I have been buying records since 1970, and as was typical, used a Discwasher. In the early 1980s, I bought a used VPI, and converted it to the 16.5. Mostly, I have used distilled water with about 20% isopropanol, and a couple of drops of Kodak Photo-Flo, a mild detergent used when processing film. I spreads out well on the records, and there is occasionally enough vacuum to cause some bubbles as the fluid is sucked off by the (be still, my heart) velvet lips. I have never noted any residue. Then (not to open up another can of worms), I use LAST on each side. Since it bonds to the vinyl irreversibly, it sometimes can pick up dust that the machine didn't get the first time. Then, I can clean it again...I am not a fan of the MOFI fluids, if only because they don't really wet the record, seemingly just blobbing above the grooves due to its very high surface tension.
There is absolutely no question that the ultrasonic cleaners work better (just ask your dentist), but they do come with a pretty steep toll if you want it automated; If you don't, you can probably buy a large enough one on ebay, and fabricate something to hold the records solidly while they spin in the water bath. Then, they have to dry, so the money you save is more than taken up in the time it takes to clean them.
