Do You Need Record Cleaning Solution? My Thoughts

What's really in record cleaning solution--and do you need it? Can you make it at home? Let's find out!
#vinylrecords #howtocleanrecords #recordcleaning
Follow Deaf Man Vinyl on Instagram and Facebook for tips & tricks on how to collect and care for your vinyl:
deafmanvinyl
deafmanvinyl
Visit our online record store at www.deafmanvinyl.com for a focused selection of curated used and new vinyl classics and vinyl accessories.

[@kev5621]

Many thanks. When I have a bunch to clean, I spin clean them, then use the vacuum attachment for my Dyson. Seems to work very well.

[@pauldiberardino9488]

A really good subject DM. Very useful and thanks.....

[@BuzzingBee123]

I was planning on subscribing anyway, but the insert of the SNL Target lady, alongside a fancy word, sealed the deal! That made me laugh out loud! Well done. Thanks for all of the helpful information and for a hearty laugh.🤣🤣🤣

[@Zodibigh]

My old Van Halen collection only wants to be cleaned with alcohol based. Thanks for the tips! I agree less is more when cleaning.

[@DeafManVinyl]

Hey! I put a great story about Eddie and his love for Schlitz malt liquor in one of our newsletters. If you send me your email address, I'll forward it to you. Gotta love a rock god who drank the same cheap @ss beer as me!

[@VNeto94]

My Metallica collection absorbs all the alcohol and I can't clean it! I'm sending it to rehab.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

Well said. Thumbs up. I've made my own record solution, and using it; for cleaning a stylus I apply an expensive cleaner that I bought on Amazon, Canadian web site. Record cleaning is 2 cups of distilled water, one tablespoon of Dawn (R) dish washing liquid, a couple of drops of rinse aid finish (R) Jet-Dry, and I added up to 2 teaspoons of alcohol 91% in the mix. Therefore, I have a method for record cleaning that I attained from KZbin demonstration videos; then slightly modified for my needs for cleaning vinyl. For cleaning a record wet, I spray the cleaning liquid with a spray bottle. I lay the record on a towel that is placed on a long MDF board 2 feet long, up to 3.5 inches wide, and half inch thick; and it is placed across the sink. Then I rub around the record disc with an Ultra Cloth, and rinse the record carefully tilting it in the laundry sink in the basement; then dry by wiping with a second, dry Ultra Cloth; made in Germany. Then wipe dry again with an "all-purpose microfibre cleaning cloth". For final drying I put the record on a dish-washing rack to dry further. I believe that this formula that I found on the Internet over a year ago is super; not saying it is superior, but so far it works well for me. I also cover the label with a funnel at the spraying stage to prevent getting it wet; as carefully as I can. I am going to get special covers for the labels. Besides, these record cleaning companies make plenty of profit; so I want to save a couple of dollars, too. What do you think, Deaf Man Vinyl? Also, distilled water at a supermarket is priced very low.

[@DeafManVinyl]

I've been experimenting with some home-brew solution, too. Finding that the key is the wetting agent. Both to get the solution to "sheet" and get down in the grooves, but also to help it dry spot-free. Getting ready to try a photographic solution from Ilford (the one from Kodak is specifically not indicated for this use). Problem is, it's expensive and only available in large qty.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

@@DeafManVinyl Thank you for your reply. Good to find there is that solution from Ilford available. I am into photography, but I did not know of its function, and effectiveness for record cleaning; good to know about.

[@garybernstein3539]

Vinyl Style is the best. Been using it for years. That and the D4 brush does it for me..

[@starshiptrooper7670]

I like that Stones 81' Tour poster on your wall. We saw them in New Orleans. And yourself? Thx for record cleaning advice.

[@DeafManVinyl]

Yeah, that was my high school graduation present. Stones at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, with Van Halen opening. Some 250 concerts later, that's still my highlight!

[@rickmilam413]

A great article I read some time ago by an audiophile chemist made a strong case for rinsing with ANY surfactant, no matter what the instructions say. He recommends better than distilled water for the final rinse (it's fine with surfactant which has more particulate matter than the distilled water) but really recommends better for final. I use ultra pure water. In fairness I also use a high end ultrasonic cleaner with surfactant and then a manual rinse so I'm in the minority. Good explanation of surfactant. If you don't use one you're not going to get into the micron dimension fine grooves of an LP. Thanks

[@DeafManVinyl]

Thanks for the thoughts, Rick. The "magic" ingredient I use is Ifotol from Ilford. Used as a "wetting agent" for photographic negatives and prints so they dry spot-fee. Got mine from B&H. About $30 for a liter, an amount most folks won't use in a lifetime. But IMO, worth every penny. Gets in and out of the grooves like a champ.

[@krzysztofczarnecki8238]

Also not every dish soap is good for records. Some contain some cruft that makes it more friendly to human skin or gives it a pleasant odour, and that can be hard to fully rinse off. If you want to wash with dish soap, find a cheap brand because it's more likely to be just dish soap, and if it works, stick with it. If the records sometimes come out more noisy than before, the dish soap is just bad and you should use a different one. Also use a very small amount. On the first record I washed I put a lot, and it took more than half an hour to rinse off. My list of cleaning methods are the following, each for progressively more filthy records (if the previous one doesn't help): -brush -just water from a shower at high pressure -water and dish soap then rinse with water -as above, then put PVA glue on a dry record, and peel it off when dry, then rinse - wash it again with water and dish soap - wash it with isopropyl alcohol mixed with lighter fluid (synthetic naphta with no additives, not propane/butane) and then with water and dish soap to get any residue from lighter fluid The last one makes the really scratchy sounding records including the one that had some solidified food or bird poop on it (idk, seller said VG+, not buying from him again) sound almos noise-free compared to every step before.I honestly believe it to be a last-chance treatment though. I simply do not know if it just cleans really well, or if it actually dissolves the record just a tiny bit to smoothen out the most microscopic scratches, similar to acetone smoothing for ABS 3D prints. If it is the latter, it means it does degrade the sound quality if overdone or performed several times on the same record.

[@Ssophiahasgmail]

I’m starting to clean my grandpa’s old vinyl from the 60’s and so on. I bought a cleaning kit from amazon and the cleaning solution is alcohol free. Which solution is better, alcohol based or alcohol free?

[@DeafManVinyl]

Sophia, I'm not sure that one style is necessarily better than the other. Alcohol obviously evaporates quickly, which speeds up the drying process. I do get jangly when a non-alcohol solution leaves water spots on the vinyl as it dries (as long as it has a good wetting agent/surfactant, it won't do that). Gotta love those cool grandpas that leave us their records!

[@christinadeibel4937]

Okay, I know you said always start dry when it comes to cleaning records. But do you follow up afterwards with a cleaning solution?

[@DeafManVinyl]

I typically only use a cleaning solution if there are greasy fingerprints or smudges that won't come off with a brush. Hope that helps.

[@christinadeibel4937]

@@DeafManVinyl It does, thank you so much!!

[@aussiecam74]

Hi mate, how do I purchase one of your cleaning mats?

[@DeafManVinyl]

Hey! The wifey just made a fresh batch - you can check them out here: www.deafmanvinyl.com/dmv-shop/record-cleaning-mat/ Thanks for reaching out.

[@2112Nightshift]

Is eyeglass cleaner the same stuff?

[@DeafManVinyl]

Hmmmnn ... probably so. Water and some kind of surfactant. Thinking it doesn't leave any residue behind, or you'd see it on your glasses. Go for it!

[@Dr.Fiendish]

Smudges grease, good stuff? Isn't that bad stuff?