Cleaning Old Vinyl

[T2K]

I have some old LP's and 45's that have been stored for 25 years or so and have never been cleaned.I have read here about others using Gruv Glide,dishwashing detergent,alcohol,machine cleaning,etc.I would appreciate any tried any true suggestions from vinyl lovers here.Don't want to experiment with Joplin.She sounds bad enough already.Thanks for your help.

Keith

[Deang]

warm soapy water is best but is hard on the labels

rinse with warm water

do not use alcohol

pat dry with soft cotton

let the remaining moisture air dry

if it's really bad you can use a toothbrush - buy one with the softest bristles you can find and gently remove grunge going in the direction of the grooves - this is a last resort kind of thing

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deanG

[Allan Songer]

Buy a set of pads an solution from "The Disc Doctor."

This stuff flat out WORKS!!

If you're gonna be doing this on a regular basis, then by all means buy a VPI or Nitty Gritty machine to use WITH the Disc Doctor products.

On really nasty stuff I will use staight isopropyl from time to time between Disc Doctor scrubbings.

But NEVER on shellac.

[T2K]

Thanks for the responses and help.Had read about the Disc Doctor and will probably give it a try.

Hey deang,I use the soapy water bath treatment for LD's,CD's,and DVD's.Works great.Thanks.

Keith

[lynnm]

Make a solution:

1.) Water,(preferably distilled) 4 parts

2.) Isopropyl Alcohol* (not rubbing alcohol)** 1 part

3.) a couple of drops of dish detergent

Rinse with Lukewarmwater.

* Do not add Isopropyl Alcohol for cleaning Shellac 78's as the alcohol breaks down the shellac.

** Rubbing Alcohol has oily lubricants.

The detergent contains a surfacant that breaks the bond between the dirt particles and the vinyl.

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It is meet to recall that the Great Green Heron rarely flies upside down in the moonlight - (Foo Ling ca.1900)

This message has been edited by lynnm on 03-07-2002 at 10:51 PM

[T2K]

Thanks lynnm. I'll try your recipe soon.

Keith

[JLOUNDER]

Make sure the detergent doen't have any additives, like softeners and such. Another alternative, that I use, is Photo-Flo. You can find it at most Photography shops and it goes a long way. As for the distilled water try to find triple distilled, not easy to find but it's better for your precious vinyl.

Currently I use a Nitty Gritty, but will upgrade to a VPI in the near future. The advantages of the VPI vs the Nitty Gritty is that you're limited to the number of record sides you can clean in one session. A few of my friends have VPI's and they do an excellent job and you are not as limited to how many records you can clean in an evening. Whichever way you go definitely clean your records before you listen to them.

[lynnm]

Solutions such as PhotoFlo etc. work well but as far as I have been able to gather can be a little harsh.

Kodak for example specifically recommends against using their product for cleaning records.

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It is meet to recall that the Great Green Heron rarely flies upside down in the moonlight - (Foo Ling ca.1900)

[JLOUNDER]

Photo Flo is used as a surfactant to help the solution flow across the record. It is used very sparingly. Everyone has a favorite recipe that they find works for them. I found a web site that listed the recipes for some of the better known people in vinyl. I will post the link when I can find it again.

JLOUNDER

[T2K]

Thanks again for the responses.Would appreciate the link JLOUNDER.

Keith