Best Record Cleaning Fluid


Greetings All,

I’ve spend the last few days searching and reading about record cleaning fluids for my cleaning machine (Okki Nikki).  Wow - there are a lot of options out there.  Many more than I originally thought.  Some real esoteric stuff that costs a pretty penny.  I’m currently going through my entire collection, cleaning it, listening to it and adding it to a Discogs DB.  Want to finally know how many I have and have a list of them.  But doing this has resulted in me going through cleaning fluid rather quickly.

So many options, so many perspectives on what are the best fluids.  What do you all say.  I understand that alcohol is a no-no for fluids, but I can’t find out if some of them include alcohol or not.  Currently using up the fluid that came with the machine, but no where can I read it if has bad ingredients.

The 2-stage or 3-stage cleaning systems are not going to happen.  I did get a bottle of Revolv that I was told was good, and use if for new high quality pressings (as opposed to those I bought in high school).

Anyway, would appreciate some perspectives on good quality record cleaning fluids that don’t bust the bank.  Thanks for keeping the sarcasm in check.

Happy Listening,

pgaulke60
Having worked in the plastics industry most of my career I can confidently say that if you are doing a patent field search to find the ingredients in a vinyl resin formulation you will not get an accurate understanding of what’s actually being used by a processor.

A lot of additives, like some of the one’s used to make the surface of the vinyl play quietly, are trade secrets and thus not disclosed.

I will just disagree that all vinyl resin pellets used to make the bisquit are 100% virgin vinyl. As such I will minimize my use of alcohol on the records I truly care about.  I hope you can handle this.
voiceofvinyl
... if you are doing a patent field search to find the ingredients in a vinyl resin formulation you will not get an accurate understanding of what’s actually being used by a processor. A lot of additives, like some of the one’s used to make the surface of the vinyl play quietly, are trade secrets and thus not disclosed.
That makes sense to me. But there are some people who are convinced that every fact known to man can be found within an hour or so using Google and the Internet.
I will just disagree that all vinyl resin pellets used to make the bisquit are 100% virgin vinyl.
Indeed, some labels tout their own unique formulation, so I'm inclined to agree with you.
As such I will minimize my use of alcohol on the records I truly care about. 
I stopped using any of the magic cleaners, potions, and alcohol-based solutions when I went to US cleaning. I've needed nothing but distilled water since. I'm not sure why some people think they need brake cleaner to clean an LP - yet at the same time, others seem to think a stylus will gouge all of the dirt from the groove.
Very few records are made of 100% virgin vinyl. The industry standard is 70% virgin and 30% recycled. The recycled is coming from the trim pieces created during the pressing process. A small amount of PVC is extruded beyond the 12 inch circumference of the record. This is trimmed off and recycled. Problem is that it is exposed to possible contamination which might make the next record noisier. There are several videos that show this process. The so called virgin vinyl records have none of this remix in them. But still, this is a complicated process which can be contaminated at many levels. It is very difficult to maintain an absolutely clean process and remain commercially viable. 
In regards to additives I would be happy to see absolute proof that anybody is adding anything to the PVC other than colorant. Additives would only increase the cost of the vinyl and so far have only created inferior product as far as I can tell. I would be willing to bet that all the pressing plants are getting their PVC from one or two sources that make pellets specifically for the purpose of pressing records. Unique formulations? My back side. These people have a hard enough time keeping the vinyl clean and noise free. PVC needs no help doing its job otherwise. All those patents have been ignored by the industry. Call up a pressing plant and ask them where they get their PVC pellets from then call that company and ask if they add anything to the PVC other than colorant. Provide us with the companies and their phone numbers so we can verify the information. Prove me wrong. Make me learn something. I hate hidden secrets and all this mystery. 

Cleeds, I am saying this independently of my other posts so that when you report me to the moderator he doesn't erase all the really important self serving stuff I have typed about elsewhere. Is your stylus aimed in the right direction? 20 degrees is pitiful. I doubt it would work at that angle. You might try some lube. 
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