Record Cleaning
Records get dirty. And dirty records hiss, click, and pop.
The first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear record cleaning are those diskwasher brushes and d4 fluid. The next thing people think about is usually something like the audioquest anti-static brush.
Unfortunately, neither of those really clean the record. At best, they simply remove surface dust.
For real cleaning, a wet solution is required. Some options include:
1. distilled water + wetting agent in tray of water with foam mat
2. fancy version of the above like the spin-clean
2. vacuum cleaner like the vpi
3. ultrasonic (cavitation) cleaner
For the simplest and cheapest DIY solution, you can make due with the following:
1. 14 inch round cake pan (about 2 inches deep)
2. foam mat (from arts and crafts store) to cover the bottom of the pan
3. distilled water
4. a wetting agent (like photoflo, tergitol 15-s-7, or detergent (lubricant and fragrance free))
5. paint pads (something like https://www.amazon.com/Shur-Line-1540-Touch-Up-Refill-3-Pack/dp/B00002NCNA)
6. lint free towel (for drying)
I have been using the above setup for years, primarily with records i pick up at garage sales. It works pretty well, you just put the mat in the tray, fill with water, add wetting agent, drop in the record, and rub the paint pads around the groves. Rinse with distilled water, and blot dry with a lint free towel. I leave the records to fully dry in a dish rack.
The only real downside i have encountered with this method is that the label gets wet. Though i have never had a label actually damaged by the procedure.
Using something like the spin-clean (https://www.amazon.com/SPIN-CLEAN-STARTER-RECORD-WASHER-SYSTEM/dp/B002UKSZUU/) is more or less the same, but keeps the label out of the cleaning solution (although it still sometimes gets wet from water dripping down the record).
The next step up is to use something like the VPI vacuum record cleaning machine (http://www.vpiindustries.com/hw165). These machines are convenient, and at least in theory, the vacuum can pull more dirt from deep in the grooves.
For the ultimate clean... nothing beats ultrasonic (cavitation). Unfortunately commercial "sonic cleaners" are way too expensive for most enthusiasts.
The good news is that there are lots of semi DIY options, you just purchase the ultrasonic cleaning bath, a few accessories, and you are good to go:
http://thevinylpress.com/sidebar-diy-ultrasonic-lp-cleaning/
http://www.ultrasonicrecords.com/upgrades-available.html
https://thevinylstack.com/ultrasonic-cleaning/ultra-sonic-spin-record-cleaning-kit/
http://www.kuzma.si/rd-ultrasonic-record-cleaning-kit.html
http://grooveclean.com/product/groove-clean-full-kit/
There is a bit more useful info here:
http://www.high-endaudio.com/Ultrasonic.html
The first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear record cleaning are those diskwasher brushes and d4 fluid. The next thing people think about is usually something like the audioquest anti-static brush.
Unfortunately, neither of those really clean the record. At best, they simply remove surface dust.
For real cleaning, a wet solution is required. Some options include:
1. distilled water + wetting agent in tray of water with foam mat
2. fancy version of the above like the spin-clean
2. vacuum cleaner like the vpi
3. ultrasonic (cavitation) cleaner
For the simplest and cheapest DIY solution, you can make due with the following:
1. 14 inch round cake pan (about 2 inches deep)
2. foam mat (from arts and crafts store) to cover the bottom of the pan
3. distilled water
4. a wetting agent (like photoflo, tergitol 15-s-7, or detergent (lubricant and fragrance free))
5. paint pads (something like https://www.amazon.com/Shur-Line-1540-Touch-Up-Refill-3-Pack/dp/B00002NCNA)
6. lint free towel (for drying)
I have been using the above setup for years, primarily with records i pick up at garage sales. It works pretty well, you just put the mat in the tray, fill with water, add wetting agent, drop in the record, and rub the paint pads around the groves. Rinse with distilled water, and blot dry with a lint free towel. I leave the records to fully dry in a dish rack.
The only real downside i have encountered with this method is that the label gets wet. Though i have never had a label actually damaged by the procedure.
Using something like the spin-clean (https://www.amazon.com/SPIN-CLEAN-STARTER-RECORD-WASHER-SYSTEM/dp/B002UKSZUU/) is more or less the same, but keeps the label out of the cleaning solution (although it still sometimes gets wet from water dripping down the record).
The next step up is to use something like the VPI vacuum record cleaning machine (http://www.vpiindustries.com/hw165). These machines are convenient, and at least in theory, the vacuum can pull more dirt from deep in the grooves.
For the ultimate clean... nothing beats ultrasonic (cavitation). Unfortunately commercial "sonic cleaners" are way too expensive for most enthusiasts.
The good news is that there are lots of semi DIY options, you just purchase the ultrasonic cleaning bath, a few accessories, and you are good to go:
http://thevinylpress.com/sidebar-diy-ultrasonic-lp-cleaning/
http://www.ultrasonicrecords.com/upgrades-available.html
https://thevinylstack.com/ultrasonic-cleaning/ultra-sonic-spin-record-cleaning-kit/
http://www.kuzma.si/rd-ultrasonic-record-cleaning-kit.html
http://grooveclean.com/product/groove-clean-full-kit/
There is a bit more useful info here:
http://www.high-endaudio.com/Ultrasonic.html
I should add that i own a spinclean as well as a vpi hw-17 record cleaning machine, but i still prefer the cake pan and paint pads when i have 100 really dirty garage sale finds to sort through.
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