Steam cleaning records 2

Merlinman, about 30 years ago I purchased used records from two brothers that owned a rather extensive mail-order & brick 'an morter music business. The brothers used windex with lint free paper towels to clean every record they sold. They raved that windex was the ultimate way to clean LPS quick & cheaply. Time has passed & so have they but I still have many records I purchased from them. Last year I steam cleaned a couple, just like a night and day difference. Steam cleaning takes time & effort but has yet to be surpassed with windex & paper towels. All the best. Charlie

Glass Plus has been hailed as a good cleaner in some forums. I have used it as a pre-treat (cut with water, 1:1) prior to steaming some particularly cruddy albums. I can't say that the results were superior, but my technique at the time did not involve a brush or a vacuum so I may not have achieved optimum results.

Ho72,You "hit the nail on its head" ... When one includes steaming into the cleaning process lots of options open-up. A fellow streamer has opined on the effectiveness of "Spray & Wash", diluted 4 to 1 or higher that he uses to steam clean. I have not tried that yet but the bottle is in the house.

One concern is the residue issue. Broadly speaking vinyl is vinyl but in LP form all sorts of materials have been mixed to create those black orbs. Some vinyl reviewers have written that chemicals & detergents can leach the vinyl arguebly making the grove brittle. A reviewer, Michael Fremer, shaired several unsoliticed emails in which he was urged to support cleaning vinyl with a solvent that actually had the power to unglue the needle tip.

I am always weary of household cleaners being used to clean LP but I am awaire that some (maybe more) can fit the bill provided one accepts the out come could be negative. Steam Cleaning with brushes a record cleaning fluid is most effective at removing unwanted noise. All the best. Charlie

Charlie- What record cleaning fluid, if any, do you recommend? Is one better than another? George.

George, I usually use Disc Doctor that I highly respect & several home brews made from internet formula's are also recommended. The secret is steam. A final steam rinse removes all residues just leaving the LP , cleaner than ever before. It is my opinion, based on my personal steaming experience, all record cleaning fluids leave a sonic fingerprint that will eventually be wisked away with steam. Disc Doctor appears to have less of a sonic fingerprint, a tribute to its designer, & therefore is less hassel to steam rinse. George , that's my opinion. Cheers, Charlie