Biokleen Bac Out cleaner

In response to Opalchip - indeed I am aware of the difference between ionic and non-ionic detergents, and indeed I have done the research, but in laboratories rather than by Googling elementary textbooks. I am also aware of the effect of cmc on the behaviour of enzymes in the presence of neutral surfactants, which seems to have eluded the author(s) of your books. I am not aware of the type of surfactant present in MoldZyme - I hope it is neutral since ionic surfactants have no place in LP cleaning in my view. There are some popular proprietary cleaners which break this rule, so nothing would surprise me.

Neither you nor your books address the crucial question however. How do enzymatic cleaners remove non-biological crud?

Someone above here doesn't really know his MacStuff or bother to research it. First off - Nonionic surfactants (which is the ONLY type in MoldZyme) absolutely DO NOT degrade enzymes. Do some research and get back to us. I can cite at least 10 studies that show, in fact, the BENEFICIAL effect of nonionic surfactants on enzymatic action. Here's a start:

http://books.google.com/books?id=SCWLcVDjxxsC&pg=PA643&dq=effect+of+surfactants+on+enzymes+%22nonionic+surfactants%22#PPA715,M1

http://www.ejbiotechnology.info/content/vol9/issue5/full/16/index.html

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/107623197/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/83/3/536.pdf

http://aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/17/2/242.pdf

2nd - It just plain works. I'm not influenced by Audiophile voodoo (and this is not marketed to audiophiles). I have experimented with many things, and this is the best I've found that is easily store bought. Ken's homebrew is also excellent (although I personally would up the Triton to around 3 or 4 ml) and because X-100 is nonionic it would also be improved with the addition of a protease/lipase mixture.

Moldzyme BTW has no added colors, fragrances, etc.

Here is a formula that I can recommend and it is dirt cheap, easy to make and easy to remove.

900ml distilled water
89 ml of Isopropyl alcohol
1 or 2 ml of Triton X-100

I got the X-100 from Thechemistrystore.com, like $10/qt.

To rinse I can recommend this mixture

990 ml distilled water
10 ml isopropyl alcohol

The problem with all the "witch's brews" is the added ingredients in home cleaning products, like colorings or fragrances etc. and just not knowing what you are working with.

Hope this helps.

Ken

Maclogan,
You have to be right, after all you have a back ground in chemistry....

Giving some thought to your comment above including else where here on Audiogon relating to this subject.
The results using active enzyme base cleaners for vinyl, have to be imaginary.

Oh man....I feel SO embarrassed being suckered like this by Lloyd Walker.
It's too late for me to return the Prelude kit and Step 4 rinse for a full refund....

Well, live and learn.

Opalchip should really learn some basic biochemistry before making his claims about a product called MoldZyme. If the ingredients are as he reports, and if the "fermented vegetable matter" in fact contains active enzymes after the fermentation process is complete, there will be little if any active enzyme present after the surfactant is added. Surfactants in significant concentration deactivate enzymes, and deactivated enzymes are useless. They do nothing to anything. Likewise, if Almandog is adding the "Biokleen Bac Out Cleaner" to his otherwise sensible witches' brew, all he is doing is destroying any enzymatic activity which might have originally been present in the product. It's the other ingredients that are doing the cleaning.

The only activity associated with some of these enzyme-based cleaners is in the bank accounts of the people who sell them to gullible audiophiles.

Thank you for your input.
This evening I tried out the Biokleen prodcts. I noticed that the General Purpose cleaner leave some white residue on the LP, but the Bac Out cleaner did not. I will do further testing with my home brewed recipe (which contains a pint of alcohol, 30 drops of Kodak ortoflo surfacant, two table spoon of Lysol, and a gallon of distilled water (Internet recipe)), Audio Intelligent fluids, and the Biokleen Bac Out Cleaner. Plus I steam clean the LP before applying the fluids.

I use MoldZyme for problems where I suspect noise due to mildew in the grooves. First off - the only ingredients in MoldZyme are: Water, Fermented Vegetable Matter (the enzymes), and Natural Surfactants. I have let it soak on lp's for hours and it has not caused damage.

The problem with mildew is that it may adhere to the vinyl more tenaciously than dust or grease. So a typical alcohol/surfactant combo cleaner often doesn't work on it - that's when I suspect there is a mold issue.

If after vigorous cleaning with Disk Doctor cleaner I still have surface noise on a mint looking lp, I pull out the MoldZyme. Spray it on very liberally and let it soak for 10 minutes or more, then I use the DD pads as normal, rinse, then re-clean with the usual DD fluid. This often completely eliminates the problems. I sometimes wonder why not just use the MoldZyme to start with - it's extremely effective and much cheaper than "audiophile fluid".

Here's a link to one internet seller - it's also available in stores:
http://www.greenhome.com/products/bath/basin_and_tile_cleaners/110295/

Enzyme cleaners do not dissolve dirt, grease, and stains unless the dirt, grease, and stains are of biological origin. If they're not you're wasting your time and money.

I have tried it and do not recommend it.

Bac-out contains lime extracts and "live enzyme producing cultures" of bacteria, and stabilizers. They are not specific about the exact ingredients.

It may loosen dirt, oil or what ever but will be hard to rinse off the cleaner itself, especially since we don't know what it is made of.

It does leave your records limey fresh though.

Ken