TURGIKLEEN - Instructions for Spin-Clean record cleaning machine

Here we show you one of the most economical and best little record cleaning machines, and how to use it with Tergikleen™ Get a label protector if you so choose, during rinse cycle. This machine is a perfect match for our Tergitol™ cleaning formula, and will speed clean many more records in quicker times than manual washing will. Let me know if you have any questions, we are here to help.
Tergikleen
Song credits: Jumpin Boogie Woogie by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
Fat Caps by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/

[@Dave30867]

I use my spin clean for the final rinse filled with rainwater its easier that way . I have just purchased a second Spin clean also . Wanting to buy an ultrasonic tank i can understand how that would be a better solution but washing times could cause record damage but i will see for myself , when i can purchase the one suitable for my needs .

[@davestephens8033]

You can't damage vinyl records in an ultrasonic machine. I cleaned one for an hour and a half and no damage of any kind. The US machines have gotten a bit cheaper over time, and the Vinyl Stack is still the only way to go.

[@51gary51]

Man, I love that piano Boogie Woogie instrumental playing in the beginning of your video! Can you fill me in on the artist, song title, and record label? Thanks!

[@robrider838]

How many drops of Tergikleen go into 1 gallon of distilled water? Do you use less drops if you are using an ultra sonic machine?

[@davestephens8033]

I use 10-15 drops to a gallon of distilled water for the Spin Clean, and about the same for Ultrasonic.

[@dpeek22]

Do you have a particular type/brand of microfiber cloth that you use?

[@davestephens8033]

The ones they sell for using on cars. But some of them don't absorb water, so it depends.

[@S.A.S.H.]

What about protecting the record label? Seems like there a lot of potential damage since it is paper, which is notoriously unhappy when in contact with water.

[@davestephens8033]

Not with vintage albums. They were pressed into the vinyl, not glued. I use a pressure sprayer and don't really spray the label much, seldom ever seen any damage of any kind. Modern albums though I have heard the labels are glued on and damage easily. Use what works for you, Ebay has alot of label protection products.

[@jmbwithcats]

It seems if you're going to wash it by hand, why use the spin clean? If you use the spin clean properly, and then dry off the vinyl with a good microfiber towel, you can skip basin/rinse/wash step. Also, drying is much easier if you place one towel down like on a table or bed, then place down the record, and wipe dry with another towel, flip record and do the other side... much easier than holding the record in your hands, which is just going to dirty the record again.

[@davestephens8033]

NO NO NO NO NO ;-) Tergitols MUST BE RINSED OFF REALLY WELL. This must be emphasized. Tergitol is extremely wetting and wiping it off won't get it off. I get Tergitol on my hands sometimes since I'm bottling alot and you have to keep your hands underwater alot to get it off completely. But this is also why the stuff cleans so amazingly well. Library of Congress uses it, so its not anything thats new.

[@rspkt808]

You not only contacted the record label with the cleaning solution but also submerged it in water on top of that?!? This is a horrible recommendation and a good way to destroy your record's label(s). You should never allow water or any liquid to come in contact with the paper labels.

[@davestephens8033]

If you're an avid collector with expensive records, yeah you don't want to get the labels wet, but this video is for your average music lover. when I buy records, I don't care what the cover looks like, if its beat up, I look to see if the playing surface is in good enough condition that it might sound good. All my records are vintage and they seldom show any damage from quick exposure to water, the labels were pressed INTO the vinyl at the factory, they're not glued on like they do now. My ultrasonic uses label protectors to hold the albums as they spin but I still just pressure spray distilled water rinse them, I think out of probably 500 I've only seen maybe 3 that showed a tiny bit of bubbling is all. The tank rinse thing is just a suggestion if someone wants a quick method to use thats cheap. Some guys have 2 Spin-Cleans and use one for rinse, but the rinse water quickly gets too much Tergitol in it, the spray method uses fresh distilled and just works better than anything else.

[@rspkt808]

Dave Stephens Labels are not glued on. They're pressed in as they always were. Not sure where you're getting that info from.

[@davestephens8033]

I got a reply to my post from you, saying modern labels are also pressed on but for some reason its not showing up here. Well, then why do I hear so much about label damage on modern records? I don't as a rule buy modern vinyl because the majority of them are from digital CD masters, you don't gain anything at all in sound quality. I have about 600 vintage vinyl albums and I've never seen damage from brief water exposure except maybe 3 albums that a little bit of red ink bled on the drying cloth. But people who buy modern albums tell me that water does severe damage, so they must be doing something different than the old albums. I have albums from the 40's up to late 80's, and its only the 40's ones that had minor ink bleeding, and yo couldn't even tell it bled except from the drying cloth, it was not evident from the dried label at all.

[@rspkt808]

Dave Stephens You probably hear about it more because modern pressings are discussed more than vintage ones in my opinion depending on the forum. Methods haven't changed. Pressing quality depends entirely on the mastering process and pressing plants so that's literally a case by case basis kind of thing. There's no validity to a blanket statement like vintage pressings are better although I'd agree on average most modern pressings aren't up to par. This is mostly due to the fact pressing plants are overworked and exceeding their production capacity to meet current demand. There plenty of labels that press from original master sources not CD and have the same superb quality control as older ones from decades past.

[@critannihilation2200]

You're kidding right? You wet the record label. Subsequent records are being cleaned in solution that isn't fresh. You're using regular distilled water instead of Ultra Pure water (RO/DI water). You're using cloths that may not be very clean to wipe things down. There's a great deal of handling of records that could be dropped and scratched. You're not wearing gloves to protect yourself from exposure to the cleaning chemicals. I'm not saying that Turgikleen isn't a good cleaner. By all accounts it is. I'd use it with a Wet/Vac system and Ultra Pure Water and gloves. I'd use amber glass lab bottles with teflon caps to store my cleaning solution to prevent the bottle from contaminating the fluid. It's also always a good idea do some gentle pre-cleaning before using a brush with pressure. You don't want to push grit into the record while cleaning it with the brush(es). I have a VPI 17F, but the VPI 16.5 is a good unit too; I know it's expensive, but if you're going to be serious about record cleaning you need one of these machines to more safely clean records. If you can't afford it, try and use some of my tips to get a batter clean and be careful. Above all else, don't start off cleaning records with a 12 pack of beer :-).

[@davestephens8033]

These are ALL vintage records. I've had may 2 out hundreds that showed any damage. MOdern albums I am told have glued on labels instead of labels pressed into the vinyl as vintage were. If you need a label protector use one. There's no need for expensive rinse water, I use distilled from the grocery store, beads of water on vinyl dry and leave NO marks, thats a sign of purity. I bought the Spin-Clean, Okki Nokki, and and found all those lacking, and now I use ultrasonic, no brushes, no abrasion, the machine has label protectors. I personally am not worried about the labels, I'm not a collector I'm a music lover and most of the records I buy have beat up covers and aren't what collectors are looking for. I do a quick couple spins in the Spin-Clean to get off most surface dust, then the ultrasonic does the rest. There is no problems using tank cleaning solution like the Spin-Clean, new records come out as quiet as they were, no damage. When the tank is stored all the gunk goes to the bottom. This where you really see what the contaminations are, there is no abrasive material in the bottom of the tank, I think mostly what I see is tobacco residue and old mold release gunk. The cloths are pre-washed and washed before using, but personally I use the cloths the Spin-Clean company sells, no lint and are also washable. These videos are just suggestions for newbies, everyone is going to find their own ultimate method, but overall this little machine worked great. But ultrasonic smokes all the methods even the glue method didn't get any better results than ultrasonic.

[@carolyns.4677]

UP water is cheap if you know where to get it. I buy mine for less than a dollar per gallon at Whole Foods; it comes out of a machine, and you must bring your own clean bottle. The RO/DI process is the best for purifying water. God, the Ultrasonic RCM is super expensive at around $3,800.00 new. I'm not aware of anything cheaper as far as an ultrasonic RCM goes. The VPI machines are much less expensive and work well. I recall the VPI 17F being used by the Library of Congress just like Tergikleen. If you can't afford anything better, then one of these budget machines is better than nothing, but care must be exercised, and there's a lot more labor involved. Hope somebody comes up with a much better, more affordable machine for those of us on a budget.

[@audiophileman7047]

I agree with Gaming Minion. This isn't the best way to go, and ultrasonic RCM's are super expensive. Use this method with much care and caution. Buy a wet/vac machine if you can afford one. Yes, VPI machines are good, but there are others. See which one you like the best and are in your budget.

[@davestephens8033]

I bought a Chinese ultrasonic 2 gallon tank on Ebay. Its a 40hz model, then I bought the Vinyl Stack rotating motor and label protectors on Ebay too, came out to about $500. It cleans better than any of the other machines I bought, Spin-Clean, or vacuum Okki Nokki, or the glue method. But you can only clean 2 records at once, you put more on the spindle and then only the outsides of the end albums get cleaned because ultrasonics don't work in tight spaces between albums. But it will clean as good as these ultra expensive US machines for thousands less. I've been meaning to make a video showing my US set up, I can tell you the essentials and save you tons of time in learning how to make it work the best.

[@rickenbacker12]

I dare you to do that to a original Blue Note, the labels run. If you do it, you'll have a total mess on your hands. Literately, a dripping white mess.