Record cleaning - what's your method?

So, after working at re-cleaning the record collection with the Squeaky Clean for the past year, I‘ve just about burned through my litre of Disc Doctor fluid. Went to order some more from SRC and they apparently do not carry it any more as Acoustic Sounds bought out the brand and cut its distribution through other retailers. Now all I can find at Canadian retailers is MoFi or Groovewasher fluids. Spoiled for choice. :rolleyes:

Anyone have any experience with MoFi or Groovewasher? Or have knowledge of Canadian shops with a better cleaning fluid selection than the aforementioned? Or am I just going to have to start sacrificing limbs to FedEx to bring in stuff from the US or elsewhere?
 
ZiggsMBK said:
So, after working at re-cleaning the record collection with the Squeaky Clean for the past year, I‘ve just about burned through my litre of Disc Doctor fluid. Went to order some more from SRC and they apparently do not carry it any more as Acoustic Sounds bought out the brand and cut its distribution through other retailers. Now all I can find at Canadian retailers is MoFi or Groovewasher fluids. Spoiled for choice. :rolleyes:

Anyone have any experience with MoFi or Groovewasher? Or have knowledge of Canadian shops with a better cleaning fluid selection than the aforementioned? Or am I just going to have to start sacrificing limbs to FedEx to bring in stuff from the US or elsewhere?
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Can't say whether you'll be able to find this locally, but to give you another option, check out L'Art Du Son Record Cleaning Fluid.
 
ZiggsMBK said:
So, after working at re-cleaning the record collection with the Squeaky Clean for the past year, I‘ve just about burned through my litre of Disc Doctor fluid. Went to order some more from SRC and they apparently do not carry it any more as Acoustic Sounds bought out the brand and cut its distribution through other retailers. Now all I can find at Canadian retailers is MoFi or Groovewasher fluids. Spoiled for choice. :rolleyes:

Anyone have any experience with MoFi or Groovewasher? Or have knowledge of Canadian shops with a better cleaning fluid selection than the aforementioned? Or am I just going to have to start sacrificing limbs to FedEx to bring in stuff from the US or elsewhere?
Click to expand...
MoFi is ok. Groovewasher isn’t for vacuum machines.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Here’s where I’m going to say a strong isopropyl alcohol solution may work best. Let the solution sit on the record after spreading. You might have to do this 2-3 times. Then replace the inners.
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I’ve always heard that isopropyl should be avoided with vinyl records. Anyone else know of caveats with alcohols?
 
Angsty said:
I’ve always heard that isopropyl should be avoided with vinyl records. Anyone else know of caveats with alcohols?
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There’s lots of controversy on this one.

My view is not to use anything stronger than necessary. I avoid alcohol. That said, I’ve got records that were cleaned with alcohol, and I’ve got no issues.

Alcohol should never be used on shellac though.
 
ZiggsMBK said:
So, after working at re-cleaning the record collection with the Squeaky Clean for the past year, I‘ve just about burned through my litre of Disc Doctor fluid. Went to order some more from SRC and they apparently do not carry it any more as Acoustic Sounds bought out the brand and cut its distribution through other retailers. Now all I can find at Canadian retailers is MoFi or Groovewasher fluids. Spoiled for choice. :rolleyes:

Anyone have any experience with MoFi or Groovewasher? Or have knowledge of Canadian shops with a better cleaning fluid selection than the aforementioned? Or am I just going to have to start sacrificing limbs to FedEx to bring in stuff from the US or elsewhere?
Click to expand...
I’m skeptical of commercial record washing fluids. This really is something that you should be able to get good results from home-brew. There are innumerable formulas on the Internet. I’ve used a few commercial fluids without more success than my own home-brew.

My home-brew consists of 40 ml of Method all-purpose spray cleaner, 10 ml of Jet Dry, mixed into 1 gallon of distilled water from grocery store. Works for me with my Record Doctor vacuum; works as well as their proprietary concentrate. No additional alcohols.

Since I use both Method and Jet Dry within the house regularly, it’s quite convenient. I use a more concentrated solution for stubborn areas that I have to scrub with the record brush or microfiber towel.

Some people are more persnickety than I am, so your mileage may vary.

*Edited* - corrected formula amounts from my original posting. My amount per memory were way off.
 
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I've had a spin clean for years, but stopped using it a year or so ago under suspicion that it was not effective without a rinse cycle. I now have a buildup of uncleaned (mostly new) records and am looking for a solution to get them turntable-ready. Is the Squeaky Clean good for someone who primarily purchases new records, or is something this serious made more for pre-owned dirty records?

Thanks for any input, I'm open to suggestions other than the Squeaky Clean as well.
 
SixthDeadlyVenom said:
I've had a spin clean for years, but stopped using it a year or so ago under suspicion that it was not effective without a rinse cycle. I now have a buildup of uncleaned (mostly new) records and am looking for a solution to get them turntable-ready. Is the Squeaky Clean good for someone who primarily purchases new records, or is something this serious made more for pre-owned dirty records?

Thanks for any input, I'm open to suggestions other than the Squeaky Clean as well.
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The squeaky clean is good for any kind of cleaning and highly recommended. The only difference in the process for an older record is that I might use a different brush (so as not to put extra dirt on the one I use for new records), scrub a bit more, and let the solution sit a bit longer before vacuuming.
 
Russ I said:
The squeaky clean is good for any kind of cleaning and highly recommended. The only difference in the process for an older record is that I might use a different brush (so as not to put extra dirt on the one I use for new records), scrub a bit more, and let the solution sit a bit longer before vacuuming.
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Well, I took the dive and got the orange one. Thanks for the recommendation! Looks nice and sturdy in his video.
 
SixthDeadlyVenom said:
I've had a spin clean for years, but stopped using it a year or so ago under suspicion that it was not effective without a rinse cycle. I now have a buildup of uncleaned (mostly new) records and am looking for a solution to get them turntable-ready. Is the Squeaky Clean good for someone who primarily purchases new records, or is something this serious made more for pre-owned dirty records?

Thanks for any input, I'm open to suggestions other than the Squeaky Clean as well.
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I’ve heard of other spin clean users who buy two units. The first one is for cleaning and the second is for a distilled water rinse.

I’m surprised that you’d be concerned about the results in cleaning mostly new records.
 
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I have had my Squeaky Clean for just over a year now and like it. Majority of my cleaning is new vinyl. It does a good job on used vinyl, but you are not going to make it sound like it was never played.

You definitely have to get a rhythm/style with it. I use the London Jazz Collectors recipe, since the guy sends you a bottle of Ilford wetting agent and have been happy. I usually wait until I have about 6-8 records to clean and do the batch. Takes about 30min
 
SixthDeadlyVenom said:
Well, I took the dive and got the orange one. Thanks for the recommendation! Looks nice and sturdy in his video
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It’s a great bit of kit. Unlike the all-in-one machines there’s nothing to break down except your shop vac of choice—get a quality unit—and when that burns out it’s a $50 replacement and not a new, expensive machine or costly repairs. Easy to get rid of waste fluid. Easy to pack up and stow out of sight. The cleaning fluid you use will make a difference. I recently switched from Disc Doctor to the London Jazz Collectors formula and had better results. Play around with what‘s available in your area.

Angsty said:
I’m skeptical of commercial record washing fluids. This really is something that you should be able to get good results from home-brew. There are innumerable formulas on the Internet. I’ve used a few commercial fluids without more success than my own home-brew.

My home-brew consists of 40 ml of Method all-purpose spray cleaner, 10 ml of Jet Dry, mixed into 1 gallon of distilled water from grocery store. Works for me with my Record Doctor vacuum; works as well as their proprietary concentrate. No additional alcohols.

Since I use both Method and Jet Dry within the house regularly, it’s quite convenient. I use a more concentrated solution for stubborn areas that I have to scrub with the record brush or microfiber towel.

Some people are more persnickety than I am, so your mileage may vary.

*Edited* - corrected formula amounts from my original posting. My amount per memory were way off.
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Thank you for the formulation. I will keep it in my back pocket as I have had no luck finding anything commercially, however I have had very positive results using the Science-Wifey approved London Jazz Collectors formulation.
 
kvetcha said:
Love my Squeaky Clean. I've got a Humminguru coming at some point later this year, cuz ultrasonic is the holy grail, but the SqC has been a champ the whole time I've owned it.
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I very nearly took the plunge on the Humminguru but decided to wait and see if it sparks the production of other, cost-competititve ultrasonic cleaners. I think you made a good purchase though, as the developers of the Humminguru seem to be approaching the product with great care. Hope to see some feedback on how it does once you receive yours!
 
SixthDeadlyVenom said:
I very nearly took the plunge on the Humminguru but decided to wait and see if it sparks the production of other, cost-competititve ultrasonic cleaners. I think you made a good purchase though, as the developers of the Humminguru seem to be approaching the product with great care. Hope to see some feedback on how it does once you receive yours!
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Agreed on all counts. They definitely seem to be taking it seriously, and the folks involved are serious about the hobby. I have high hopes.
 
I feel you need a good vacuum style cleaner. I use the $199 Record Doctor.

Record Doctor V Record Cleaning Machine | Audio Advisor

The Record Doctor V Record Cleaning Machine is a manual record cleaner with a powerful high-performance vaccum motor that will signifcantly improve sound quality and extend the life of your LPs safely at a very low price
www.audioadvisor.com
But VPI's are the best in the next price bracket. I will upgrade to a HW16.5 one day.

For scuzzier or beater records I scrub with Mofi pads first, them put them on the machine for a several vacuum cycles.
Amazon product ASIN B000M9H03E
Let dry in a dish rack

I'm happy with the Chisto cleaner many here have recommended.
highend-electronics.com

Chisto Easy Groove Concentrate

For record cleaning machines. For all types of records from LPs to ancient 78 RPM shellacs. Quick and convenient way to keep your records at its best.
highend-electronics.com highend-electronics.com
 
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