I got 127 records from the mid 40, 50 and early 60s that need a lot of cleaning


I got all these records, from a friend's grand father and father, they are "impeccable" some of then not even open, but they were in a cave under their house with their wines. 

I looked at them under the USB microscope and some have a lot of what I think is mold(?)  or some other humidity spores.  

 

How do I go about cleaning them? 

I was thinking some mild detergent and warm water, but then what do I use for cleaning them? I was thinkin on buying one of those cheap ultrasonic machines, but the liquid cleaner I have does not remove whatever is stuck on the records.

What would you recommend for the cleaning liquid and/or steps.

After they are clean, I will get them through the Clear Audio, or Autodesk as a last step.

astolfor

Showing 3 responses by dekay

I've only had half a dozen, or so, vinyl LP's with mold (rare ones that I wanted to save) and used copious amounts of isopropyl alcohol (letting it set for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with warm tap water and then repeating the process).

Afterwards I cleaned as I usually do (by hand).

I use a clamp on label saver (forget the name) which allows me to really WET things up.

I do use warm filtered water for the rinsing process, along with a DIY cleaning solution that contains approx. 10%  isopropyl alcohol/filtered water/Dawn dish detergent.

Seemed to work as the Lp's were fine/mold free for years afterwards.

Isopropyl alcohol is said to leach plasticizers from the vinyl (not a good thing), but it worked.

Unfortunately, I tossed the jackets/sleeves as they were beyond saving.

The albums you mention seem to be less contaminated that the ones I dealt with.

 

DeKay

Iso ONLY on vinyl.

Don't know what to use (regarding mold) on shellac coatings et cetera.

There was a recent thread in which care of the older materials used was addressed (not mold though) that I'll look for (think I posted to it).

Will do so later tonight, or tomorrow, as I have to get dinner going.

I've read about using UV light, but most non-commercial UV devices are not up to snuff from what I gather.

 

Dekay