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Best Record Cleaning Fluid

Greetings All,

I’ve spend the last few days searching and reading about record cleaning fluids for my cleaning machine (Okki Nikki).  Wow - there are a lot of options out there.  Many more than I originally thought.  Some real esoteric stuff that costs a pretty penny.  I’m currently going through my entire collection, cleaning it, listening to it and adding it to a Discogs DB.  Want to finally know how many I have and have a list of them.  But doing this has resulted in me going through cleaning fluid rather quickly.

So many options, so many perspectives on what are the best fluids.  What do you all say.  I understand that alcohol is a no-no for fluids, but I can’t find out if some of them include alcohol or not.  Currently using up the fluid that came with the machine, but no where can I read it if has bad ingredients.

The 2-stage or 3-stage cleaning systems are not going to happen.  I did get a bottle of Revolv that I was told was good, and use if for new high quality pressings (as opposed to those I bought in high school).

Anyway, would appreciate some perspectives on good quality record cleaning fluids that don’t bust the bank.  Thanks for keeping the sarcasm in check.

Happy Listening,

pgaulke60

Showing 7 responses by mofimadness

mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
For the past several years, I have used L'Art Du Son.  Found it to be quite effective and provide excellent cleaning results.

Once I run out of this, I plan on trying the Audio Intelligent line of fluids.  I have heard great things about them.

I've tried many different brands and DIY fluid concoctions and these are the ones I like best.

YMMV
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
I tried L'Art Du Son. It works but you have to rinse the record well of you will leave a residue making it a PITA.

Well, after almost 6 years of using this and after hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of records later, I have never had this problem?  My records are pristine without any residue and sound fine.

I use Audio Intelligent - Premium One-Step Formula #6
That Formula #6 is the one I am going to try next.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
Sorry, I meant to add:  I've used enough of the "concentrates" to know that the number 1 factor, the top thing, the Big Kahuna, the most important part, is what you use to mix it with.

The purer the better.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
mofimadness, I do not know what cleaning technique you use and it is probably more advanced than what I do but if you use a Spin Clean with L’ Art if you do not do a separate rinse cycle with distilled water the residue will gum up your stylus after just a few plays. I rarely have to clean a record so I am not about to spend a fortune on an elaborate cleaning machine so my experience with them is limited but perhaps a vacuum pick up might remove enough so this does not happen?
Understood. I use a VPI and do not rinse, but have never seen this before. So let’s add to my comment about the fluid used, to include, the method used also. Thanks.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
I have tried a couple of the MOFI fluids and they were fine.  I have never heard of Revolv, so I had to look it up.  Never used the Okki Nokki fluid either.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
What a load of fantastic, imaginitive, misleading nonsense this guy does not know what he is talking about!

Huh?...this article talks about using a SEM and actually has pictures.  It mentions: " Because records are so dark, they absorb light. So we switched to the Scanning Electron Microscope."

https://www.dak.com/vinyl-record-grooves-magnified-1000x/
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
5,366 posts
 
Many years ago people observed their Monster Speaker Cable turning green through the clear PVC jacket. This was due to dehydrohalogenation of the PVC jacket producing HCl which reacted with the copper conductor forming copper chloride

I was always told that the crusty green powder was caused by the oxidation of the copper in the wire.  This was way before the days of oxygen free copper, (in audio cables anyway).
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