Cleaning records. How often really?


Suppose, they have just been machine-cleaned and are played maybe two times a month in a regular environment.
Also treated with Last record preservative and kept in sealed outer sleeves.
Once a year or so?
Just don't tell me before each play, yeah, I heard of this insane approach.
inna

Showing 2 responses by whart

Once a record is fully and effectively cleaned, there should be little need to reclean- if you get a thumb or fingerprint on the record while handling it, the oil from your skin can attract loose contaminants, like dust, and that oil will not be removed by dry brushing or dusting; when the record is spinning, a vortex action is created, which draws dust onto the surface- that can be brushed off after the record is played; if you thoroughly darken your room, and use a small, high intensity flashlight, you are often able to see a fine layer of this dust on your gear; if you use a cloth or brush to dust it off, it just floats into the air, to resettle again. (We aren't in a 'clean room' environment). Inner sleeves can shed or leave lint. I think the issue of 'mold release' is overblown. I have spent a lot of time cleaning old copies - some take some work and multiple steps/methods, but once clean, it is rare that i need to re-clean. Static can be a problem, but there are solutions for that too. I try to minimize the amount of dry brushing I do, because I find the most brushes shed and can contribute to more static even though they are labelled as "anti-static." I also find that the anti-static gun is overkill and hard for most people to use effectively.
ct0517- for my next room, I’m seriously considering a whole house active filtration system that installs as part of the HVAC. We had one in our previous house- I’m sure that the technology has improved since then. I have none in this house, but even with the air conditioning off, the listening room isolated from the rest of the house, windows never open, no pets in room, no "traffic" other than me and the occasional guest, no shoes, etc., the dust is a constant. We live "in the country" along the Hudson River 25 miles or so north of Manhattan- perhaps not as pristine as some parts of the country due to air-borne pollution, but pretty clean, green, quiet and low density here. Also very little vehicle traffic on my road. I’m fastidious in maintaining a ’clean’ room within reason (not a "clean room" in the technical sense) and I find that at best, I am moving the dust around, it is impossible to eliminate.