide us with a link to an official and scientific proven experiment that confirms everything you say? Because without it your advice can be as good or as bad as all the other methods and/or products you dismiss. No offence!
The last one D4 record cleaning fluid has been around since the 60's and was the go to cleaning fluid of the 60- 90's and did a pretty decent job with the velour brush that came with the fluid. It will NOT hurt your records .
This is a slight misconception. The brush you're thinking is the *original* dishwasher brush that actually *was* from the pre 2000s. They made the brush and cleaner in a completely different way that no company since has replicated. They went out of business in the early 2000s (guess why?), but had their brand name bought by someone else. What you see in this video is that new stuff. The brush and cleaner are completely different and kinda garbage. I recommend looking up a video of the Original Discwasher D4 System. It's pretty cool! I love mine.
My thought is that the Original discwasher co. went out of business when records started being overtaken by CD's, sales went way down since the seventies so they sold the name for big money
The brush just redeposits the dirt from one record onto the next unless you thoroughly wash it which would probably destroy it in short order. The D4 fluid has changed over time and some variations left a milky residue.
If you don't believe in doing things right then why did you edit your comment? Obviously you fucked up or said something incorrectly or just didn't word it the way you wanted to so you went back and you edited it. Why did you do that? Because you like to do things right. Yeah so do I, so do a lot of people. That's why we have videos like this, so that we can learn how to do things right. Have you ever tried to listen to a dirty record? It's impossible. It sucks. Frankly, it's disrespectful to the music. So out of respect for the music, for the engineers that put it together, for the musicians that made it, I like to try to experience it the way they want me to experience it. I'm not some Yuppie asshole rocking a 15 thousand dollar stereo system. My shit probably cost $500 at the most. But I'm a hippie and I like to do things right.
@@PeacefulPariah to be fair, I sometimes edit comments I make because I didn't proofread before posting, only to see a word misspelled or auto correct changing a word to something I didn't intend.
@@Ambie81 Think about it- if there was indeed one, definitive way to clean records, why are no two cleaning videos alike? Ask 100 people how to clean records, and you’ll get over 1000 responses. I have many records that have survived many decades, and will most likely, outlive me. Cleaning records has, sadly, become another hobby for some. Listening to music has far greater importance.
I just put my records in the cat's litter box. Right after I put a fresh load of litter in there, I wait until there are at least three cat turds and then I know the process is complete. They come out like new, and sound amazing!
What's the point of buying 99% alcohol when I'm going to add water to it anyway? 70% alcohol from any pharmacy is medical grade woth purified distilled water. Just make your own cleaner with a surfactant which does not contain additives such as perfume and oils (aka not dish soap).
Ok, that's a damn good point! While I recommend using triple distilled water, there is not evidence to suggest any impurities are used in 70% water, and it probably saves a step. When I did this video, the lack of specificity on 70% solutions using the ingredient 'water' and not specifying distilled water was used, after researching this comment, it seems like all Isopropyl alcohol uses only distilled water. So I'm going to pin this comment. Thanks.
The water where I live has very little chloride so I do clean records under lukewarm tap water with a clean microfiber spunge. Use regular soap for cleaning plates and spoons Etc. Hold the record with a glove so I can touch all areas. Clean thoroughly. Dunce off all soap then dry with clean micro fiber cloth before letting it air dry another 5 minutes. Then I play record and bever clean it ever again.
Its not just chlorine thats a concern but mainly a buildup of hard minerals from tap water, in some parts of the country tap water has such a high content of hard minerals and purifying chemicals it can harden like concrete in the grooves and grind away at your stylus - its the same reason they use distilled water in eye drops and such, so you dont get mineral deposits scratching at your eyes every time you blink.
I know this is old, but none of anything this guy said is true. Washing and drying a record with regular water will not harm it. As long as you don't let the water dry on the record it's fine. This video is just more fear mongering. Vinyl records are pretty durable and will last a long time if take care of. Washing a record with these solutions a couple of times isn't going to harm anything.
Dude...im old enough I grew up when records were common. We stacked em, we pulled em off turn tables and set them aside. I played Moving Pictures and 2112 everyday for roughly 2 yrs along with many others. We never washed em , bagged em and most of us never dreamed of having high dollar extreme stereo turn tables. Amazing the 2 I mentioned (and most others) still play ok to fine. I take better care now than then but still......really??
Yeah, same here im 63 and maybe we could have done a better job then but one thing ive learned over the years is theres TONS of snake oil record products of all kinds, I could speak for hours on the many ludicrously overpriced record accessories that exist moreso today than ever.
Sounds about right. My collection has been sitting for a very long time. Cleaning is a good thing but DO NOT USE any chemicals. I invested on an ultrasonic washer. 6L washer with record attachment that has a motor. Filtered city tab water is all you need. No cocktails of 2-5 different additives and crap people put in the washer as they don't know how the ultrasonic washer works. My 40 year old collections is like new. Plus if you wash new records like this you get lot more sound from them. Records always have veering amount of stuff left behind from the manufacturing process as much as it can hide lot of sound and even instruments that you didn't even know were in there.
Hey... my Moving Pictures record brought me to this video! I came back to this LP last week. I bought it in 1984, and must have mistreated it, touched the groves, and played it on poor equipment 300 times. I'm not using good equipment (vintage) and I'm amazed at how good this record sounds. Yeah yeah, it's Moving Pictures, but still. But there were pops and skips that I want to fix. But I do believe the groves would be gunked up after 40 years like anything else, and that it lowers sound quality. IDK how noticable it would be.
@@aphelps9196 Don't. Just play them regularly, store them properly and occasionally give your stylus a clean with a stylus brush a d that should be enough. 40 plus years of listening to vinyl, I'm speaking from experience!
So, lots of good information, but so a bit of snobbery. The SpinClean has been around for awhile, using their cleaner, with distilled water, on their system, WORKS GREAT!!!! I've cleaned many records and all sounds incredible. Others have cleaned thousands and thousands with great results (often the same as cleaning with a $3,500 ultrasonic). So yeah, be careful not to lump all in the same boat without a little more evidence!
Youre not wrong but this is obsessive. Those cleaning liquids they sell people are pointless. TAP WATER IS FINE. Alcohol should ONLY be used to remove glue, paint, nail polish, someone's lunch from 1978 that refuses to come off normally. Other than that, glass cleaner & water are perfectly fine. Been doing that since before the internet.
If I had a $50,000 sound system with a stylus that cost $500 I might be as fussy as this guy is about cleaning my records. But I don't. I agree that records should be handled carefully and cleaned if they can be improved by doing so. But, in my opinion, there is such a thing as overkill. I'm not saying that what this guy is telling you is wrong. He hits on some very good points. I just don't think that the average collector has to be this cautious. My method works fine for me and probably does for most collectors. I don't use distilled water. I use tap water. And the water in my area is pretty hard. The trick is not to let it dry on the record. And I only clean the record once. Just once. Maybe if I cleaned them 50 times they could accumulate enough minerals to cause damage to the grooves and the stylus playing them. I use a sponge dipped in a bowl filled with tap water and a couple of drops of unscented Dawn dish washing fluid. If it's safe enough to clean oil covered birds then it's safe enough to put on my records! I carefully rinse them off by spinning them under running water without getting the labels wet. Then I immediately pat them dry with a soft, lint free towel. If I have a very dirty record I will use a soft toothbrush on the bad spots. You know what I mean. The spots that people leave on them after touching them with chicken wing sauce on their fingers! After I clean them the grooves are amazingly quiet. Good enough, I say. If had to clean hundreds of records regularly (like dealers do) then I would buy an ultrasonic system. I buy mostly used records that have been enjoyed by previous owners. I'm not afraid to run my $40 stylus over a few light scratches. If I'm playing a very old record from the '50's or 60's I kind of enjoy a few pops and clicks. The secret to a happy life is to eliminate as much stress as possible. So do yourself a favor and just chill out and enjoy the music! Your opinions are welcome! Your personal insults are not. LOL.
...what the hell are y'all doing with your records? I picked up my first vinyl around 2012 from an antique store for $3. Never cleaned it. Played it at least a dozen times. Played it the other day...yup still sounds fine. Just put them back in their sleeves when you're done listening lol
As I clean 50-100 records, almost daily at my store, I've been thinking of making a similar video. While I agree with most of what you've said here, it seems to be as much of an assumption on your part, as to the quality or poor sourcing of the water and or chemicals used in various products, as it is to assume otherwise. Also, most cleaners are concentrated, and only require a few drops or capful in bottle or basin of water. That said, a final rinse with true distilled or lab grade water is always best.
There are cities and towns with shockingly hard water - people need water softeners installed at the intake to keep their faucets from clogging after only a year or so of unfiltered water. To put that level of mineral content onto such fine grooves, and do it over and over again, doesn't seem a risk I think anyone should take when distilled water is so cheap and plentiful (and can even be made at home). That's my 2¢. Thanks for the comment.
@@scientificaudiophile true, it's easy enough, and cheap, but were talking a few drops in maybe a gallon of water. I was literally a water processing technician for Culligan for a decade. That would likely be an actually unmeasurable amount of mineral content if added to otherwise pure water. You're here to dispel other people's BS, and there's plenty of it around this topic on RU-vid, but you don't need to add more.
I have to say the guy dunking his record in the sink made me laugh, I hope it was just a joke! It reminded me of a video some of my photography friends sent me a couple years ago of a great way to clean your camera, pull off the lens, dunk your camera in water, scrub the sensor with whatever and rinse with a water hose 😁 If someone has to be told NOT to do these types of things they most likely have more important things to worry about than simply running a record. Having said that…please DONT wash your records in the sink!
To effectively remove dust, I lightly spray distilled water on my carbon fibre brush and lift it off using a sweeping method. Removes 95% of dust, no print left and resolves static issue. no BS just Quick and easy
So I did an experiment. I live in a dusty environment. I have to clean my records quite often. So I made a solution of distilled water with 70% alcohol. And I noticed after wiping with a microfiber cloth Mike once clean Records now had the bacon sizzling sound. I suppose the contaminants in the 70% alcohol caused scratches and contamination to the records. Then I tried 91% alcohol and distilled water and a microfiber cloth and it made a huge difference in the surface noise. so I agree with you the higher percentage alcohol you use the less contaminants will be on your records and please use vinyl gloves when cleaning. The only problem with 99% alcohol is that it smells awful and I feel so toxic when I use it from smelling it. But it does do a good job. I guess I'll wear a facemask as well.
I do not doubt your cleaning recipe works but it is possible your own recipe might damage records. I am just getting back into vinyl after losing my entire record collection last year and since I am literally starting over I wanted to do a better job protecting my vinyl so I have been researching cleaning fluids and techniques. One thing that has come up more than once in my reading is Isopropyl alcohol decreases a records shine i.e. increases microporosity which can accelerate wear. I have no idea if methanol or ethanol have this same effect on records. I have not read anything about glycols harming records. You are technically correct since glycols contain an “OH” group they are considered alcohols in organic chemistry nomenclature. However to a non chemist consumer alcohol means at most ethanol, isopropyl, and to a very few methanol. If your average consumer is looking for an alcohol free cleaner they are probably looking for a cleaner without ethanol, isopropyl, and/or methanol. Consequently I think you might be miss understanding why a manufacturer says their fluid is alcohol free when it contains a glycol. Distilled/di-ionized water is definitely preferred over plain water but not every company lists the water they used as distilled even when that is what they are using. Some manufactures that do not list distilled water on their ingredients also sell concentrated versions of their cleaners, and the instructions for their concentrates explicitly say to mix the concentrate with distilled water. I definitely understand your frustration with the lack of ingredients being listed. After all there are probably still companies that still sell PVC record sleeves as a way to protect your records. If you buy these mystery ingredient record cleaners you are basically trusting that the company you are buying it from has truly studied the effects of their product. I’m having a hard time trusting any of these companies. It seems all of the truly old companies were sold years ago and underwent recipe changes after they changed hands. I keep reading the original formula worked great but this newer recipe does not work. By modern standards hand washing records with dish soap is not considered the best cleaning method but it will not ruin your records if you use good technique and choose a good soap without lotions and perfumes. Dawn Ultra or Dawn regular (blue colored) are good choices but I would probably avoid the Platinum version since it has water softeners in it. I may end up adopting this method. There are plenty of people that have been doing this for decades with good results so at least we know what the long term effects are on the vinyl. Happy Listening and enjoy your vinyl!
How is dish soap and warm water going to ruin a record? Not the best method, but you don't have to submerge it in the sink and use an old brush.... I've used warm water and soap and it cleans just fine. I've since upgraded to an ultrasonic cleaner. If you're going to make a video trashing other people's cleaning methods, how about just making a video with your suggested cleaning methods? Don't have to spend ten minutes talking smack about other people's stuff.
I remember in the 80s we had vinyl albums and never cleaned or washed or put lotion on it. Zero fucks given and just wiped with a cloth. Done! Its jut more bullshit to sell to people with cash and a boner for vinyl. Listen to music..not format!
Yes, those were the days! Same here: just a old cloth to wipe the dust of and put the needle in the groove. I'm doing this for over 45 years and my records are still sounding great. Greasy records from the junk shop?? Soapy water and a towel, works fine. Enjoy your music💪💪
@@scientificaudiophile so are you saying with the 70% ISO alcohol if the remaining 30% is distilled water we don’t have to add any distilled water to your original recommended solution? Just the 70% iso alcohol and a wetting agent?
A few weeks ago I got a hold of 3 records for €3 each. They were filthy. I tried the tap water + dish soap + dunk in the sink but instead of a brush like he had I used a soft-bristle toothbrush. This method worked mint for me.. It did remove a lot of the cracks & pops it had before.. A few weeks later the record is still fine with no apparent side effects to it or the stylus.
some people just enjoy playing records to play records, and might think tracking dirt into them is much worse than rubbing it with soft fabric brushes, or, god forbid, water that might leave some scaling after a few thousand washes.
There was a fluid spray sold on Amazon a few years back that left a sheen on the Records that made them shine, and I swear it had some kind of lubricant in it. After a while, it turned to cook on my records, and when I wipe them off with alcohol and water. All of this brown residue came off. I forgot what it was called, slick or slide some thing in a tiny orange spray can? You're right, sir I agree with you all D's cleaning fluids that you can buy are awful and a waste of money.
Dish soap and TAP water. That's how I clean my records. Label and all. And a soft cloth to dry, thats it. Never been let down. Where were all these cleaning techniques in the 50's, 60's, 70's when this was the only form of listening to music? there wasn't cause people had some common sense back then. People are suckers to capitalism and marketing nowadays.
I think that we must be careful of saying that you will ruin a record because most of these records have been around longer than some people have been alive and they are passed on and sold to the next generation some are ruined, but others are perfectly fine, they just need some cleaning. Having said that some of the solutions that you can buy, I agree that they don’t tell you what’s in them. I probably wouldn’t buy them because you are probably paying for the same tap water that is in your home and they could be just putting it in a fancy bottle and charging you for the privilege. As far as dishwashing soap, it will not ruin a record, especially Dawn even though it may have other ingredients in there, I have records that I have had that are 10-20 years old some older than me and this is with me being the second, third or fourth owner. What is important about using something like Dawn is to rinse this stuff off thoroughly from your record, so as to not leave soap residue, which can create static, which will draw dust back into the groove. I will sometimes soak records that I use Dawn on in a sink of water, with plastic handheld 2-piece screw-down labels protectors, and I have done this overnight, and never have I gotten a label wet. Dunking your whole record into the sink isn’t something that I would do without a hand-held screw-down 2-piece label protector because some labels don’t handle water well at all due to the paper used on the label and Bluenote for one, especially their older more collectible stuff from the 50s and 60s will be ruined. I have accidentally gotten the labels wet before I owned a label protector, or vacuum machines, like the Project VCS, VPI 16.5, and my Ultrasonic, and they (Bluenote) were ruined, but some of the other labels just dry without harm, but I wouldn’t take chances this, especially on collectible vinyl or records that are personal to you. The Ultrasonic machine was the last record machine purchased and the VPI 16.5 was the first. The Project VCS allows me to dry both sides at nearly the same time due to the turntable size being slightly larger than the record label. I don’t use Microfiber anything or towels for drying records as I have found even the brand new and expensive Microfiber towels still leave lint. I play-test all of the records that I clean and watch the stylus and I was getting lint from microfiber clothes, and expensive ones that the lint ended up in my stylus. I go from wet/sink to vacuum after a pre-wash and vacuum to Ultrasonic and then vacuum again as a last drying. Sometimes I will use Music Direct Superwash and I make my own enzyme cleaner using fruits that have natural enzyme properties, Triton X100-as a surfactant, 90 percent Alcohol, and distilled water and I bottle it. I learned this from a channel called Kookkatjazz and it works beautifully. I get no static, no lint or gunk in my grooves, and this is after washing them with Dawn in a sink with a hand label protector I use both a corner paint applicator, which has soft bristles, and a handle, along with vacuum cleaners, and Ultrasonic cleaning. The reason that manufacturers say to use distilled water and I do in my Ultrasonic as the last step cleaning step and then vacuum it, is because a lot of people sometimes have hard water, which could leave a calcium deposit on the record or even on your dishes. If your water coming out of the tap is filtered or not harsh, this is less likely to happen. I spray them in the sink with the sprayer that I clean off and sometimes dip them in a sink full of water, but with the plastic, two-piece screw-down label protector and water never touch the labels. This gets the stubborn 40-year gunk out of the record for preparation of the other stuff that I do. I have gone back and did a before and after with a magnifying glass at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years for selected records and I haven’t seen any grooves on records ruined with Dishwashing soap, it is just static electricity that will attract dust from the air that will get into your grooves if you don’t get the soap off or vacuum the vinyl to long, which can in itself create static electricity which can cause the stylus to bump up against the grooves, widen them, or the dust can produce skips due to dust being wedged in the record grooves. Our records are precious, but we can be as elaborate or as simple as we want and even Steve Guttenberg the Audiophilliac said he doesn’t use a vacuum because of a bad experience, he just washes them in the sink with a label protector and he calls it a day. If records were being ruined all the time, there would be nothing to collect. Records are more durable than we think and they will outlast people, so let’s be sensible, but still have an open mind about learning new methods to hone your skills, become more efficient, and more importantly, just have fun and enjoy the music because the only person that has to enjoy your record collection is you!!!
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 Actually, no one said that you had to. To Assume, no one will do something, implies that you know everyone, which neither you nor I can say that we know everyone or know what everyone will or won't do. Sometimes in life, all messages aren't meant for all people. Knowledge doesn't come in a 10 second sound bite, knowledge is acquired over time and excepted by those that are truly ready for it!!!
Old Spice - After Shave for Men and Vinyl - This will clean your face after a good shave... Why waste the excess alcohol based residue on your hands? Smear what's left on your records! Brings em up a treat! Waste not want not!! lol
I use Kodak Photo-flo or FPP Foto Flow which is the same thing in a smaller bottle. So basically I use what you use. Now, if I’m dealing with a very dirty old 78, it’s gotta be something more potent like plain Dawn dish washing liquid or something similar. Distilled water is a must of course. Very good video and it’s good to call out these misleading channels.
By far the best resource is Neil Antin's 'Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records' ebook. I follow a three stage cleaning protocol: preclean, acid wash, final clean. The precleaner has 99.9% pure IPA plus a surfactant. The acid wash is 5% distilled white vinegar (we cannot get Citrinox in the UK) plus a nonionic surfactant. The final clean is with deionised water plus Dehypon 54 and Benalkonium Chloride (BAC50) (nonionic plus cationic surfactants) and no IPA. I do a deionised water and IPA rinse after the acid wash and final wash stages. I vacuum dry after each clean and wash stage. I use goatshair brushes - a different one for each stage.
Hello. Thanks for the very useful review. You mention Spin Clean on your video. Would you not recommend the cleaning device? And if you do, what alternative fluid would you recommend for the cleaning brushes?
@@scientificaudiophile many thanks for the reply. I meant which cleaning liquid would you recommend to put on the brushes that clean the vinyl instead of the spin clean liquid it comes with? As you said on your review you don't recommend there own liquid.
Everyone knows you can’t listen to a dirty record, it’s unlistenable. Imagine hearing a pop or a click from a vinyl album. It would ruin the whole experience.
@@PedroMiguel-if3ll I buy records in thrift stores. Treasures that are a bit dirty. They definitely need cleaning. Afterwards, many of these have sounded as brand new. The dirt is not good for your stylus. If you buy new records only, a dust-wiper is probably good enough. Anyhow, many new records come with fingerprints and debris from the factory, even dirt from the factory.
@@rabarebra Yep, I have a big collection that started getting mold spots, cause they were in storage over 7 years. That's why I probably have to invest in the Project Vacuum Cleaner. It's £350, but I heard reports that it cleans all that
@PedroMiguel-if3ll I agree. 40 years of playing records, never cleaned them and they sound just fine. Don't waste your money on expensive machines and play the damn things. Give your stylus a clean with a stylus brush and that should be it. Imagine the groove in your record is like a ploughed field. Leave the field and the furrows will get stuff in them and to sharpen up the furrows, you run your plow through them again. Like a groove on your record, the regular playing will keep the groove clear and proper storage of you records is all that's needed.
We have the same problem in the diet community. Big RU-vidrs giving poor advice, half-truths(sometimes on purpose), and worse. And that stuff is what people gravitate to, and/or, scammers are more likely to use tricks to get views.
Great vid thnx BUT if you’re being so critical on details then let me be a bit critical too. It is best to use at least bi-distilled water. This doesn’t mean you cannot use simple distilled water or even tap water but bi-distilled water has almost no salts left. There is less chance for electrical conductivity if salts are reduced to almost 0% (there are still others ways that cannot be eliminated through distillation). Just because the companies are stating “water” and not “distilled water” doesn’t mean they’re using tap water and not distilled water. Distilled water is still water. It’s more or less a standard to used distilled water with any non-consumable products. Using tap water is an issue since we’re not certain of what’s in the water exactly. We’d have to constantly test the water for bacteria and fungus which could ruin the product. It’s not expensive to make distilled water, not even bi-distilled (it’s just 1 filter-process more). Where I do give you credit is with the branding, unknown additives and cleansing abilities of these products. I would always recommend trying the cleaners on a test record first. The water (distilled intended) + alcohol + watering agent is in essence, all that you need. However, your records may be so dirty you require a harsher cleaner. Alcohol alone will not clean everything. You may require active substances to enhance the removal of unwanted gunk (gunk is an undefined mixture of organic and non-organic substances in a variety of types and ratios). Unfortunately for us, companies are not required to list the chemical composition of their solutions if they are non-toxic. These products do not, for example, fall under the FDA regulations since they are neither food, nor drug. If I made a vinyl record cleaning solution, as a company, I too would not list my “ingredients”. I’d keep it a secret. So, without tests I wouldn’t go as far as to dismiss these products merely based on the fact that they don’t list their compositions and/or because they print “water” instead of “distilled water”. I’m sure that at least 50% of those that listed “water” are really referring to “distilled, of course” are actually using distilled water b/c it’s much easier and less of a hassle to use.
