Vinyl Care


I just got a new turntable and cartridge after not having one for years.

I need a recommendation for a relatively inexpensive record cleaner.

I really never took proper care of my records,and would like some basic advice on how to keep them clean on a regular basis.

I also need some guidance on care and cleaning of my cartridge and stylus.My currant cartridge is a Rega exact.

Please know that I don't have a big collection of valuable records,just a bunch of old rock recordings amassed over the past 50 years.

I have started buying some new records,but only select prized albums that I have lost or have been worn out.

Thanks.

twangy57

I am new to this forum and this is actually my first post! I too have always had a vintage disc washer brush at least, and would sometimes wet clean with it but usually a dry brushing. Then I bought a spin clean and while it yielded decent enough results it was very time consuming and always worried about getting the labels wet. When I had a windfall a few years ago I purchased a VPI 16.5 and I am never going back. I have tried the Tergikleen and others but bottom line for cleaning recently purchased used vinyl this is amazingly effective for a deep cleaning. Get yourself a Milty static gun as well!

prosit

@antinn Is GruvGlide similar to Last? There was a time when I used it, but not in recent years. I did like the smell....

@dogberry,

No, GruvGlide is nothing like LAST.   If this is still the ingredients of GruvGlide - Gruv Glide Ingredients Revealed- Vinyl Engine, it's an antistatic spray.  Quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATs for short) are cationic surfactants which are very hygroscopic.  When the solution evaporates, a film (residue) of QUATs is left behind, and being very hygroscopic pulls moisture from the air and the ionic solution neutralizes any static.  They have limits and tend not work very well below about 30% relative humidity.  QUATs are used in every hair conditioning product to prevent hair frizz.  QUATs are also anti-bacterial and with the right amount of solution and residence time can kill bacteria and viruses.  Most of your home anti-bacterial cleaners have QUATs; although as cleaning agents, cationic surfactants are poor.  

Tried GruvGlide years ago and it left residue on my stylus every time. 

Thanks, Neil. Looks like it's been changed since then and the cans no longer mention the QA compounds. I'll save my old cans in case I ever fancy taking up solvent sniffing.