Cleaning records. How often really?

ct0517---Being aware of the problem of dust covers resonating, I modified the base/dust cover of my Townshend Rock Elite table. The Rock's solid/non-suspended plinth (a folded sheet of steel, filled with plaster-of-paris) has three squishy (Sorbothane?) half-spheres on it's underside to isolate it from ground-borne vibration, and when used with the optional base and dustcover, sits on a thin sheet of wood that is the bottom of the base. To minimize the amount of vibration the base and dust cover may transmit into the Rock's plinth, I cut out the bottom of the base, leaving just a frame that surrounds the plinth, the two now connected only through the shelf they sit on. The base (with dust cover) sits on little rubber feet, and the Rock's plinth on roller bearings, both situated on a Townshend Seismic Sink. I may try a set of the new Townshend Seismic Pods under the plinth in the near future.  

Yes dust is the common enemy and vinyl that is playing is exposed to it.

Dust is made up of yucky things that are floating in the air around us such as dead skin, house-dust-mites, the droppings from house-dust-mites,pollen from flowers and trees,dirt from the roads,fluff from our clothes sheets bedding etc, ash, exhausts of motor vehicles,and small bits of debris which is carried in on the soles of our shoes.

The Op Inna further discusses cooking and smoking in his posts . The contaminants from those activities end up on the vinyl, carried there by dust.

Another threat to the vinyl - pets.
You know Koaltar and I are buds; and as much as I really want to allow him beside me when listening; (he is good at not talking); he is not permitted downstairs where the gear is for two reasons. His shedding. I do find hairs on the stairs leading down. He is also a chewer.

Dust in the Wind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH2w6Oxx0kQ

ct0517- for my next room, I’m seriously considering a whole house active filtration system that installs as part of the HVAC. We had one in our previous house- I’m sure that the technology has improved since then. I have none in this house, but even with the air conditioning off, the listening room isolated from the rest of the house, windows never open, no pets in room, no "traffic" other than me and the occasional guest, no shoes, etc., the dust is a constant. We live "in the country" along the Hudson River 25 miles or so north of Manhattan- perhaps not as pristine as some parts of the country due to air-borne pollution, but pretty clean, green, quiet and low density here. Also very little vehicle traffic on my road. I’m fastidious in maintaining a ’clean’ room within reason (not a "clean room" in the technical sense) and I find that at best, I am moving the dust around, it is impossible to eliminate. 

I did mention contaminats getting on the records, but we should not be too obsessive about it. Just don't examine your records and other things with forensic blue light, if you do everything will look terrible.

I rarely find it necessary to clean LPs. Usually a dust brush right at the time of play is sufficient.

FWIW I also don't experience a lot in the way of surface noise. The phono equalizer (preamp) can exacerbate surface noise if the preamp is unstable. My preamp employs passive EQ, which helps a preamp be more stable, and even though bandwidth is unaffected, surface noise is obviously reduced.

So its rare that I have to clean an LP.