What is your record cleaning regimen?

In my limited experience, the LP’s that don’t come clean with U/S cleaning don’t come clean with physical measures either. I’m going to gather those recalcitrant LP’s and send them to Perfect Vinyl Forever for their Archival 4.0 cleaning to see if they can do anything about the persistent crackles, but they have a minimum order of 16 LP’s. . .

Interesting. I might collect my 16 worst and check them out!

I tried the Perfect Vinyl service for some problematic LPs that had bothersome groove noise even after multiple enzyme/rinse cleanings on my RCM.

I made listening notes before sending them - timed locations of crackles and pops.  Still there.  Don't expect miracles with any US device for problematic LPs.

If after the US(Degritter) you still have crackles and pops, it likely is groove damage that can't be fixed-nothing short of replacing the LP.

I am lazy… so like to have results drive my cleaning. This to me is the right amount of cleaning.

First any new or used record goes on my Nelli cleaning mashing… first a pass with Last power cleaner and a last brush… then the cleaning machine and vac. Finishing with a coating of Last Record Preservative.

Before playing a pass with Last All Purpose Record Cleaner. This removes any dust from the previous plays.

Typically I get half a dozen plays before an album goes back to the record machine.

Once upon a time, I had a countertop vacuum record cleaning machine, the brand of which I've forgotten. It really did give me quieter surfaces, better imaging & tone. When it eventually broke down I just went to my Decca Record brush. It works just fine, as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, revoke my audiophile membership card!

@ghdprentice 

Is it best to get the Last record preservative kit on Amazon?

have you noticed any effects by using it?

spit and elbow grease...  jk 😂

Started with a VPI 16.5 for 25+ yrs finally the motor gave out (as did my ears)

 Bought a Kirmuss US and while it did a great job cleaning it was a PITA to use with its 20 step process. As a result it sat unused for 3 months then sold it. Now use a Keith Monks Prodigy rcm its simple quick and quiet. Love it. Plus his fluid is wonderful.

I've been using a Nitty Gritty for 40 years; some time ago I got an identical new one on a special offer thinking that sooner or later the old record washer would leave me but I never used it because everything still works perfectly never a problem... .. I washed about 6-7000 vinyls.

@best-groove  Yeah! It was a Nitty Gritty that I had, Enjoyed it a bunch, especially when I switched on the vacuum. A mighty 'wooossshhh' would fill the room and the record would start to rotate more slowly. Mine, though, eventually went belly up and it was just too much of a hassle to get it fixed. ...Another stereo component I ended up abandoning at a local thrift shop.

Many here have written exhaustively about this subject. Please research. 😉

Can't go to far wrong with a record Dr V and audiointelligence #6. Dry cleaning involves use of the audioquest carbon fiber brush. Light wet clean done with original dishwasher d4, red bottles, not the black! 

Another option for a quick wet clean is the vinyl revival kit from the UK, very very good. 

@edcyn A mighty ’wooossshhh’ .....


ah ah ah true, inside there is a noisy vacuum cleaner motor; my machines are both manual for this reason I think nothing has ever broken.
The fewer automatisms there are, the less likely it is that something will break.

Updated Degritter due out soon.

I thought about the Kirmuss which does a wonderful job (maybe the best), but many steps + many LPs = very unappealing.

I will stick with my Kirmuss and the many steps are on the initial cleaning. I give my records a 2 min bath then a vac on subsequent plays. 

@mglik

I think I got my last “refills” from Amazon. I have used this system for over thirty years…I occasionally try something different. But keep coming back to it. Yeah, you still need a record washer… but I havn’t found a better set of products.

Last Power Cleaner before record cleaning, using the Last brush.

Record Cleaning with a record vacuum cleaner (I still use VPI Cleaner… no great amount of research… it works fine. Maybe there is better).

Next use Last Preservative… reduces noice… theoretically it retards wear (I don’t know)… I have never “worn out” a record.

Then, before playing Last All Purpose Record Cleaner… removes dust in one revolution on the turntable. Very effective.

I recently bought a Ramar Record Brush ($350+)… ordered from Germany… very pretty, also the well rated Ortofon record brush ($30), and compared to my Hunt E.D.A. Mark 6 Brush… ( I quit on the Discwasher a couple decades ago). The Last was the quickest and most effective.

My process may sound a bit anal.

I have three Osage Audio brushes for three separate steps. 
First, the record receives Audioquest carbon fiber brush dust-off (the same step I use for every side pre-play) then is placed on VPI 16.5 platter.  
I then make sure all my brushes (I also use that little red brush that comes with the old Discwasher package, the one that can fit on top of the fluid bottle…more on that application in a second…) are clear of detritus by using tweezers and an Audio Intelligent Ultra-Pure Water rinse.  

I then use a cleaned-off little brush (that little red guy from the old Discwasher kit) and a small Ultra-Pure Water rinse to clean the felt of the 16.5’s suction tube.

Now my record is all dusted off and my tools are all clean, and I can begin the record cleaning process.

Then, with the record properly clamped to the machine platter, I turn on the motor.  The first cleaning solution, the Audio Intelligent Enzymatic Formula, is applied to the record surface via two full revolutions of the platter.  Per Osage Audio’s recommendation, I gently (without pressing hard so as to avoid further embedding the gunk deeper into the grooves) apply the designated “Enzymatic” brush to the record surface until the solution completely covers the record surface.  I let the solution sit and break up all the gunk for as long as my patience will allow, or perhaps depending on how dirty (or valuable) the record seems. After this I give one more gentle agitation with the brush and then vacuum the solution off via 2 revolutions.

I repeat this whole process with Step 2, the Super Cleaner Formula, and Step 3, the Ultra Pure Water rinse.  I actually do two Ultra Pure Water rinses to make sure there are no artifacts left over. 

Repeat for Side B and done.  It’s that simple! 😉🤣

Yeah, it’s a bit much.  The way I see it, if I’m going to spend such ridiculous money and time on analog playback gear, I might as well go all the way.  YMMV.  I buy lots of used vinyl, not quite as much new, and don’t often buy the fancy-shmancy reissues.  Those new LPs likely won’t get the full monty cleaning treatment unless the music means more to me than most.

I will sometimes hunt down super expensive old pressings on Discogs, or pluck pricey old pressings from record stores sometimes, so I have no problem giving those records this treatment.  
These companies whose cleaning products I’ve used seem reputable, seem concerned about providing effective and safe products/methodologies, and I find my records sound wonderful after the fact.

...a 'scaled-down' pressure washer....

Just kidding... 😏

@saulh 

Ultrasonic cleaner. Distilled water with a very small amount of cleaner solution and a small amount of Kodak Photo-Flo 200. This is very important as it lets the water sheet off and dry without deposits. I let the discs dry completely standing upright, about 30 minutes and then into a good quality record sleeve. I like the Rice Paper/Anti Static sleeve from Invest In Vinyl, sold on Amazon. Then the LP jacket goes into a resealable sleeve. Idealplast from Amazon is very good. The main takeway for me is NEVER touch the surface of the vinyl with anything after it has been cleaned. No brushes or cloth. Anything wiping accross the surface of the record is only going to push crap back into the grooves. Simply blowing off any dust that somehow finds its way onto the surface should be all you need to do. Try it and see if you don’t get the best results yourself. Less work, better sound.

15 minutes US at 80 KHz and 75W per record, three rinses, air dry. Re-clean after 25 plays or so.

I wouldn't blow on the record - saliva has both dissolved solids and oils.

Typically I get half a dozen plays before an album goes back to the record machine.

@ghdprentice 

6 plays?   Are you sure you're not eating dinner off them?

I have records I bought new 50 years ago and have play dozens of times.  I just run the microfibre brush over them to clear loose dust before I play.

I use an Audio Desk Vinyl Cleaner Pro - makes a fabulous job of cleaning records and improves sound quality - I wonder if it removes static? Anyway I use it on all my records - new vinyl get 2 x treatment for the sonic improvement. It is a bit pricey but is a simple 2 minute job as it cleans and dries both sides simultaneously.

Everybody knows WD-40 attracts dirt. Use a teflon base lubricant instead!

I use my Audiodesk System Pro ultra sonic record cleaning machine, and it really works great. One cleaning is generally like restoring the vinyl to new. It’s pricey but amazing.

Here's my simple, budget-friendly process:

1- Place the record on the turntable and place the record clamp on it

2 - Take a piece of dark corduroy (a 5" x 12" piece that is rolled up) and spray a couple times with spray bottle of distilled water, not enough to make it wet, but just damp enough to collect dust

3 - Spin the record at least one rotation with the slightly damp corduroy, not pressing too hard, but just enough; if the record is really dirty, you may need another spray or two and to press harder

4 - Reroll the corduroy to a dry spot and spin the record again (pressing very lightly) to dry the record

This is a quick, easy process I use every single time before I play a record, and I couldn't be more happy with the results.

@cleeds , The KL was my second choice. I went with the Clearaudio Double Matrix Pro Sonic. I prefer vacuum drying and in spite of the KL's filter recirculation system I prefer the cleaner use fresh fluid for each pass and discard the old. The KL with it's hoses and fluid tank is also a much more complicated set up. Most people do not know this because, for some reason, Clearaudio does not mention this in it's markerting. It takes three passes, each with fresh fluid during a cleaning cycle vacuuming the fluid off with each pass. It is not ultrasonic. It vibrates it's microfiber brushes at something like 1000 Hz scrubbing the groove.

I've adjusted the proprietary formula for my cleaning fluid to leave as little on the record as I can. I'm going to take pictures of the stylus at intervals to see if anything accumulates. After 4 weeks none of the treated records will collect static and the stylus looks clean to the naked eye after 20 or so sides. When I get The Seta L Plus I will record before and after drops of the same record to see if there is any difference in background noise. 

Gen. One Record Doctor, Degritter and Carbon Fiber brush before playing.

Hepa air filter, Hepa vacuum and room humidifier.

Air filter and humidifier are off during listening session.

Does anyone know what happened to Soundguard, for record preservation? I put it on almost all my albums back in the 70’s-80’s.  It really kept cleaning to a minimum.

For those who are just getting into vinyl and may not have the megabucks to buy an ultrasonic cleaner, go with the Spin Clean.  It works great and is inexpensive.  Michael Fremer reviewed it positively many years ago.

If you are going all out, get an ultrasonic record cleaner.  There are about a dozen on the market.

I bought the Kirmuss because it is cheap (relatively speaking) and well designed.  Prior posters have said there are too many steps.  This is nonsense.  You put (up to 3) records in the device, push the button and the records are clean in 5 minutes.  That's it.

Of course, with all of the "wet" cleaning systems you must dry the record.  Some recommend using a microfiber cloth and that works and is cheap.  You can also give them a spin through a vacuum type device like the Nitty Gritty.  That is quick and effective and is what I have found works best.

Saulh:

My #1 rule is to thoroughly rinse a dirty album with warm filtered water prior to applying any type of brush/cloth/pad.

Any mystery bits on the dirty album, harder than the vinyl, will scratch the surface if brushed around.

I use a WaterPik for this as the water pressure of our kitchen sink filter is not high enough.

Once done I gently use a carbon fiber brush while running warm water from the faucet/filter, and then hit it again with the WaterPik.

I use a Groovmaster to protect the label.

Seems logical enough that I stick with it.

Afterwards I clean entirely by hand with a basic DIY wet solution and various brushes/cloths then air dry (use filtered tap water, which I find to be cleaner than the distilled water sold @ the local supers).

I have a water filter on the shower I use, but have never tried showering with an album (not certain about the effectiveness of the filter VS the one in the kitchen - plus it's just too weird).

DeKay

I use Vinyl Style with Spin Doctor fluid. 

I use Keith Monk's prodigy machine. Really dig it for many reasons including not overly loud and can still appreciate music playing while cleaning. With that in mind, I don't think there is any system out there that will remove deep clicks and crackles and pops. They will be improved but not removed. Minor noise should improve. Biggest benefit I see is less accumulation of junk on the stylus which means better sound. So whatever you do, it probably results in improved sound because there is less junk on your stylus. How much improvement you want depends on how much you want to spend recognizing it will never be perfect. 

+1 ricmci

@cleeds , You must have the older one. They released a new one. Only Acoustic Sounds is selling them in the states. They have a new reservoir system. Check it out.  

Elmasonic P60H

record stack rotor if you can fine one

15 minutes in the u/s

rinse with distilled water

air dry

done

@cleeds , You must have the older one. They released a new one. Only Acoustic Sounds is selling them in the states. They have a new reservoir system. Check it out.  

I have the older one. It's super convenient and couldn't be easier to use. Having said that, I like the idea of an external reservoir. The only annoying thing about the LP200 is having it stop in the middle of cleaning a record because it's low on water. 

KL actually introduced the model w/ the separate reservoir, a filter and a water system hook-up before it withdrew from the business. Dave @Record Genie have no idea if he still posts here, bought one.

I don’t know what differences there are between this "new" model being sold by Chad in the U.S. and the old one. There’s information out there, readily available, about filtering, bath flow, what you need to remove surfactants if you ultrasonically wash with them. A lot of this was, and still is, part of the DIY community.

I in no way mean to disparage KL-  I’ve had their earlier big unit for some years and it is still performing well. (No surfactant in bath but pre-clean).

Im with Edcyn.....I use an Audioquest record brush....done.

state of the art ?

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/timas-diy-rcm.26013/page-12#post-730039

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/timas-diy-rcm.26013/page-18#post-733751

I suppose I might be a bit lazy, but I find that cleaning my LPs in the Degritter on the heavy setting then using an antistatic brush just before playing is an entirely adequate regime.  I like simple.  I have hundreds of old LPs I got for free back when people were abandoning their LPs in favor of CDs.  Some of those are quite smudged and obviously dirty, but the DeGritter cleans them right up.

Mostly I blow on the stylus between records.  

But I have the Spin-Clean record washing system (Mk II) and found that was pretty easy to use. 

I buy new records and think it is crazy to clean them fresh from the pressing plant. On the rare occasion when I buy a used one it is either mint or near mint. I swipe twice with the newly updated/upgraded Audioquest brush before playing and since I don't blow (really spit) on my records or touch any other part than the edges or cook food near them, nothing accumulates on the vinyl except dust, which comes right off with the brush. They don't need deep cleaning. I store them perfectly vertically in rice paper sleeves (jackets in polyvinyl) and never leave them sitting out naked.

Also, please don't blow on a stylus. There are lots of brushes and other products out there, and when I clean mine (rarely - maybe once a month), I use the stylus fluid very sparingly.

A dealer I know offered to test the effectiveness of a VPI RCM (I think) that was around $750-$1000 and I took him up on it bringing a few of my oldest 40 year old records that have been played hundreds of times that are clean to me. We played them before and after cleaning on his machine. I didn't notice a difference, nor did he.

If you like buying used records that were not treated carefully, I guess a RCM is worthwhile. If you really want to go crazy, the Audiophile Man takes like an hour to give a record a good cleaning with a Degritter (around $4K). To me, your hobby then becomes cleaning records rather than listening to and enjoying them.

I tried a good number of record cleaners, including the Nitty Gritty and the Hanss record cleaners. I've used the Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions, the Phoenix record cleaner. I also used the Mint LP solution produced by the same guy who does the cartridge protractors. Each of these approaches have had benefits. Then, I bought the Ultrasonic V-8 cleaner from the now deceased David Ratliff. That one upped the game considerably, but I still had problems with some records from time to time. I was happy though to be able to clean up to 8 records at one time. Then, on a lark, I tried the Gem Dandy Record Cleaner produced by George Merrill. I decided to combine that approach with the V-8 bath. The Gem Dandy uses a proprietary cleaning solution along with record holder made from PVC and you just use high pressure tap water on the record. After I do the Gem Dandy regimen, I put the records on a wooden dish drying rack and when I've collected 6-7, I put them in the ultrasonic bath for 10-15 minutes to rinse. I've found this regimen of using the Gem Dandy and the ultrasonic to be eye-opening. My records now sound unbelievably good. For those records that still have some defects in the form of clicks and pops, I do a round with the Groove Lube by Gem Dandy, which comes with the record cleaner. That helps tremendously and also makes the record basically static free. It does leave a bit of residue on the cartridge after playing though that has to be cleaned off with my little cube of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The Gem Dandy job is more labor-intensive and messy, Be prepared to get very wet. However, the results are well worth it. Believe me, if they weren't, I wouldn't be doing it. I prefer to stay dry when cleaning records.

I just purchased a Degritter a few weeks ago and it cleans very well one problem periodically when I put a record in the slot nothing happens I have to reset the record in the slot sometimes more than once before it will start up. The issue for me is when a record is not loaded properly, no indication on the display to indicate that you have a problem.

I have reached out to the company to ask how often this should be happening and they are very vague. Has anyone had this issue other than me.

@sokogear

I really agree with your thoughts on the subject. Unfortunately, I have found that while half the new pressings I get are clean and quiet. The other half are not. I am told this is record release compound… I don’t know… I like being lazy. But I have learned over the years that the results are much better when I clean and treat new albums with Last Preservative. The cleaning being at least as important if not more important than the Last Preservative.

I find new records require a cleaning before 1st playing. YMMV

Records are not made or packaged in a clean room environment. I buy mostly older records, sometimes dead inventory, sometimes "used" and of course have bought new records over the years. QC is surprisingly off even for the audiophile stuff.

Every record that gets played here gets cleaned unless it comes from someone I know who cleaned it. Cleaning methods vary depending on the degree of apparent contamination (which gets reassessed if it doesn’t play well). I’ve salvaged many records through cleaning and I’m not dumpster diving-- it’s just that some older jazz and rock records weren’t owned by audiophiles.

There are accepted good practices and methods. Beyond that, everyone has their preferred approach based on the amount of time, energy and budget they want to devote to this. There is no "one way" that fits everyone’s needs.

And of course, if the record has been damaged, cleaning won’t do much to change that. But some records I had written off as irretrievable due to groove chew were simply contaminated, and needed an effective cleaning- which is manual, combined with ultrasonic, pure water rinse step plus point nozzle vacuum. Your sequence of steps, preferred fluids, applicators and machines may be different, but much comes down to method.