Are Ultrasonic Cleaners Worth The Hype?

#vc #vinylcommunity #ultrasonicrecordcleaner #vinylcollection
I decided it was time to dive into the world of ultrasonic cleaning for my record collection. Was it worth it? Check out my thoughts.
Hihone 6L Ultrasonic Cleaner: amzn.to/3B0IuTz
KOET Vinyl Record Cleaner Spin Rack: amzn.to/3HxuqU3
Alternatives
Happybuy 6L all in one: amzn.to/3usJ6ju
Humminguru: humminguru.com/
Degritter: degritter.com/

[@mikehansen946]

Great job Brian, informative, and well presented. I've been thinking about an ultrasonic cleaner and this helped to firm up my decision.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the compliments. I appreciate it. I think you will be happy with your decision.

[@thevinylgeezer]

Alright dude, I’m convinced. Great video brotha. Thanks for the demonstration and links. 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@BriansVinylRecords]

You the man Dan

[@cdev55]

I have not read through all the comments so sorry if someone already posted this. I came along the journey of cleaning records much like you and many people. Spin clean to vacuum and now ultrasonic actually the same unit you have. What I have found over watching many hundreds of record cleaning videos is a combination of all 3 is the best. I have a lazy susan that I use to apply a cleaning solution to the record and use a goat hair brush to scrub both sides of the the record. From there into the ultra sonic. Once the records come out of the ultra sonic you do not want the surfactant and whatever else drying on the records. I take mine right off the ultra sonic into a spin clean for a distilled water rinse and then onto my home made or in your case the vinyl vac to remove the excess water. Wa-La! Great video love your room much like my own and I see we have the same 2021 RSD poster! Rock on!

[@BriansVinylRecords]

That’s awesome. Glad you found a solid cleaning method. It takes a lot of testing and trying new things to get it where it works the way you want it too. Sounds like you figured out a great way.

[@MrHeavylead]

Firehouse!! Ah man you totally reminded me to find that one again. great video.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Yes! I hope you find it. It can get pretty expensive.

[@NeedleDropRules]

Hey bud! I finally got around to watching this. As you know, I’ve loved the Spin Clean over the years, and agree with you that it’s a great product. But like you, I have some records that I look at and think it should sound perfect, yet there’s still noise there that I’ve always felt that something out there should be able to make them sound better. When I heard your before and after, I was blown away. I literally yelled out loud “YES!!!” I’m sold. I need to get one of these bad. Thanks for taking the time to make the video.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Thanks for watching Stacey! I think John bought one. Let me know how your test goes. I think you will be happy with the results.

[@NeedleDropRules]

@@BriansVinylRecords He did buy one! I'm anxiously awaiting an invitation to go over there!

[@paulc5358]

I got one on e bay (just the machine) & built the rest Works great

[@ArnoldSommerfeld]

Nice demo!

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Thanks!

[@georgealanlpsandcds9311]

Hey Brian, greatly appreciate your overview of the ultrasonic cleaner - I am really thinking about getting one 😊.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Awesome! I think you will love how your records sound after using it

[@jdthompson5778]

Good video Brian! Glad you found a solution you are happy with! I finally splurged about a year ago and got a VPI 16.5 Vacuum Cleaner as my upgrade from Spin Clean. I use Mofi Cleaning Solutions. I’m really happy with it and the sound difference in my records is absolutely amazing! Also I can clean records much faster with little hassle!

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I've heard great things about VPI systems. People love them. I have never used one before. What I like about the Ultrasonic is I can put my albums in and go about what I was doing. Come back 30 minutes later and take them out to rinse and dry. I get a lot cleaned while working. :) Rock on!

[@jdthompson5778]

@@BriansVinylRecords I can see where that would be nice particularly since you let them run for 30min for 3 records. The VPI is nice because you can vacuum off all the solution and dirt and dry at the same time. I can easily clean and dry way more than 3 records in 30 min but have to make my own breaks! Lol

[@DJMikeBrady]

Great video Brian! I've been eyeballing an ultrasonic for a long time, and you're pushing me to stop looking and start shelling out some cash!

[@BriansVinylRecords]

All I can say is I am very happy with my purchase. I think it works great and have been slowing cleaning all my used albums.

[@samsquanch67]

Nice vid, I also took the ultrasonic plunge very similar to your set up very happy with the results so far, a couple things I use tergiclean and iltofol and run for 15 mins 2 lp’s at a time.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I have been doing 4 at a time at 30 minutes an it seems to be going pretty well. Rock on!

[@elliottcrews4997]

Hi Brian, enjoyed seeing your new cleaning method. Honestly I believe that getting records as clean as possible has more to to with cleaning process and proper solution mixtures than it does with the hardware (UltraSonic, RCM, Spray bottle and Brush)that we choose to use. But who knows? I do think you should consider adding a rinse and vacuum step after the ultrasonic cleaning. I don't think just a vacuum will remove all the residue from the solution. Also, there is a guy named Neil Antin that has done a ton of research on the subject. If you google him you should find a free download of his very technical research paper on cleaning records. He covers various methods of cleaning including the use of US cleaners. Take care my friend.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Cool! Thanks Elliot. I will search that out. I am using pretty much the same solution as I did in the spin clean with the addition of the surficant. I like your recommendation of a rinse after the cleaning. I will set up the spin clean to do that!

[@paulc5358]

Great video! I have one of these I got my machine from e bay & a 3 rpm motor & built the rest. I use reverse osmosis water & some photoflo

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I have heard a lot of people use photoflo. Very nice. I'm loving mine. works like a champion!

[@robertsibillin227]

Hey Brian that was an amazing video.Absolutely brilliant.One question though.Does the cleaner help with the elimination of static on the vinyl.It would be awesome if it does.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Hello Robert. It will help reduce or eliminate static caused by dust, dirt, and crud, but if the record has static due to scratches and scuffs it cannot fix that. Those are surface scratches. I have had several albums that looked clean and still had static. The Ultrasonic cleaner fixed that problem on those by getting unseen crap out of the grooves.

[@ScottPope]

Great job with this video Brain. I am researching now! I do wonder how the ultra sonic process results compare to a proper brush/vacuum process (I have the Okki Nokki) results?

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I can't say for sure as I have never used the Okki Nokki before. That was another one I was eying before Zac convinced me that the ultrasonic was the way to go.

[@ScottPope]

@@BriansVinylRecords I certainly do value both yours and Zac's opinions!

[@daleromney6062]

So I like to buy used records, and always clean them. I first use the Spin Clean to get off the majority of the dust and grit, and then it goes into my ultrasonic. My ultra sonic only uses distilled water, and my ultrasonic also dries the records (it was expensive though). KLAUDIO.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Sounds like a good method that works well!

[@astolatpere11]

After cleaning about 10 to 12 lps, there is noticeable debris in the bottom of the us cleaner tank and the water is slightly murky. I pre clean all lps before I us clean them, and none look very dirty before I start. So, yeah, us cleaning is very worthwhile.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Rock on man.

[@edyoung6573]

So funny, you cleaned my 3 favorite Albums!!!! Trying to find Rage for Order at a fair price!!! Great Video brother! It's time for me to upgrade my cleaning process to one of these! I will use my vinyl vac for rinsing when I get one of these.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I love the vinyl vac, but lately I have just been air drying. Rage for Order is a good one. I hope you are able to find a copy soon.

[@edyoung6573]

@@BriansVinylRecordsBrian I'm curious Did you find the Albums was a bit staticky when drying with the vinyl vac?

[@BriansVinylRecords]

@@edyoung6573 No, I never had a static issue when using my vinyl vac.

[@edyoung6573]

@@BriansVinylRecords Excellent thank you! So when I get my Ultrasonic I will give them a rinse with distilled and dry with the vinyl vac. Take care!!

[@edyoung6573]

Hey Brian, Well I got my Vevor 6L Digital Ultrasonic 2 days ago, I have cleaned 26 records so far and Holy Crap what a difference! Night and day. Oh and more good news, I found a Queensryche Rage for Order for a fair price (only played once the guy said) a old original from 1986 2nd pressing ($49.99 on ebay, sounds brand new!). It took a old 1st pressing The James Gang rides again from UN-listenable (that was vinyl vac 4 times) I did two 30 minute sessions at 30C (didn't go pass 95F) and Holy Crap it sounds great!! just very little surface noise at the needle drop!! The (actuall) temp gauge sucks on my machine, I use a digital thermometer to monitor temps. I'm so happy man!!!

[@curtmurray6085]

Great video! I just got my ultrasonic cleaner in and I'm going to use your recipe. I have a question, how many records can you clean before you have to change it out? Thanks!

[@BriansVinylRecords]

It really depends on how dirty they are. I just keep an eye on the tank and if the water looks gross, I empty and replace it. I will say that I can get a lot of records cleaned with the same tank and I would recommend using the spin clean solution as it traps the crud and pushes it to the bottom of the tank. That keeps the cleaner water on the records as you go. I would say I have cleaned as many as 100 records before changing the water and as little as 30-40. As I said it depends on how dirty they are and how dirty the water gets as you go.

[@curtmurray6085]

@@BriansVinylRecords Thanks for the tips. I finally got to use my ultrasonic cleaner today and I must say the results were phenomenal, it majorly reduced clicks and pops, some records were extremely quiet. Records that I thought sounded great before cleaning was jaw dropping afterwards, they sounded open, crystal clear and it retreived detail I never heard before (and I use a microline stylus).

[@mrjape71]

Hei, Brian! Ultrasonic cleaner is the way to go when it comes to vinyl cleaning. I have a little one to clean my 7" singles. Is the "frequency" of your ultrasonic cleaner something like 40 kHz? The really expensive ones have frequency about 120 kHz. The higher the frequency the smaller the "cleaning bubbles" the more expensive. I sure would love to have an LP sized ultrasonic cleaner one day. Here in Finland it would cost between 200 to 300 USD. Stay clean, Jarkko/MyVinylBar

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Yes it is a 40 kHz model. So far it works great. Maybe in the future I’ll upgrade the tank to the 120 kHz. For now I am very satisfied. Rock on!

[@WoodSmartUSA]

Great Video but it looks like your water level is too low… I have the same unit and the water level should be just at the tank’s 1st inner line. Each time I fill the tank, with the unit running, I’ll gently drain water through the drain valve until I get just the right amount of water movement. For my cleaning solution I use 20-24 drops of Tergitol 15-S-9 in the tank. I think, but not sure though, using the spin clean solution and then adding the X-100 is duplicating what’s already in the spin clean solution, both being surfactants. I also try to put 2 pucks between each record to give enough space in between the records for the ultrasonic waves to work both sides of the records. I too vacuum after, but after I ultrasonic, I run it through my spin clean with distilled water, a capful of 70% Alcohol and 2-3 drops of Jet Dry. (The Jet Dry is a Glycol, that will help remove build up the other solutions leave behind, neutralizing It so to speak, allowing total surface tension release of any grit in the grooves that may have been loosened but not removed). After I Spin Clean rinse I then vac the records using my Record Doctor for a deep vac of the groves, basically wet vacuuming whatever is left behind in the groves, liquid & any grit. When all that is done, I place them on the drying rack with a fan lightly blowing on them for a bit. Sounds like a-lot, but I can buy years old dollar records or bargain bin records and have ‘em look and sound like new. After years of doing this I’m able to look at records as I’m going through the bins and know what I can revive and what I have to say no thank you to. Again good video, we all have our processes and as long as we achieve our desired results, what more could we ask for 👍

[@BriansVinylRecords]

You have a very thorough process. Nice. I have my water level up so that the whole album will get cleaned. Any lower and it misses some of the grooves.

[@timessquarerecordscom1469]

The question for me, is there a difference between a good manual cleaning, and an ultrasonic cleaning?

[@BriansVinylRecords]

In my opinion, there is a massive difference between Ultrasonic and manual. Ultrasonic shoots sound waves and water bubbles into the grooves to force out the dirt and grime that a manual wash won't get.

[@andrewskaterrr]

Just watched another video about this. A study showed Ultrasonic wears down a material found within vinyl, 30min was shown to wear it down. He does 5min himself and they turn out great.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I'm not sure I buy that one bit. Also, you'd have to ultrasonically clean and album OVER and OVER for it to wear anything down. This method has been used for years, and if that was the case you would hear way more people complaining about it. 5 minutes wouldn't do much good for cleaning. I spoke to numerous people and depending on how precise your ultrasonic cleaner is, 15-30 minutes is usually ideal. I'll stick with this method over anything else I've tried so far though. It's made my records super clean and better sounding, so I'm happy.

[@andrewskaterrr]

@@BriansVinylRecords here's that vid if you want to watch. I still plan to buy one, but wanted to give you a heads up to be careful. And to clarify, it was a similar material to PVC used in records. The study was done in 2010 and he has pictures in the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lV7XiIBpiKp0nMU

[@BriansVinylRecords]

@@andrewskaterrr yeah I’ll give it a watch, but the results I’ve had so far speak for themselves for me :)

[@andrewskaterrr]

@@BriansVinylRecords oh for sure. I'm looking to build a cheap kit since I don't listen to vinyl much, so I'm glad to have come across your video.

[@paulmarr6949]

I like to spin clean mine then to the ultrasonic.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

That’s a good method too. All my albums were cleaned via spin clean before I got this unit, so they had been double cleaned in a sense.

[@mikem4432]

I use a generic ultrasonic kit for like 100$ on Amazon because the price includes delivery.. EBAY may be cheaper but the delivery is another 50$ ... so .. your choice.. HummingGuru is fine if you can or want to really spend the bucks.. also.. I do ONE album at a time.. on my multi album.. for 10 min.. more than enough time.. now the part most go crazy.. I use 99% alchohol for electronics comes in a spray can.. spray it on wipe it off.. takes off any oils, residues(if your home has gas heating or stove you will have lots of residues that f;s up everything) .. then give it a Ultrasonic bath with all the same stuff.. and let it work.. you will have a 90% clean.. the pops and crackles left will be very hard to get off.. also.. warm water makes a big difference.. I tried with and without warming the water.. and the warm clean is best but BE CAREFULL do not go above 50 celcius.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Sounds like this method works great for you. I don’t see an issue with the 99% alcohol. I do four at a time and it works great. 10 minutes for one sounds about right. Rock on!

[@ZendraZen]

Hi, Do you know if cleaning a picture disc would be a problem?

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I haven't tried one yet. I don't have many in my collection.

[@ZendraZen]

@@BriansVinylRecords ok thanks anyway

[@rogerdjs]

Are Ultrasonic Cleaners worth the Hype? Almost 5000 records later proves that it makes a difference. I have the Spin clean and it works ok but try cleaning that many records with a Spin Clean vs 8 records at a time on my Vevor...

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Heck yeah!

[@yorkemar]

I just use..albeit noisy..project vac machine.. 450aus reduced last year. Vcs. Project liquid good although don't use it all the time..justvdistilled w , plus microfibre and d4 brush vac cycle for se ond hand first. Works well. Might buy ultrasonic in future..

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Vacuum machines get great reviews as well. I’m glad it works for you. This was a cheaper option in the end for me.

[@tonymonaco9200]

Instead of using a vacuum to clean the records after you’re done washing it. Get yourself a pump sprayer and fill it with distilled water. Take it over your sink and blast it off with the pump sprayer to rinse it. Then hang the record vertically and let it air dry and don’t touch it with any kind of rotation or rag or anything like that because it will create more static

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Thanks for the tip, but I like my vinyl vac and it hasn’t caused any static that I’m aware of.

[@robertdrinkall8947]

Personally I don't think so. I found that it's best to just clean one LP at a time, doing multiple records at a time results in the records themselves acting as baffles restricting the sound waves. Also I had to run it meant times, like 4-5 hours to get any improvement.🤔

[@BriansVinylRecords]

There is plenty of space between each album for the bubbles from the ultrasonic sound to get into the grooves of each one. Based on the sound difference between what the spin clean did and what the ultra sonic did, I’ll stick with the ultra sonic.

[@mattmcgourty7971]

3:30 stuff you need to clean

[@BriansVinylRecords]

don't forget some 70% isopropyl alcohol.

[@MaterLacrymarum]

I really don't understand why people like Spin Clean so much. It's almost a total waste of money. Spin Clean is, in simple terms, a bucket and a brush. That's it. They charge $75 for it. You can achieve the very same result, or better, with a simple home made cleaning solution, a spray bottle (to apply it) and a lint free cloth. If you really must, take the brush out of the Spin Clean and manually run it around the record, though you don't really need to. In other words, yes Spin Clean will clean a record, but it's an expensive bit of over-engineering to achieve what a simple cloth will do just as well.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

The spin clean works great! Is it pricey for what it is? Yes, but it still works great.

[@MaterLacrymarum]

@@BriansVinylRecords My main gripe about it is the cost. I'll tell you why. You can a better job by purchasing some alcohol, distilled water, and a surfactant. Along with this you need two spray bottle - one for the solution, one with plain Distilled water - and some microfiber clothes. Simply place your record on a flat surface, spray with the solution, and wipe clean with the cloth. Then a rinse with the pure distilled water, and dry again. No need to spinning. No need to replace the rollers. No need for a special cleaner. Doing this actually cleans better than a straight Spin Clean. That said, a Spin Clean is better than NO clean. I just moved from the manual method (I gave up on my Spin Clean) to an ultrasonic cleaner (for which I paid £179). Giving my previously cleaned records a run in the Ultrasonic has been interesting, I'm not pulling off much, if any, dirt. Manual cleaning really is great. IMO YMMV.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

@@MaterLacrymarum Interesting. I am getting really amazing results with my ultrasonic. I had some records that looked great but had noise, and spin clean didn't solve it, but ultrasonic did. I also clean all new records before I play them and that seems to be the way to go. I hear people complain about this new album or that sounding noisy. They didn't clean it. I did and mine sounds great.

[@MaterLacrymarum]

@@BriansVinylRecords 😁 I have a 40Hz model - no way I can spend $2500 on a 120Hz one. I have one album (Tom Waits, Foreign Affairs) that is killing me. It looks great to the eye, and I've manually cleaned it more than once. I've ultrasonically cleaned it three times, and it's running now for a fourth. I just can't get rid of the crackle. I'll give up if this next run doesn't do anything. I think we should be careful about making blanket statements, and perhaps I'm guilty of that. Not every record is going to be silent, and sometimes there's groove damage so small, you can't see it. But you sure hear it. Such is the hobby.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

@@MaterLacrymarum I definitely agree on not making blanket statements. That's why this video gives my opinion and experience. Each person has a different experience with all forms of cleaning.

[@paulboyce8537]

You said the obvious. You don't need anything added in to the water with ultrasonic. All you do is leave a film of the solution on the record. Records don't repel water so cleaning solutions are not needed. Ultrasonic cleans by bombarding the surface with air bubbles. So understand how it works. And 30 minutes is way too long. 5-7 minutes is plenty. Every time you use your record no matter if you are playing it or cleaning your record it is wearing down. So don't over do it. Another myth is to use distilled water. If you have clean and filtered city water that is perfectly fine.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

If that works for you awesome. This method works great for me and any residue is removed by the rinse after that I do. I trust distilled water over my city’s super hard water any day though. Rock on!

[@barto6248]

vinyl just cracks, back in the eighties we didnt bother , we never cleaned records, maby just some glass cleaner and a soft cloth when it skipped, even microfiber cloths didnt exist back then. i took my records to every newwave and punk party, they where coverd in smoke, beer dust and fingerprints, .i still have those records, they crack , so what, . i also never use cover protectors, i love an old worn cover, that proves the record has been loved and lived and not stored in someones living room as a collectors item . some guys are spending more time cleaning there records than actualy listen to them. in the vinyl period there was nobody using an ultrasonic cleaner, NOBODY. All i do is spray some alcohol diluted with water and a few drops of dishsoap in it and wipe it dry with a microfiber. and play them loud ! cleaning is for the cleaning lady. by the way, i have an ultrasonic cleaner, in fact i have two. i use them profecional for degreasing polished jewelry, before the ultrasonic cleaner we cooked the jewelry in soda . but i will never put a record in a ultrasonic , waste of time,,,,, and money if you just buy a profecional ultrasonic cleaner just for cleaning your records. the dirt on a record is not that harsh that u need it to put in an ultrason. u just dont need it!

[@BriansVinylRecords]

To each their own I guess. I prefer to clean them and get the gunk out and make them sound as good as possible. I do like the crackles from time to time as long as it doesn’t overpower the music.

[@z1522]

Sorry, not worth watching, as you already had to convince yourself your purchase was justified. First, records are generally about the cleanest "dirty" surfaces to start with; non-destructive cleaning solutions and safe solvents, i.e. iso alcohol, with gentle brushing and rinsing, finally drying with soft microfiber in line with the grooves, should remove anything that ever made its way onto an LP. Static and scratches are going to drive you crazy, but no system will reverse them. Escape the madness of the one-way "audiophile" black hole, where money disappears.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

Thanks for your two cents and condescension. I had no need to justify my purchase. I was testing it out and giving my review/thoughts on the ultrasonic cleaner. You can use your method, and if you are happy with that it's fine. I will stand by my comments that the ultrasonic cleaner gives me better sound, cleans MUCH better than any other method I have used, and is worth the small investment. Rock on!

[@daryljspetz2967]

Great video Brian and i also order the Hihone 6L Ultrasonic Cleaner and i also have the Spin Clean Record Washer which i had for 2 yrs and i love it does a great job cleaning records and have a Record Doctor VI to clean and dry your records and does a good job and i'm going to get a lazy susan which i have to build it to clean my records and got a vinyl vac cleaning solution to clean the records and i'm going to try them out to see if i can get rid of those pops and clicks and surface noise to improve my vinyl records collection and if not i'll have to live with it and also i just order the vinyl flat this week to try to flattened my warp records and think you did a video of it and something else i'm looking for is a drane hose for the ultrasonic and do you have one if you do where did get it at i want to find the right let me know and i do have the attachment for the cleaner that i got from cleanervinyl.com and got to get the cleaning solutions from amazon that all i have to say and keep up with the videos.

[@BriansVinylRecords]

I don't have a drain hose for mine. I do the cleaning in my laundry room, so I just empty into the laundry tub. The vinyl flat is great. It can't fix them all, but it does fix most of the ones I have. Love it! Rock on!