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Cleaning Vinyl With "Into The Groove Cleaner" and Cloths?

M

Minstrel SE

These go to eleven
I was going to give this a go. I thought I would run it past the PFM members who have more vinyl cleaning experience than me.

The fluid is based on Triton X and comes in affordable amounts including tester bottles. I dont fancy a discostat bath/brushes and cant afford a more expensive cleaner

"Active ingredients :Triple Distilled H20 ,Lab grade IPA 99.9%,*Triton X100 Surfactant, + A Little Magic"

I only have about fifty records at the moment. Some could do with a minor clean

He says that I can apply drops to a microfibre cloth (I have plenty of those) and clean it off with 100% cotton t shirt material (preferably white so I can see the muck coming off)

He says that a cotton wool ball will do for smaller bottles and cleaning jobs.

Are there any issues with this method please? Will I just be moving dust/dirt around and adding more problems?
I will use a tester record first and probably wont clean any of my true collectables just yet
 
I have several bottles of different record cleaning fluid and cloths.

I'd like to hear others' opinions on this:

It does work. For instance if I take some of the old 7" singles and spray it on, give it maybe 10 seconds, and then wipe around it until it's dry then yes, the most obvious crackles and pops will be removed.

Better results are achieved by holding the record close to e.g. a table lamp and then turning it slowly reapplying in specific places to get it visually clean all-round.

Really dirty records can be made quite playable using this method. However I would only use it on obviously dirty records.

However I wouldn't have thought that rubbing the record with a cloth is ever going to achieve a genuine deep clean.

The best results I've had were with a kit in HMV for ten quid. This comes with a carbon fibre style curved brush thing which you can wipe with a certain amount of force round the record applying downward pressure and seems to dig a bit deeper.

Except that after you've cleaned maybe a dozen or so, the brush thing is now filthy and needs to be thrown away because it cannot be cleaned, and continuing to use it simply transfers dirt back onto the records.

As far as cloths go, they seem not to machine wash very well, becoming hardened, but then you can buy a pack of cloths quite cheaply.

So my advice is to buy lots and lots of cloths.

The ultimate spin clean and dry machine is on the radar for somewhere in the future, but these seem to cost upwards of around £400.
 
Dirty LPs - use RCM. its the only way.
Good detergent. suck up the crap.

For other 'in use' LPs i never wipe or rub.
I agree with Gerard 124 it 'is going to just move dirt/cloth fibres further down into the grooves.'
At best this action creates static, which is a nuisance.
If these is lint/dust on the LP i use a light goats hair brush.

I like the idea of a dust bug - i have an Watts original in super condition from ebay just like the one my dad used yonks ago. it gets away surface dust and lint v well so it doesnt gunk up stylus.
Of course i dont stick it on the chassis - its on a suitable support beside the plinth of my td124.
I think the Audio technica one is probably better bcos its earthed.
 
If you don't Hoover you just mix the dirt into mud and drive it deeper into the grooves.
 
Hmmm I can see that its not the ideal tool for the job. I would have thought the microfibres got in there and the finishing cloth removed a significant amount of dust and muck in the fluid through a wicking process

The grooves arent that deep so how inaccessible can the muck get? I would have thought it can be wiped up until I can get a brush or machine on the job

I can see its not ideal though. Its a case of whether a cheap job removes some of the noise or whether its a false economy.

As mark hants says, it does work to some extent. Thats how I feel about trying it.
 
I suppose an analogy might be mouthwash. If you didn't clean your teeth and in between them, and simply used that instead, then your teeth will feel superficially clean and yet the muck still lurks in the hard to reach places causing damage.

If the record is basically unplayable as it is and so dirty that it might not do the stylus much good to try then this method will bring improvements and render it playable.

However with such records which still crackle, no matter how many times you apply it, they still crackle and I wonder whether the evaporation of the isopropanol alcohol is 100% or if actually you still leave that behind, which only a genuine sweep, dry and vacuum machine will remove.
 
Just my suggestion but maybe there is a record or hi fi dealer local to you offering a record cleaning service with a record cleaning machine? Even if you had all of your 50 or so records cleaned it probably wouldn't work out too expensive and you'd have peace of mind that it was a safe and effective job.
 
I made my own cleaning machine. Got an old vax wet n dry vac, cut a 5mm slot along the length of the crevice tool, glued thin microfibre cloth around the end to protect the records. Using an old turntable with the belt removed, spray 25/75 mix Iso/distilled water onto surface, leave 5 mins, vac off by spinning the platter. Stand record upright in a suitable plastic plate rack to dry off

Works brilliantly...even new records have static pops removed.

Buy new sleeves to replace old contaminated ones.
 
I use Disc Doctor brushes (which aren't brushes at all but velvet plush rather than cloths for shifting the muck on newly to me s/h records, then use the Knosti bath with distilled water to rinse and shift any residue.

I do use microfibre cloths to lay the record on while scrubbing but cut out any labels which may scratch, and launder them without 'soft rinse' before and between record cleaning sessions to keep them clean and lint free. A bale of 36 is just over a tenner at Costco:)

It isn't the investment in a record cleaning machine that puts me off - it's finding room to keep it when not in use.
Jim
 
Moppit said:
I made my own cleaning machine. Got an old vax wet n dry vac, cut a 5mm slot along the length of the crevice tool, glued thin microfibre cloth around the end to protect the records. Using an old turntable with the belt removed, spray 25/75 mix Iso/distilled water onto surface, leave 5 mins, vac off by spinning the platter. Stand record upright in a suitable plastic plate rack to dry off

Works brilliantly...even new records have static pops removed.

Buy new sleeves to replace old contaminated ones.
Click to expand...


You are among a number of people who have sought to replicate an RCM, including a friend of mine. He brought a few records around for me to clean on my VPI 16.5, but there was no residual dust afterwards; he was suitably chuffed ! An effective and cheap way to go if you're that DIY way inclined.

However, why you stand the record up in a rack afterwards is beyond me. I also use your ratio of IPA/water, give or take, and a minute in warmish ambient temperatures is sufficient to dry the record side on the platter before turning over/sleeving. Not sure why you spray either; do you protect the label? I brush mine around in 2 directions and various positions (not me; the brush :)) , then soak, then brush, then vac. Each to his own re. method, of course, but the idea is to force the mix into the grooves as well as clean the surface (hence the 'scrub').
 
Sorry, yes, forgot to add - I spray the middle of the playing area around the periphery (avoiding the label), then work it gently into the grooves with a soft tipped fine finish 1" synthetic paint brush from B&Q. This really wets in the mix deep into the grooves (spinning the platter whilst I do it). A light stipple action helps but don't go too mad.

Also forgot to mention the end of the crevice tool is sealed off to enable more suction along the slot. I had to glue in a block of wood halfway down the crevice tool (inside) to stop the vacuum closing the slot. It sounds a bit complicated but in reality it was an hour or so faff in the shed one Sunday afternoon. Even one of my friends brings Vinyl round to be cleaned whilst he is here...

Cost is negligible - 1L bottles of 99% isopropyl alcohol available on Ebay (chemists sell it but the cost is silly for a tiny amount). You could use a regular vacuum if you fit a reservoir (Tupperware?) between the head and the cleaner so the very small amount of liquid is not sucked into the motor. Big packs of microfibre, impact adhesive available from B&Q along with distilled water.

You are right that drying in a rack possibly not needed but does no harm.

I've used an RCM in a local shop and this is what got me thinking - I can do exactly the same without spending much cash (save that for Music and Hifi...).
I've tried all the various brushes and wipes on the market and nothing else works IMO unless you 1)irrigate, 2)agitate then 3) vacuum. Pushing the dust around the record with one of these carbon brushes (yep, got one of them too) is a joke.

Some of my records are so hushed you forget it's an LP. Some however are so knackered (from my yoof) that no amount of iso will lift 30yr old ingrained Ben Trueman etc. from the grooves....
 
Minstrel SE said:
Hmmm I can see that its not the ideal tool for the job. I would have thought the microfibres got in there and the finishing cloth removed a significant amount of dust and muck in the fluid through a wicking process

The grooves arent that deep so how inaccessible can the muck get? I would have thought it can be wiped up until I can get a brush or machine on the job

I can see its not ideal though. Its a case of whether a cheap job removes some of the noise or whether its a false economy.

As mark hants says, it does work to some extent. Thats how I feel about trying it.
Click to expand...




it will only remove the dirt from the surface, probably as suggested move it into the grove. I have tried one my son bought me like the one you have suggested and it really doesn't come anywhere close to an RCM. I would strongly suggest saving for the cheaper bath as I have heard records cleaned with one of these and these do actually make a significant difference , although not as good as an RCM.
 
I use some velvet on a block of foam, with 50/50 IPA distilled water to scrub round the grooves then a rinse under the tap, blot dry with kitchen towel and leave them to dry.
I even rinse the label, non of them have suffered.

Pete
 
Pete MB&D said:
I even rinse the label, none of them has suffered.

Pete
Click to expand...

Obviously an amazing technique, then.:) My mix is more dilute than yours, and on the odd occasion a spot has splashed onto the label, it marks. Immediately using water doesn't guarantee removal, either.

The label is paper, occasionally laminated but usually not. It's naturally prone to water damage, if not by direct transient contact, then by the wetting and drying process. Amazing !
 
Hi Pete,
I thought tap water was a no-no unless you have particularly soft water? I regularly rinse my black car with tap water after washing and the result is horrid. There is normally a grubby film that needs lots of work to remove. To think I've chucked that on my LP's would be a worry....

You might as well use tap water with the IPA if you have a clean supply?
 
I don't get the cleaning solution on the label, I put the solution on the velvet/foam, much safer.

Pete
 
I couldn't afford a proper RCM either and must have mentioned this to my wife. Sometime later I received the Moth RCM kit as a gift. it's basically all of the mechanical and electrical components together with plans and instructions on making up the cabinet and building the machine. It works out at half the price of a fully built machine. Most of the work is in the cabinet (the blockboard to build it costs about £25), and was a bit time consuming but I now have an excellent machine which has done over 5 years service so far and should last a lifetime.

The only realistic alternative in my opinion is to pay per disk to use one at a shop or through mail order.

There is also the rather controversial wood glue technique............
 
Where are you based ?

I've got a Keith Monks RCM and would be happy to clean all your LPs for you whilst you wait. Send me a PM if you're interested.
 
HydeLea said:
Where are you based ?

I've got a Keith Monks RCM and would be happy to clean all your LPs for you whilst you wait. Send me a PM if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Im in East Cheshire. I will hazard a guess that you Live in Cornwall :D

Its something I really want to be able to do myself. The advice seems to be stop messing and buy some reasonable equipment. There are no dealers round here offering a cleaning service

The brush and bath solution needs two baths really and ever changing fluid purchase. I could make my own fluid but its the faffing around with distilled water and IPA which doesnt seem all that cheap to source.

I was just looking for that easy wipe solution for a few lps. I may test it on some ultra cheap charity shop 7" singles. Oh Ive got Chaz and Daves Christmas Carol album which is appalling and will soon be given to a charity shop. However its shiny, spotless and doesnt really need a clean :D

My heart and soul craves a proper job but I dont think I can justify the cost of a RCM just yet

Some people wonder why the compact disc was invented :D
 
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