Lp cleaning - scrubbing records - any downside?

Mark,

All is fine, thanks for asking. I've been swamped at work and will be for the foreseeable future, so my free time is limited.

Of course there's a silver lining: shorter posts! ;-)

Markd51, nice informative post. I follow exactly the same process except with the Walker Audio Prelude and brushes. The light scribbing with the brushes in the manner you've described has given me far better results in my VPI 17.5 than using the included nylon bristle brush.

One additional thought: be sure the brush or surface of the LP is well wetted before applying brush to LP surface.

Cheers,

I have found that when i look at my lp under a 30x microscope i can see what looks like a clear liquid or maybe a crystal like substance in the grooves . This is in a very small area but there are a number of these throughout the album. The album has been cleaned 6 times using the following process with AIVS cleaning system.
Enzyeme formula ,light scrub and soak for 30 min. then steam .
Super clean formula , light scrub soak for 30 min. and steam.
I have repeated this 5 times, with an inspection with the 30x microscope each time. After each cleaning the lp is getting cleaner but the clear substance in the groove has only reduced by about 50% . On the last clean i lightly scrubbed for about 3 min which did reduce it a little more. I have noted the location of these deposits in relation to the label and i am able to view it after each cleaning to monitor the progress so far. I am sure the pops i here are these deposits.
Does anyone know what these deposits are or what is the best way to remove them?
I notice when i play the album i have a buildup of white powdery residue on the stylus that is easily brushed off or removed with a Magic eraser lollipop. The albums are New old stock direct to disc that have been stored sealed for about 27 years.

yep- i wiped out a beautiful near mint chet baker album by leaning too hard on a specfic section where there was a small smudge---you should let the cleaning agent sit for a few minutes and then lightly brush for 30 seconds following the grooves but i learned the hard way, don't keep rubbing a section---now it ticks when it gets to that area

Agree with everyone that recommends only a light scrub, not a heavy scrub. Cleaned a couple of batches yesterday, and so far, they sound great. No damage that I can tell. Very little in the way of pops or ticks. No grunge. In fact, overall, this batch is NM- (after cleaning), and that seems pretty darn good for 30-50 year old records!

I appreciate the references to steaming, and did look up some of those posts. Frankly, I'm just afraid of what would happen if my wife caught me steaming a record...it's hard enough every time a new package of records shows up at the door...