Cleaning LPs
Mar 6, 2009 at 12:05 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 25
scompton

scompton

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I cleaned a batch of LPs with the following method
  • Rinse under kitchen faucet to remove anything loose
  • Spray with a mixture of distilled water, vinegar, and dish soap
  • Scrub along the grooves with a shoe shine brush
  • Rinse under sink
  • Dry with micro fiber cloths

Before playing, I use a Zerostat and Diskwasher pad.

This worked great for my old LPs. At most there's just a few pops. A couple of LPs had no noise a all.

It didn't work too well with some LPs I bought at a thrift store. They don't have many pops but there's a constant crackle that someone here described as sounding like bacon frying.

I'm wondering how well a low end cleaning machine will do with these. Does anyone have experience with the $300 Nitty Gritty? What's the resale value of the Nitty Grittys?

If anyone can suggest changes to what I'm doing short of buying a machine, I'd appreciate it.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 3:31 AM Post #3 of 25
Unfortunately, the only one I feel I can justify is the cheapest I can find. It's still almost $1 a record. I don't find that much in thrift stores that are worth getting.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 3:48 AM Post #4 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I cleaned a batch of LPs with the following method
  • Rinse under kitchen faucet to remove anything loose
  • Spray with a mixture of distilled water, vinegar, and dish soap
  • Scrub along the grooves with a shoe shine brush
  • Rinse under sink
  • Dry with micro fiber cloths

Before playing, I use a Zerostat and Diskwasher pad.

This worked great for my old LPs. At most there's just a few pops. A couple of LPs had no noise a all.

It didn't work too well with some LPs I bought at a thrift store. They don't have many pops but there's a constant crackle that someone here described as sounding like bacon frying.

I'm wondering how well a low end cleaning machine will do with these. Does anyone have experience with the $300 Nitty Gritty? What's the resale value of the Nitty Grittys?

If anyone can suggest changes to what I'm doing short of buying a machine, I'd appreciate it.


The low end machine will help, I had one and it beats hand cleaning (I use a VPI now).

I would suggest a couple things at a minimum:
The purity of the fluids you are using may, or may not be putting other contaminants on your record.
At least do a final rinse with distilled water rather than tap water which probably contain minerals that are left behind when the water dries. That might be the source of some of the noise.

A shoe shine brush?
Loose that, the bristles are too large to get into the grooves, so I doubt it's doing much good. Try using a microfiber cloth to scrub with as well as dry, it will do a better job and is soft enough that you won't scratch anything.

If you're in the mood to spend a little, there are a lot of good commercial fluids and brushes out there that will probably do a better job and are more convenient to use.

I use the Audio Intelligent fluids and the Mobile Fidelity record brushes. The LAST microfiber brushes are good and inexpensive also.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 7:36 AM Post #6 of 25
You might have static on the discs that crackle. An anti-static gun might make them much more listenable.

I still wash by hand, but have been thinking about a machine. I can't decide between a used VPI or going whole hog with a Loricraft. It's getting where it takes too long to wash by hand - same reason I'm thinking about a server (
eek.gif
) for my Red Book discs.

I don't have a link (I'm posting from the phone), but I've seen some interesting adaptations of an ultrasonic cleaner to clean records. That's really appealing, since I like what ultrasonic cleaners do to fountain pens and other toys. Though it would take longer than a dedicated machine, I'd be able to use ultrasound on other projects I have.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 8:09 AM Post #7 of 25
Thought about using this brush? The Roksan brush.

http://www.roksan.co.uk/pdfs/Rclean01.pdf

Haven't tried it, but I am definitely interested. My record collection is about 40-50 and convenience is a serious thing. I already use a microfiber pad when doing a wet clean and Audioquest dry brush before each play. Haven't tried much in teh way of cleaning stuffs, but this works decently I suppose.

Was also thinking of getting a bottle of this stuff for my vintage vinyl.
TTVJ Vinyl Zyme Gold Record Wash [TTVJ Vinyl Zyme Gold] - $9.99 : TTVJ, Todd The Vinyl Junkie

Anyone with more experience, please chime in.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 10:20 AM Post #8 of 25
It's very possible that your thrift store buys were previously damaged by a worn out or misaligned stylus or by being played while they were dirty. In this case no amount of cleaning will help as the grooves are permanently damaged. I've found thrift store purchases are very hit or miss. My best finds have been from garage sales.

If your record collection is in the hundreds, or will be through acquisition, and you plan to continue with vinyl then nothing beats a record cleaning machine. I have a VPI and I've used a Nitty Gritty. The Nitty Gritty does a good job. FWIR, the resale is 2/3 or more of the retail price.

I cleaned my records by hand for years and since most were purchased new and stored carefully this was satisfactory at the time. The best cleaning brush (much better than a shoe brush) I've found was at the link below. The Mobile Fidelity (originally Record Research Labs) brushes that Todd R recommends are very good. A final rinse in a sink full of distilled water would also certainly help.

The Disc Doctor

To help keep the records clean I purchase and use new inner sleeves after the first thorough cleaning. I would also recommend a carbon fibre brush like the Audioquest Germania suggested instead of the Discwasher. I've found that the Discwasher can push some dirt particles deeper into the grooves rather than lifting them out.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 11:50 AM Post #9 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by NightOwl /img/forum/go_quote.gif
To help keep the records clean I purchase and use new inner sleeves after the first thorough cleaning. I would also recommend a carbon fibre brush like the Audioquest Germania suggested instead of the Discwasher. I've found that the Discwasher can push some dirt particles deeper into the grooves rather than lifting them out.


X2.
Absolutely!
I dry brush with my Audioquest carbon fiber brush before each side. It's amazing how much fine dust still collects on your LP's even when stored properly.
Also, clean your stylus before each side as well for long life.
I use the Mobile Fidelity LP#9 (formerly Record Research labs)
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 12:54 PM Post #10 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I'm wondering how well a low end cleaning machine will do with these. Does anyone have experience with the $300 Nitty Gritty? What's the resale value of the Nitty Grittys?



I have had the entry-level Nitty Gritty for many years and can say that it was one of the best audio purchases I have ever made. It makes my vinyl look and sound brand new (keeping in mind that I don't buy used vinyl that looks like crap to begin with). No idea on the resale value though.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 2:22 PM Post #12 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd R /img/forum/go_quote.gif
A shoe shine brush?
Loose that, the bristles are too large to get into the grooves, so I doubt it's doing much good. Try using a microfiber cloth to scrub with as well as dry, it will do a better job and is soft enough that you won't scratch anything.


My first attempt was with a microfiber cloth and the shoe shine brush actutally works better. After cleaning a batch of records with the cloth, I tried one I've owned since the 70s and it had lots of pops and clicks. After recleaning with the shoe shine brush it sounded good.

I will try ordering a brush designed to clean records.
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 3:33 PM Post #13 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif
shouldnt have to spend money to clean. soak in warm water with dish soap. scrub with diaper rag and dry with microfiber.


Washing up liquid has "stuff" in it, I'd use destilled/de-ioned water
 
Mar 6, 2009 at 7:15 PM Post #14 of 25
I just tried something and it worked pretty dang good.

Plus, it is using something that you likely have in the house already.

A Brand New "Magic Eraser" !!!!!

It tracks directly into the grooves as you wipe around and it actually makes sense when you think about it because it was designed to clean on a micro scale. I couldn't believe how dirty this thing came out after cleaning an old Van Halen LP that looked reasonable clean from using a dry brush. I am not sure was repeated use and everything would mean, but for now I feel very happy with it.

Seriously, try it on a pretty beat record to test it and see if it doesn't work for you better than the shoe brush!


Now part of me secretly wants to try out diluted oxyclean spray instead of the enzyme cleaner since it is safe for vinyl floors and all.
 
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