Gunk will not clean off LP ?


I purchased a used Jimmy Smith LP that is absolutely scratch free but had an extremely dull shine to the vinyl. I clean all LPs with a VPI 16.5 RCM and Disc Doctor before play and that has always brought back the original shine to the Vinyl. This time it did not come back to shine and on playback sounds like the LP had been treated with something that did not come off in cleaning. After 2 cleanings it appears there still is some sort of treatment that had been applied and did not come off. It’s a great album but I am afraid to play it because whatever it is I don’t want it to gunk up my stylus. Any ideas on how to clean it off? Thanks Bill
billt1

Showing 2 responses by eldartford

As Albertporter says, Freon is the best cleaner there is, but the environmentalists have banned it. In my business (manufacture of missile guidance systems) we used to clean everything with Freon, but were forced to find something else to use. After a great deal of research and testing it was found that the citrus fruit based cleaners were almost as good as freon, and much better than other alternatives. I suggest that you get some and try it. Of course you should avoid the products that include an abrasive.
Gregm....There are many on the market. Visit the detergent aisle of your supermarket. I am most familiar with the heavy duty hand cleaner stuff (used after working on your car) but it includes pumace and would be unsuitable for LPs.

The DuPont solvent in the product that Albert identified may in fact be what we came up with at work. The Micro Care Premier product is the safe approach, as it has been evaluated specifically for LPs. If you are interested in experimenting, and want to save a few bucks, try something from the supermarket.