What's Your Record Cleaning Ritual?

MDP

MDP

Behavior Moderator (be nice police!)
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Lake Country, Georgia
I've adopted a new system when playing and cleaning my vinyl records. When I'm done listening to a record, I immediately take it to my laundry room and put it in my Klaudio for cleaning. After it's done I put it back in it's sleeve and put it away until the next time I play it.

I've also decided, with this process, to not use a brush on my records anymore. My reason, in my mind at least, is to avoid brushing dirt back down into the grooves. I know people will not agree with me, but it seems to be working very well. I've noticed, as I do this process on a record, it seems to have even less surface noise with each cleaning.

What works for you?
 
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with used vinyl purchases I pre-scrub with a solution of diluted dishwashing soap (fragrance and dye free) and distilled water. its kept warm in a baby bottle warmer and applied with squeeze bottles and the broad MoFi velvet brush. they then go into the vinyl stack/trusonic ultra sonic machine in pure distilled H20 and I run it at an elevated temp of 45ºC for 15-30 mins @ 1/2 RPM. They're finished on a Loricraft PRC4 'point nozzle' RCM, again using plain distilled H20. Once they're cleaned this way I don't need to clean them again.

I quit using bio-enzymatic pre-cleaners, boutique cleaning additives/concentrate and anything alcohol based.
 
I think you are both onto the same way of thinking I am at as far as cleaning my vinyl goes. I am very similar to what you do Mark & am trying to stay away from brushing period unless it's for static.
 
A/V Solutions said:
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works everytime, :peace:
 
Ha! Yeah, thats why cd's were made, to put over the labels when the vinyl was in the "washer"!! :fingers:
 
I own The Klaudio, AudioDesk, VPI HW27 and the ClearAudio Double Matrix Sonic. The only unit I use is the ClearAudio. I have retired the Ultrasonics as well as the VPI.
 
Golucid said:
I own The Klaudio, AudioDesk, VPI HW27 and the ClearAudio Double Matrix Sonic. The only unit I use is the ClearAudio. I have retired the Ultrasonics as well as the VPI.
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David, how about giving us some more pics and info on the ClearAudio?
 
Audiodesk using Mark's approach. Wash before when new, wash after play. No brush. On the most part, humidity and particulate levels are managed well, but there's no such thing as a laboratory clean room in the comfort of your home.

Also save on inner sleeves this way.

Store with Poly sleeve inside a sealable Japanese cellophane. Sticker with grading and last play/wash date.
 
Any new or used record that comes into the house goes through this:

Audio Desk with extended wash cycle to 3X and 1/3rd of a bottle of the supplied fluid to one gallon of distilled water. I've tried lab grade water instead of the distilled water but found the distilled water just as effective for this step and less cost. The Audio Desk machine is primaraly a pre-soak step. Having the fluid in contact with the record for 3-4 minutes helps loosen up the contaminates deep down into the groove. I use each batch of distilled water and Audio Desk fluid for about 30 records and spread it out over a 24 hour period then dump the fluid.

For this step I use my VPI 16.5 and my own cleaning fluid. I apply approx. a 1/2 inch bead of cleaning fluid starting in the middle of the record and continue around the entire record until there is a full bead of fluid on the record. Next I engage the platter and use an applicator brush (I like the Last brushes) to spread the fluid over the entire record, once the fluid is covering the entire record I place the brush at the 9:00 oclock position on the record and move back and fouth to aggitate, about 15 seconds then allow the fluid to soak for about 30 seconds then repeat with aggitation then soak.....about 3 minutes of aggitation/soak step. Then vacuum off fluid and repeat for side two.

I use my HannL cleaning machine for this step which is my rinse step. I could use my VPI machine and a different vacuum pick up tube so there are no cross contaminates happening but choose to keep the rinse step to a dedicated machine plus I already owned both machines. One other reason I like the HannL for the rinse step is it absolutly leaves no static on the record, no matter how many revolutions you let it spin removing the rinse fluid. For this step I use my rinse fluid which is Lab Grade water, its applied the same way as above, apply approx. a 1/2 inch bead of fluid around the entire record and engage the platter, spread the fluid using a dedicated applicator brush, aggitate for about 15 seconds then let stand for 15 seconds, do this for a minute or so then repeat for side two.

If you don't count the Ultra-Sonic time as its next to no work just time the wash and rinse procedure is about 4 minutes or so per side.

All cleaned records are placed in a new inner poly sleeve and outer sleeve.
 
Wow, do you really hear a difference following up the Audiodeske with the VPI? The whole point of the Audiodeske is so you have one-step cleaning...
 
MDP said:
I've adopted a new system when playing and cleaning my vinyl records. When I'm done listening to a record, I immediately take it to my laundry room and put it in my Klaudio for cleaning. After it's done I put it back in it's sleeve and put it away until the next time I play it.



What works for you?
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I do the exact same process with the Audio Desk.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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