Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?


It has happened again. Major tweak and record provider has available a steam cleaner made especially for records. Anybody try steam for cleaning lp’s? What were your results? Since a unit can be had for about $20 at Target, 15% of what the tweak provider is charging, is it worth a try?.
tiger
With todays cleaning i noticed that the vinyl got some what distorted or wavy as i worked the nozzle to the center of the lp but when done it was perfectly flat.
This time i tried this first i applied AIs super cleaner lightly brushed with a VPI 17f brush then a light steam with the brush on the lp spinning on 16.5. Vac that up and rinse with Nerl water with another VPI brush vac, then a steam rinse and vac for the final step. On the dish rack then a MFSL sleeve. Before and after each side i used my Furutech De Stat.
I played several tonight and the results were as good or better than my first steam effort. And the best part after removing the lps from my turntable i had no static build up as prior cleaning with 16.5. Yea all right.
I wanted to try steam cleaning so I purchased a Perfection. I then home built the PVC Gem Dandy frame for just a couple of bucks and easily attached the Groovmaster label protector bought off ebay. We'll see how it works out.
I'm sorry if this has been addressed previously...

With all the attention to getting ultra pure water and storing it properly, what about leaching and contamination from the steamer tank itself?
Drubin : Contamination appears to begin with the quatity of the water. The "cleaner" the water the less contamination to the heating tank. I have received emails from "steamers" that remark they clean out the tanks with every useage. I try to use the cleanest water available and worry about the heating tank later. So far I have found never use tap water and be carefull to determine if the quality of water meets established standards. Short of all that I use a water product "Peak Battery Water" purchased @ Pep Boys Auto, Peak Battery Water that $ for $ seems to be a best buy. I am certian other cleaner sources exist but the cost far exceeds $3.@ Gal.
You can drive yourself crazy with this stuff if you want to. I use ultrapure water myself. Bulk of it is in a 1 gallon glass lab container. I transfer it into an old RRL SVW plastic bottle that's more manageable when it comes to actually cleaning records. Load up the steamer with it and what doesn't get used sits in the steamer til next time when I usually just top it up.

Works for me. The results are excellent. As Crem says, it makes sense to start with the cleanest possible water and I know I have that, so I don't sweat the small stuff.