D-I-Y Record cleaning fluid

[KD]

There are many formulas out there. What's your secret?

I use:

20% Isopropyl
80% Triple Distilled Water
A few drops Jet-Dry

[jamants]

isang patak ng joy

[stereophile]

If the LP is really dirty(meaning: maamag, etc.), I hand wash it under running water with JOY ULTRA. I dry it with a chamois or drip dry on a dish holder. Then, I use the ff soln in a VPI record cleaner:

For 1 liter cleaning solution:
20% ethyl alcohol(189 proof)
80% distilled water
2 tbsp Windex
a few drops JOY Ultra(just enough to make the solution a little bubbly when shaken)

Works fine for me.

[troporobo]

My records sat in storage for several years, in a very humid place, and sounded terrible when resurrected. I guess they ended up with mold or mildew, not visible but certainly audible.

A 50/50 solution of of medical grade ethyl alcohol and distilled water, with about an ounce of super-concentrated low-suds cleaner (can't remember the brand) combined with careful hand scrubbing using LAST brushes and a good rinse with distilled water again using the brushes, did the job. They now sparkle, visually and sonically I wouldn't use this much alcohol in the long term, but for restoring really dirty LPs it was perfect.

[Gaucho]

Here's my brew :

1 part lab grade 99% isopropyl alcohol
4 parts distilled water
5 drops of windex for every gallon


Incidentally, anyone knows where I can source locally lab grade 99% isopropyl alcohol? My hoard from HK is running low already.....

[KD]

I buy isopropyl from Mercury Drug. This is obviously not the disinfectant (70%) that comes in plastic bottles. What I use is made locally and comes in 1 liter brown glass bottles. I don't know if it's lab grade.

[fld]

80 % distilled water --cleans
5% joy-- removes the dirt
10 % isopro alcohol ---- dries
5 % formaldehyde -preserves the record ; add more and it preserves the owner too.

*just kidding*

[stereophile]

Whew!I hope none of us analog junkies are smoking while mixing the 'cocktails' for the LP solution, otherwise, there would be lots of turntablists blown to bits with the firepower of the homebrew!

Then again, fld has the preservative!--Just kidding!

[hi_finoy]

A generally accepted recipe based on suggestions by Laura Dearborn and others is:

3 parts distilled water (triple distilled, de-ionized)
1 part Isopropyl alcohol, 70% commonly available but 91% lab grade preferred.
A few drops of photographic wetting agent – if possible Triton X-100, Triton X-110 or Triton X-115 or Monolan 2000, not Kodak Photoflo which is ‘reputed’ to leave a residue (though used by some). Recommended is 12 drops per gallon or 2-3 drops per litre, though some use up to 8 drops per litre. If you add too much, the fluid gets sudsy on the record.


Variants:

Replace the wetting agent with washing up liquid or windscreen wash fluid (reputedly pure) or industrial glass cleaner e.g Micro (a laboratory-glassware cleaner) or Liquinox

‘’Lately, I've been using straight windshield washer fluid. It's the only mixture I've tried that leaves no static film or visible residue on glass. It definitely cleans’’.

‘’The solution I used to use consists of a quart of distilled water, a pint of 99% isopropanol (from Safeway) and 3 drops of Dawn dishwashing detergent’’. .

‘’Photographic "wetting agent" is soap. I have cleaned and repaired Navy reconnaissance cameras with it. Ivory dishwashing detergent was the usual and natural choice for this as it is the mildest out there. A little Ivory and a lot of distilled H2O will do many good things for you. The Navy spent big bucks on this solution. Then a tech rep spilled the beans and we made our own’’

Use other alcohol types. This issue is controversial. Examples proposed include Denatured alcohol (90% ethyl, 9.5% methyl, .5% pyridine) BUT this is a carcinogen, and ethanol..



After washing the record with this cleaning fluid, rinse with pure distilled water to remove any residue.

[troporobo]

For a few other recipes for DIY cleaning fluids (unfortunately, without discussion of which one might be best under given circumstances), I found this list at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/tweaks/tweakspage3.htm:

distilled water alcohol detergent
------------------------------------------------------------------
1) 1 part 1 part isopropyl none
2) 1 part 1 part isopropyl a drop of Triton X-100
3) 1 quart 1 pint denatured 10 drops Photoflo
4) 3 parts 1 part a few drops
5) 3 parts 1 part rubbing a few drops
6) 4 parts 1 part ethanol some


For ideas to make a DIY vacuum cleaning machine:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/recordcleaner.htm

[timn8ter]

In a recent conversation with a fellow vinyl lover he related a conversation he had with a chemist from a rather large company. After describing his concoction for cleaning vinyl which included water, alcohol and glycerin the chemist told him that was the exact solution they made in large quantities and sold to Wal Mart. They call it "eyeglass cleaner".

[arnoldc]

alright! how about the contact lens cleaner? has anyone tried?

[timn8ter]

I think that's just saline solution, isn't it?

[arnoldc]

i think it is. any detrimental effect? or the solution is useless?

[timn8ter]

Well, maybe not useless if you have protein buildup on your records
It's mostly water with a little salt. It won't dry rapidly so it's likely to leave a residue. For what it's worth, I went to Wal Mart and bought 4 bottles of eyeglass cleaner. It seems to work well and I haven't seen my vinyl melt so I think it's ok.

[arnoldc]

he he, alright. will stick to "normal" solutions then

[bb3]

i have industrial grade anti-static solution which we use in the press to clean our old negatives from molds, mildew and old adhesive tape residues. it evaporates much faster than alcohol. haven't tried it on records yet. i can spare a few ounces to those interested to try it out. . . bring your own bottle.

[Amplifine]

So straight glass cleaner would be fine right? getting kinda confused! what would be the simplest and most effective option?

[Amplifine]

So straight glass cleaner would be fine right? getting kinda confused! what would be the simplest and most effective option?

Let me state my case: I have about two crates of Records which I inherited from my Dad Mostly Deccas, London, RCA's and Deutsche Gramophon etc. A lot of these things since they were stored got mold and dirt embedded I think. I tried washing them with simple running water and soap but they still sould terribly damaged.

A friend told me that I could order a record restoring solution from the US but would like to experiment on some of the concoctions said earlier what would be best do you think?

[timn8ter]

The question is; Is it just dirt or are the grooves damaged? If it's just dirt you could try eyeglass cleaner or some of the concoctions of alcohol and glycerin that have been mentioned (note: EYEGLASS, not window cleaner). If the grooves are damaged the best you can hope for is the restoration solution but if they still sound bad your last resort is to use digital restoration on a computer. Not sure if it's worth the cost or effort at that point.