Di I really need to clean my LP's?

It depends on how much value is placed on the caring for the stylus and whether there is a want  for the stylus to interface with the LP, in an environment that presents the minimum of particulate obstructions, especially particulate that are capable of producing signals that are not belonging to the recorded information that is stored in the LP Groove.

The question for an individual who has an interest in experiencing Vinyl LP Replays and the question that is needed to make a decision on, when replaying a Vinyl LP  is, " how purified is one wishing for a Vinyl Groove to be during a replay"

I like my Vinyl Groove to be as clean as I feel I can attain, and to achieve this, I have opted for a Manual Cleaning Method, using purpose produced solutions for the cleaning processes, along with ancillaries to offer a valuable application when using these solutions during the different processes. 

The response from your relative seems quite logical when thinking about particulate that might be detected by the eye, the chances are this will be easily removed and there should be no more detriment to the replay due to it having been present.

When the particulate is in the above 10um size, it is quite able to present itself as an obstruction to the Stylus and for some can be detected as an audible obstruction when the stylus meets it.. 

@o_holter I made the statement ’ It depends on how much value is placed on the caring for the stylus ’.

I own a Cartridge that is a Model to be used as a Donor for a rebuild.

It is a Cartridge, that if a Search is carried out about the condition I bought the Cartridge with, there are reports found throughout the Globe about the Stylus detaching from the Cantilever, which is the same condition I bought mine with.

The Vendor reassured me the Cart’ was with used less than an expected usage life and was approx’ 300 - 400 Hours used, for me that ticks boxes as a Donor Model.

The description they had received when inquiring about how the Stylus was able to detach, was that impact from particle in the Groove can cause the Bonding Substance to fracture and then lead to a catastrophic failure ’in relation to a Cart’.

I see no reason to question this, it was still ticking boxes as a Donor Cart’, as the negotiated price was to my favour.

As a Conjecture, the Company producing the Cartridge, may have chosen as part of the design parameters a specific weight of bonding material to be added at the Styli/Cantilever Interface, where during internal testing on pristine condition Vinyl, the bonding method presented no concerns for reliability, but when transferred into real world, encountering every day types of usage, a chink in the design was found. Hence, the broadly spread reporting on the condition.

Hence, my statement made at the beginning of this post, I certainly like to feel, I have created an interface for the Stylus on my Vinyl LP’s, that is beneficial for the function of the Stylus in the Grooves Environment.

The Cartridge when in the Groove, can be further impacted on by Metallic Particulate being present and attaching to the coils, this has been known to cause various issues with the Coils if can become attached to them, this can mean a unclean LP,  is not just limited to being a concern for the Stylus.