LP care


I've made the commitment to get back into vinyl, purchasing a VPI Classic 'table with Lyra Delos cartridge. routed through an ARC PH-5 to Ayre amplification and on to Vandy 5A's. Recognizing the importance of a quality RCM, I also bought a VPI 16.5, so all the basic elements for vinyl enjoyment are there. (Approximately one week until everything arrives and can be set up!)

With all that lengthy background, my question is: what are the most effective record cleaning fluids. I have to admit that I am getting high-centered over the range of choices: regular cleaning fluid, "deep" cleaning fluid, enzymatic cleaner, rinses, etc. etc. etc.

This is especially topical for me, as 80+% of the albums I will be playing have been in storage (and not always perfectly clean storage at that) for 2-3 decades. Plus other music I want to acquire is probably only going to be available used, so good cleaning is important for that, too.

Second question: I assume that once one has cleaned a record with a vacuum RCM, that it remains relatively clean and doesn't need RCM treatment for every listening; instead, it simply needs to be wiped with a brush to remove dust and static before playing (assuming nothing odd happens). True?

Sorry for the long question, but figure the more detail I give, the more useful input I'll get. I'm hoping to tap the expertise of those on this forum -- and please feel free to simply point me to existing material, either in the form of previous threads here or other on-line resources.

Thanks to all, and happy listening!
dawgfish
Another vote for L'Art du Son. I use it for regular cleaning (used LPs that are in decent shape) and also have the VPI 16.5. I use Mobile Fidelity Deep Clean for new records followed by L'Art du Son. Local high end shop taught me this -- for new records there is still enzymes from pressing on new vinyl that needs to come off.

I don't use a rinse, just those two cleaning agents. I have a can of compressed air and a dedicated cleaning brush nearby to get surface particles off. For the VPI I have a dedicated arm and cleaning pad for new, and for used. I make sure to replace inner sleeves with Nitty Gritty ones so albums don't go back in old sleeves and pick up the dirt/stuff that collected in sleeve.
With my VPI 16.5 I started out w/VPI fluid, found Disc Doctor better than that, and as one of the original beta testers found Audio Intelligent even better.

When I tried Walker Audio Prelude (4 steps) I knew I found my solution (pun intended!). An audible improvement that you can also see. One tip is that when you mix a batch of the enzyme solution, it is only effective for ~24-48 hours max, so you are best to mix only what you plan to use right away. Cheers,

Spencer
I made a Picture from the USED fluid after the cleaning process (It is clear fluid before cleaning). This is from new /mint minus records.

Hard to believe...

Click me softly
Dawgfish...I disagree with you regarding the importance of a fancy record cleaning machine. I get MUCH better results with a steamer for about 25 dollars and some microfiber cloths for about 5 dollars. I steam records just once..after which they remain clean for years providing I don't drop my jelly sandwiches on them.
Well before I bought a Spin Clean I was visiting a friend who was cleaning LPs with a popular vacuum device...it sounded like a jet taking off next to my head and seemed like a messy pain in the butt. I wasn't listening to my LPs much back then (no excuse) so my interest in cleaning machines (or non mechanical cleaning techniques) was zero. Flash forward to recently and the Spin Clean...it works very well and has that zen-like quality of a manual hand tool thus imbuing the user with a sense of quiet peace, harmony, and an overall sense of well being resulting in the user possibly becoming a better person, or just another asshat with cleaner LPs.