Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?

If you have the space available to set up a cleaning area, my advice is to source a junk turntable (Goodwill, your local audio dealer may have taken some crappy trade-ins), which is what I've done. This is the perfect platform for both applying fluid and steaming. You can steam an entire side in about 5 seconds at 45 RPM with a garment steamer. I usually apply fluid with a carbon fibre brush, steam, brush again, steam, brush and vacuum.

Quick, effective, and if you're steaming at 45 RPM you'd have to work extremely hard to damage the record. I like about 2.5-3 inches away.

Readers : I have come across a Microfiber polishing cloth that appears to be significantly better than most cloths on the market. The Flitz 4 star Microfiber Polishing Cloth, www.Flitz.com , is made of Starfiber @ Microfiber; threads are 100 times finer than human hair, absorbs 4 times its weight in liquid and reportly works "electostatically". The cloths are sized from 12x12", 16x16" and 21x24" and range in price from $5.00 to $9.00. The cloths appear to be a perfect mate to our steaming efforts for a fraction of the cost others would charge for similar, but not as superior a product.

What is the best way to do this with an RCM?

Headsnappin: The simplest way is steam, then scrubb with Lp cleaning solution on a revolving RCM,vacuum,steam again to remove all cleaning solution,vacuum again and allow to dry or use a microfiber cloth.

The combo action is using the best of both worlds steam and vacuum : You blast, clean 'an scrubb & suck off the grunge that gets in the way of listening pleasure. Don't let anybody fool you , should you have a RCM use it , your investment is enhansed .

Threaders: Walgreens continues to sell the Perfection Steam Cleaner for $30 less a $10 rebate, that's $20; a best buy in my book.