Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?

Charlie, I have taken your advice this weekend and purchased a steamer for my records. I have taken some of my recent purchases (moldy, dirty records) along with a few of my fathers old bluegrass records and did a lot of experimenting. I have used several commercial products but tend to prefer my own cleaning fluid when it comes to cleaning but for the experimenting, i chose records that were pretty grungy or just could not get clean with normal methods using disk doctor solution or my own solution. I will not bore people with every detail, but i can solidly recommend the steaming for any record you are cleaning. I have an old flatts and scruggs album that my dad used to play but it has not had an album cover or sleeve for at least 25 years. it is pretty scratched up and the grooves were full of junk. After two steam cleanings, the grooves are perfectly clean. There are some surface pops but nothing comes off on the stylus and once the music is on, the surface noise is not very loud compared to the music. I had another from this stack that i had cleaned via my normal methods using several types of cleanings including the diskdoctor solution and it was not clean. One cleaning with the steam process (as part of a cleaning regiment), the results paralleled the scruggs and flatts record. I steam after I apply the enzyme solution and have done a little preliminary scrubbing to ensure the liquid is in all the grooves. Then i spin the record and ensure the steam plume covers the entire record (takes about 5 revolutions). then I scrub the record with a diskdoctor brush and vacuum. I then rinse twice using pure water and clean brushes vacuuming between each rinse. On a thrift store record (moldy and dirty) it cleaned it up to the point there were no pops or clicks. On one of the thrift store records, there were some pops but upon close examination, i believe them to be surface scratches.

THe process works well with my enzyme/detergent wash solution and works well with the diskdoctor solution. The pointed nozzle (i have one that points down ) is plenty hot but does not cover a large surface area hence the record does not bow up as i have heard others report. I hold the steamer to the point the contact point is about the size of a dime or a little smaller.

In conclusion, I think your idea is a great advance towards cleaning and await your report on the bacteria approach. My industry using bacteria to breakdown waste water contaminents (organic) so i believe, once again you are on something.

the statement is somewhat true. in a perfect distillation, the mineral stay in the water, but in the steamer there will be small droplets of water entrained in the steam. Hence the cleaner the water, the cleaner the steam. In commercial applications in making high quality steam, boiler manufacters recommend demineralized/RO/ or better water quality to make the steam

imo, no need to wait 24 hours after steaming. Steaming does not raise the temperature so much. Once the record is at room temperature and dry, you can play it. I routinely check the effectiveness by playing about 30 min after cleaning. i do a final rinse using water without steaming so that in its self cools the vinyl

what you might be hearing is a bearing or platter noise versus the record. Do you hear the noise on any of your new or quiet vinyl? if so, see if it has a pattern with the revolution. on my gyrodec, when the oil level got a little low, i would hear a faint rub. Just an idea. I have used the steamer process and not heard the sound you discuss though i do have one album that resists all attempts so far to clean

no but there is a little sound from the steam.

One trick for mold (fungus) is to use a mild bleach solution prior to steam cleaning. It works well to oxidize the mold. Rinse thoroughly then follow your normal cleaning regiment. Also, if you are distorting the vinyl, then you are heating it too much. The key with the steam is a slight heatup to aid in the cleaning process by making your cleaning solution more effective. think of trying to clean greasy pots with cold water vs hot water. The soap just works better warm

Agree you must be careful. But a weak bleach solution will not harm the vinyl. Thousands of swimming pool liners get much more concentrated doses with no adverse impact. Remember, this is a one time application that is removed promptly. I have used it on some great garage sale finds with very good results. It is not recommended for general cleaning but rather specifically for mold removal. Works fantastic for that.

another reason for sputtering is overfilling the boiling chamber. There is a measuring cup that will help with that. I also use the long spout with the downward pointing tip. also agree you should empty the unused water each time. Even ultra pure will have some solids if you continually add water without occasionally purging

this is interesting. i like the long spout and the downward pointing tip. It seems like it gives me more control. I have not had any problem with sputters or sprays. I do change out water each time i use it and use distilled/ro water. In either case, steaming provides a great enhancement to your cleaning regime. On an earlier post, i will point out if you have some mold, you might try a weak bleach solution. Works well with removing mold. I use it with a mild detergent as a prewash step in front of my normal cleaning regime.

had an interesting experience last nite with a record i was steam cleaning. I will try again tonite to see if i can improve it but I just brought a used copy of jefferson airplane "bark". After my usual regime, i put the record on and it sounded like a record that was not clean. After one track i looked at the stylus to see if there was buildup but nothing. the sound is not the typical surface ticks and pops but sounds like a dirty record. it is an original pressing on the grunt label. I played the entire album and when the music was playing the "noise was not noticeable but between tracks and both sides have this noise. I will use a extended cleaning, soaking steaming regime to see if it is really dirty but usually those do show some buildup on the stylus. also the record looks almost new with very few surface scratches and smudges. Anyone else seen this with a LP?