Vinyl Record Cleaning - STOP NOW!!!

We pick apart numerous YouTube videos that can actually HARM your vinyl records, then we share the proper vinyl cleaning recipe for making your own Record Cleaner.

Timecodes
0:00 Introduction
0:18 @DeafManVinyl
1:07 @Amoeba
1:45 @Discogs
2:28 @VHFSE Vintage HiFi Stereo Equipment
3:17 @Vinyl Eyezz
3:25 D4 Discwasher
3:30 Record Cleaning Recipe
4:43 Audio Technica
4:52 Big Fudge
5:03 Boundless
5:17 Lasermedia
5:21 Opula
5:26 Phoenix
5:30 Record Happy
5:43 REVOLV
5:49 Spin-Clean
5:55 Ulloo
6:00 MoFi
6:34 Recommendation
6:42 Conclusion

[Telssa]

His criticisms are correct, his bottom line is correct: alcohol/distilled/wetting agent, that's what the Library of Congress uses.
IF you can afford $200, you'd be crazy not to make a motorised ultrasonic cleaner (see you tube). I clean 5 records at a time, the labels never touch the liquid. Rinse with distilled, dry them on a record rack, with a fan. Finally, put each record in an antistatic sleeve. Nothing is perfect. but this comes close.

[anotherOneMore]

Reason: If they told you what the ingredients are you would realize you could buy the ingredient(s) much cheaper without their label on it.

[ichbrauchmehrkaffee]

I get the part where you say "Don't trust a product that doesn't tell you, what's in it".

But honestly, I'm a broke kid who just wants his records to live a little longer and listen to them every once in a while.
I'm just trying to figure out the basics, on how to keep my records clean.
But after watching this video, I became very reluctant to even try it out of fear to "destroy" my records
(how exactly? mechaninal damage to the grooves, damage to the chemical composition of the vinyl ?)

But I guess not cleaning my records is the abolute worst possible cleaning advice I could follow.


Also, WHY am I to use 99% pure alcohol, WHY is Isopropol not enough?
As a channel who has the word "scientific" in the channel's name, you leave a lot to be desired in terms of the "science".
No explanation, no reasoning, only "don't do this, this is wrong" and "onyl do that, that is the onyl wright way to do it"
WHERE'S YOUR EVIDENCE?
Why should I believe YOU instead of someone else, who makes a similar video with the same type of arguments, but with opposite opninions?

Lastly, there are ways to adress and deal with false advice, misinformation and the like.
Hostility i.e. the way you're doing it ISN'T one of them.
Directly calling out the people themselves instead of only adressing the things they say is a major red flag.
(Not even a single mention of how you don't intend to target anyone directly)

Congrats, you made me avoid your channel alltogether and I doubt I will be the only one.

[cryptout]

This is good advice, the goal is to clean records without damaging / scratching them and without leaving any residue behind. The combination of products he shares are perfect for this and way cheaper than any off the shelf product. Nice job 👍

[riddlebawx]

A few weeks ago I got a hold of 3 records for €3 each. They were filthy. I tried the tap water + dish soap + dunk in the sink but instead of a brush like he had I used a soft-bristle toothbrush. This method worked mint for me.. It did remove a lot of the cracks & pops it had before.. A few weeks later the record is still fine with no apparent side effects to it or the stylus.

[Steambull]

Sigh. This must be one of the main things killing the vinyl hobby. Everyone on the internet saying a different thing, everyone acting like the one and only who knows. I've been OCD:ing over my wet cleaning option for a while, and I just said fuck it and ordered the GrooveWasher G2. I know, "it leaves crud and a film on your records, the sponge is shit, don't ever use it, you should listen to Guy #145" - at this point I'm not going to trust any one party on the internet, I want to start listening to the goddamn records...

[buriedinvinyl]

If I had a $50, 000 sound system with a stylus that cost $500 I might be as fussy as this guy is about cleaning my records. But I don't. I agree that records should be handled carefully and cleaned if they can be improved by doing so. But, in my opinion, there is such a thing as overkill. I'm not saying that what this guy is telling you is wrong. He hits on some very good points. I just don't think that the average collector has to be this cautious. My method works fine for me and probably does for most collectors. I don't use distilled water. I use tap water. And the water in my area is pretty hard. The trick is not to let it dry on the record. And I only clean the record once. Just once. Maybe if I cleaned them 50 times they could accumulate enough minerals to cause damage to the grooves and the stylus playing them. I use a sponge dipped in a bowl filled with tap water and a couple of drops of unscented Dawn dish washing fluid. If it's safe enough to clean oil covered birds then it's safe enough to put on my records! I carefully rinse them off by spinning them under running water without getting the labels wet. Then I immediately pat them dry with a soft, lint free towel. If I have a very dirty record I will use a soft toothbrush on the bad spots. You know what I mean. The spots that people leave on them after touching them with chicken wing sauce on their fingers! After I clean them the grooves are amazingly quiet. Good enough, I say. If had to clean hundreds of records regularly (like dealers do) then I would buy an ultrasonic system. I buy mostly used records that have been enjoyed by previous owners. I'm not afraid to run my $40 stylus over a few light scratches. If I'm playing a very old record from the '50's or 60's I kind of enjoy a few pops and clicks. The secret to a happy life is to eliminate as much stress as possible. So do yourself a favor and just chill out and enjoy the music! Your opinions are welcome! Your personal insults are not. LOL.

[eirikrdberg]

The water where I live has very little chloride so I do clean records under lukewarm tap water with a clean microfiber spunge. Use regular soap for cleaning plates and spoons Etc. Hold the record with a glove so I can touch all areas. Clean thoroughly. Dunce off all soap then dry with clean micro fiber cloth before letting it air dry another 5 minutes. Then I play record and bever clean it ever again.

[paaao]

I just put my records in the cat's litter box. Right after I put a fresh load of litter in there, I wait until there are at least three cat turds and then I know the process is complete. They come out like new, and sound amazing!

[-elijahriggs-]

490ml distilled water
5ml ilford ilfotol
5ml 99% ISO alcohol
You do not need much alcohol. You will likely not hear a difference between a 25% and a .5% solution.

[car-or-ock]

dish soap and warm water will not ruin records (it hasn't ruined mine). After the 'deep clean' I spray with distilled water, isopropanol & surfactant with micro fibre cloths. The first round gets the bad stuff out. The second treatment I use every time before I play the record. Full agreement with your recommendation: Either it states what's in the cleaning solution, then you decide. Or it doesn't, and you make your own.

[vipergg]

The last one D4 record cleaning fluid has been around since the 60's and was the go to cleaning fluid of the 60- 90's and did a pretty decent job with the velour brush that came with the fluid. It will NOT hurt your records .

[schwoon]

thanks for your advice! People like you are the real friends of Vinyl

[tonyparker]

Thank you for the informative video. I recently bought a water distiller so I can make large quantities of my own pure water which has been distilled at least three times. I never start with plain tap water, it’s either demineralised or multi stage filtered to reduce scale buildup in the distiller.
My wife is going out for the day, so this will be an ideal time to try out my new cleaning system for the first time using the Pro-ject VC-S2 and a cheap ultrasonic cleaner from Vevor.
The cleaning formula I intend to use is triple distilled water, 1% IPA (99.8% pure), and 0.1% surfactant (Triton X-100 lab grade). Then rinsed in a clean bath of triple distilled water in my Spin Clean without the brushes then drip dry and a final wipe with a clean micro fibre cloth. The manual handling of the vinyl will be done using powder free food grade rubber gloves. The liquids will be measured using digital scales and decanted into a new spritzer bottle.

[dannysvinylrainbow]

So I did an experiment. I live in a dusty environment. I have to clean my records quite often. So I made a solution of distilled water with 70% alcohol. And I noticed after wiping with a microfiber cloth Mike once clean Records now had the bacon sizzling sound. I suppose the contaminants in the 70% alcohol caused scratches and contamination to the records. Then I tried 91% alcohol and distilled water and a microfiber cloth and it made a huge difference in the surface noise. so I agree with you the higher percentage alcohol you use the less contaminants will be on your records and please use vinyl gloves when cleaning. The only problem with 99% alcohol is that it smells awful and I feel so toxic when I use it from smelling it. But it does do a good job. I guess I'll wear a facemask as well.

[BobRiedel]

I use a mixture of distilled water and Simple Green cleaner mixed at 70/30. Start with the water only first to rinse, dry with a microfiber towel, then spray with the mixture, towel dry again, finish with distilled water, let sit to dry. Cheap and works great !! And while on the subject of cleaning... use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser to clean your stylus. Just move the tone arm up and down 3 or 4 times, letting the stylus pierce the clean eraser. I watched a video that showed how this works under a microscope and it really was magic.

[ampheat]

To effectively remove dust, I lightly spray distilled water on my carbon fibre brush and lift it off using a sweeping method. Removes 95% of dust, no print left and resolves static issue. no BS just Quick and easy

[andrewgunter]

Thanks for the ingredient list. What is the ratio for the solution?

[marioalejandro]

Can you demonstrate how you do it. The ratio of the water and alcohol?

[NewWorldFilm]

I use Kodak Photo-flo or FPP Foto Flow which is the same thing in a smaller bottle. So basically I use what you use. Now, if I’m dealing with a very dirty old 78, it’s gotta be something more potent like plain Dawn dish washing liquid or something similar. Distilled water is a must of course. Very good video and it’s good to call out these misleading channels.