Anyone use a Pledge "Grab-it" on their vinyl?



Yeah, it may sound strange, however, it seems to work really well before using a carbon fiber brush. It seems to remove that last bit of "snap, crackle, pop" from the vinyl.

Any thoughts?
128x128nrenter
This is one of those things that might "work right now, but be bad later". This is especially true if it uses some type of wetting agent or "cleaner" in it. There are so many different types of these things on the market that i can't remember which ones i've used, which are dry, which are wet, etc... I would proceed with caution when putting ANYTHING on irreplaceable vinyl. Sean
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Doubt it would do damage. What you may be noticing is reduction of static electicity on the LP. I think those clothes work mainly on the basis of attracting dirt with a static charge.
The Pledge on the grab-it will eventually get on and build up on your stylus causing more dust to be attracted on to it resulting in degraded sound.
After reading your post I tried it. "DON'T DO IT"!!!
I ruined 2 perfectly good records. It smeared the sound, left a film, and I now have sludge on my Goldring Eroica.

I intentionally did not use my best/favorite records. I'm always open to try new things for better sound & performance. This is not one of them.

Hope this helps. Sean & Ligi are right (as usual).
Hififile, do you have a record cleaning machine ? I'm sure that the records could be salvaged with some elbow grease. You might be able to take them into a record shop or audio shop and have them cleaned. I know an audio shop here in Chicago charges $1 per album, which might be WELL worth it in most cases. Then again, if you've got a big vinyl collection, the investment in a record cleaning machine would pay for itself. Sean
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Hififile - if you do not have access to Sean's suggestion than clean the record with a grease cutting detergent like Dawn and warm water to get the Pledge grease off - don't overdo the Dawn thing - let it dry by wiping gently with a light smooth cloth and air dry.
I used the dawn & carefully washed the 2 affected records. After they dried I reapplied Gruv-Glide (my usual treatment). I'm not sure I got all the Pledge product off. I think I will stick to just plain old Gruv-Glide which I've used for nearly 15 years, with consistant, predictable results.

Are we sure we're all talking about the same product?

http://www.pledgegrab-it.com

I have in my hands a package of 20 Pledge Grab-it Dry Disposable cloths. According to the package, "...Pledge Grab-it Scented Cloths use an electrostatic charge to attract dust, dirt, and hair, which are then trapped in a web of specially designed fibers. Pledge Grab-it Scented Cloths contain no sprays or polish..."

Also, from the side of the package:

- USE CLOTHS DRY - DO NOT ADD SPRAYS OR LIQUIDS
- Safe on wood, ceramic, vinyl and may other hard surfaces
- Clothes can be used alone; the contain NO SPRAYS OR POLISHES so they won't leave a residue

I'm rubbing one of these cloths on a piece of blotting paper, and detect no grease or liquid residue of any sort. I'm not pleased about the "scented" part, but since I can't detect a residue, I'm not too concerned.

Note: I'm not advocating the use of the Pledge furniture polish, or use of any dusting spray. Now, *that* would be crazy.
Sean,

Which store in Chicago cleans records? I live in the 'burbs and get into town fairly frequently.

I use it. It works great. Just make sure you use the DRY type. Those work on static alone. They also have the WET type, which is pre-soaked with Pledge.

I found that they work better than the record brush. After a cleaning with my VPI 16.5, I give the record a go-round with the Grab-it. I wrap it around one of those Discwasher Padded brush as well.
Cp: Saturday Audio Exchange was the place that i was referring to, specifically the store in down town Chicago and not in Evanston. If you have been there before, please take note that they have recently relocated. They are still putting the place together, so you might want to call first and see if they can do this for you before heading down there with an armfull of vinyl. Ask for either Andy or Randy.

If you have a good sized collection of vinyl, why not put the individual dollar per disc towards your own machine ? It would be cheaper in the long run and you could probably do a better, more intense job than what anyone else would offer. This is not to mention the fact that you could do it whenever you wanted to i.e. when you buy new discs, find used discs, etc.. right in the convenience of your own home. The only time that paying someone else to clean discs for you would be beneficial is if you had a very small vinyl collection. A quick yet manual scrubbing and then a thorough rinse with a cheaper vacuum machine will always work better than an automated clean / rinse / vacuum on a more expensive machine. Sean
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Thanks, Sean, for you response. I agree about the economy of scale issue and will look into a cheaper machine. Do you have a recommendation?

I have read thread after thread of record cleaning tips and it gets so confusing and seemingly subjective. What's your method?