The part of this I may not have right is step 2. I wasn't sure if I should spread the Miracle Cleaner on the VPI while the platter is turning, or just on a flat surface.What difference? Always try to think from the point of view of the groove. Imagine you're a speck of crud nestled down inside there, comfy and dry. Whether the VPI moves the record or some guy's hand moves the brush the result from your speckly POV is the same: a soggy brush squidges past overhead and you get soaked.
We normally slide the mop over a stationary floor, but only because it's easier. Sliding the floor beneath a stationary mop would provide exactly the same effect. From the point of view of a speck of dirt on the floor, the two operations are quite indistinguishable.
More important is the point Wntrmute2 made: NEVER re-use a brush or vacuum wand for a later solution. Whether you use 2 solutions (as you're doing), three solutions (as Wntrmute2 described) or five solutions (as I do), every step needs a dedicated brush and vacuum wand. Sharing brushes or wands between solutions contaminates the latter step with muck from the earlier. If you washed your hands with a soapy brush would you "rinse" them with the same soapy (and now grunge-filled) brush?
Also agree with his advice about rinsing twice, especially with DD cleaning fluid. That has a reputation for being difficult to rinse and, FWIW, many regulars here have found other solutions that clean better.