What's Your Record Cleaning Ritual?

I am still in the stone age with my lowly VPI 16.5 that I rebuilt adding a cooling fan, polyurethaning the insides and adding an acrylic tray to catch any drippings. I start by plopping on a cork mat from VPI marked dirty; then the dirty record. I take a cotton facial pad left over from the prior first rinse and gently pass it over the spinning disc. This picks up a tremendous amount of dust and dirt that I don't want to scrub into the record. I then apply a bead of Tergitol 15-s-7 (recommended by the US LOC) to the record and to the Record Doctor brush and gently work it into the moving record. After a few revolutions I rest the brush on the record surface and it is held in place over the record by a thin metal ruler. This allows me to pick up my drink while the ruler flexes and scrubs the moving record. After about 2 minutes, I vacuum the surface and stop the suction after about one and a half revolutions. The vacuum wand lifts just about at as the record completes its second rotation.
I then wet a cotton facial makeup cleansing pad (cut in half) with reagent grade water from Amazon and go over the spinning record a few revolutions. I make sure there is plenty of liquid to dilute the Tergitol. I then vacuum it off the same way as before with a separate wand. This pad is retained for the first pass on the next record.
A final rinse is done with a fresh 1/2 cotton pad and vacuumed off with another separate wand. This final rinse pad is kept also for the first rinse. The platter is stopped and the record flipped over onto another cork mat kept for clear sides. Process is repeated and then the record is placed in a wooden dish rack for a few minutes before either played or placed in a DiscKeeper sleeve. Doesn't really take as long to do as it might sound. I can clean about 6 to 8 per hour but I usually limit to 4 for sanity's sake.
I'm just beginning to experiment with Triton X-100 but I don't really expect much difference. I may just mix the two surfactants together.
 
I WILL be going Klaudio + VPI. Klaudio to break up the crap and the VPI to suck it away.


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For new records only, I use the KL Audio set at 5 min for wash and 3 min for dry using distilled water. Ideally I'll rerun them after each record play, but I have a few hundred records that have never seen the KL Audio.

For older records, especially ones I have bought used, I have a 3 step process. First, I use the VPI 16.5 with AI One-Step #6 using the VPI brush. This is followed a VPI rinse using AI's ultra pure water using the Disc Doctor brush to remove any remaining residue. I then put the record into the KL Audio for 3 min/3min. Can't say I'm wild about this process for used records as there is some static and I'm lazy and it takes too long....
 
Just like others, I use the VPI 16.5 for used records (or old records that I've mis-treated back in the day) followed by a 5-minute cycle through the Klaudio. For new records it's just the Klaudio.

I thought that I was going to sell the 16.5 when I got the Klaudio, but I found that the ultrasonic didn't get rid of all the pops and clicks on old vinyl, so a good old fashioned scrubbing really helps. Sorta like hamburger helper for vinyl.
 
I see a few using Vac machines followed with US machines.....I find much better results using the US machine first then followed with the Vac machine. I'm also in favor of using a surfactant (wetting agent) with US cleaning, it helps break surface tension otherwise the water is just skimming over the LP and not doing much.....If you don't use a surfactant with the US machine the record doesn't wet above the water line. I think US is a good pre-soak but not for the final clean, just leaves behind too much crap on the record IMO....My cleaning steps are US cleaning then wash/vac then rinse/vac for best results.
 
A/V Solutions said:
I find much better results using the US machine first then followed with the Vac machine. I'm also in favor of using a surfactant (wetting agent) with US cleaning, it helps break surface tension otherwise the water is just skimming over the LP and not doing much......
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I've been known to do things backwards, so I'll give that a try. Regarding using wetting agents, I'm a bit reluctant to do so. I emailed Klaudio about water not coating the surface and they told me that cavitation takes place while the record is submerged and coating the record is not necessary... but I have on occasion thrown in a drop or two of photoflo.:rolleyes:
 
Surfactants (wetting agent) results will differ.....small amounts they act as an emulsifier, at moderate amounts it reduces surface tension and large amounts it acts as detergent. Using a drop or two of photoflo most likely isn't doing much in regards to surface tension plus it contains chemicals that remains as a coating on the surface of the record and gunks up the stylus....Try a product called Ilfotol its much better, use about 7-8ml (1.5 teaspoons) to a gallon of distilled water.....
 
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