What is the best way to clean Vinyl?

@jjbeason14 , the single best way to clean vinyl is not to let it get dirty in the first place. 

@mikelavigne , Very true accept you can do exactly the same thing with a $30 Hudson sweep arm and remove any incidental dust out of the stylus's path. 

The problem with most ultrasonic cleaners is the drying cycle if they even have one. This is where vacuum machines have a big advantage. I bought a Clearaudio Double Matrix because after doing a lot of research I believe it is the best record cleaner out at this time. It is fully automated, cleans both sides at the same time and has a very strong vacuum cycle producing a perfectly dry record. The longer the record stays wet the more pollution it will pick up from the air. Evaporative drying is bad news because it will leave any residue from the cleaning fluid on the record along with any atmospheric pollution it collects. 

I have a record cleaning solution that prevents the record from accumulating static as long as the turntable is well grounded. It leaves an extremely small residue on the record and is for use only with machines that have a vacuum cycle. I have a few more pictures to take but it leaves very little residue on the stylus after ten sides. The anti static effect lasts at least 9 months and counting. Initially I though records cleaned with this solution sounded better. But ABing digital files disclosed that to be wishful thinking other than the total absence of static. 

An interesting story aside but in keeping with the topic. I got $1000 off the price of the Double Matrix Sonic Pro because it was "lightly used." It came with a full factory warranty which I verified with Musical Surroundings. About six months into it the water pump seized. Musical Surroundings sent me a new pump and coached me online. On taking the machine apart I discovered the water filter and supply tubing was full of this white gunk, the obvious cause of the pump's failure. God knows what the previous user put in there. I took everything apart and cleaned it all using denatured alcohol and spray gun cleaning brushes. The water tank was full of the stuff as was the discharge tank. New pump installed and everything back together you would never know it was apart. I can attest to it being an extremely well designed and built unit. The moral of the story is that you should only use approved record cleaning solutions and carefully check out any machine you buy used. My pump was probably already destined to fail. The funniest part of the whole story that in working on the machine I accidently disconnected the water return tube from the tank and did not catch it. The first time I used it it put at least three times as much fluid on the record as usual and made quite the mess. I had to take it all apart again to find the problem. Other than my time, no harm done. 

@mikelavigne , In the center of the Hudson brush is a 1/16" carbon fiber element that is essentially a straight wire to ground. Assuming the record is clean the only thing the brush has to do is catch any incidental dust on the surface of the record. None of the devices you are using create a direct short to ground. There is no more effective way of discharging static electricity. Everything else might be a little more than wishful thinking but not much. Get yourself a static charge meter. A cheep one is about a grand. My ESDgun cost $2400. 

The least expensive vacuum unit is probably the way to go. There are numerous ways to put fluid on the record and brushes to use. It is drying the record and removing all the residue that is critical. Air or fan drying is a  bad idea. Regular distilled water is not no residue water . It is lower residue water. Put a puddle on clean glass and look what is left after it dries. Nobody is going to get laboratory water to use in their record cleaning fluid, too expensive. Many of the additives used in cleaning fluids do not evaporate, they have to be removed. 

Most of the noise on records is from contamination in recycled vinyl or just plain bad pressing. It will not clean out. Those of you who think even 50% of the records out there are noiseless must be listening at low volumes only. On a wild guess I would be lucky if 10% of my records are state of the art pressings.

On the bright side the only real danger to records is physical, scratches, heat and so forth. It is very hard to hurt vinyl with the fluids commonly available to consumers. I have exposed records to 99% alcohol, denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner, brake cleaning fluid, mineral spirits, Naphtha, and gasoline. None of these had any audible effect on the record. I soaked 5 analog production records in brake cleaning fluid for 24 hours. All five including the labels are in perfect shape and it has been over a year since I did it.

The cheapest cleaning fluid you can use effectively is one cup 99% isopropyl alcohol in a gallon of distilled water with three drops of Tergitol (a surfactant). The Tergitol functions as a wetting agent and keeps the water from beading up on the vinyl. If the water still beads up add a few more drops. Tergitol does not evaporate so you want to use as little as possible and should be used only with vacuum drying or you will see a wad of Tergitol form on your stylus. It won't hurt anything but you will have to clean your stylus after every play. The more you clean your stylus the higher the risk of you damaging it. One rum and soda will do it.