RRL Cleaner, Vinyl Zyme, and Groove Glide

I clean only used records I buy. New ones and those in my collection from new do not seem to need washing. Just the aq carbon brush and a cleaned stylus. Also, the zyme is great for mildewy records. I use Last rather than gg, but have not compared them. Last has been effective, and based in a quickly evaporating solvent, seems to get the proper dose from the mark on the pipette to the provided brush.

In my opinion it is the GruvGlide that is sucking the life out of your records. It certainly quiets the surface but at a heavy cost. It's putting a barrier between the stylus and vinyl interface. Not a good thing. ANYTHING, that leaves gunk to be picked up by the stylus is bad. I tried this stuff 25 years ago and promptly tossed it. Try your regimen without it and, in my opinion, you will be happier with the results. I also found it took repeated cleanings to totally remove the stuff.

Good luck,

Wendell

Shasta, you say that, "using a distilled water rinse *after using RRL is a distinct no-no" but say DD, which I use wins hands down. Do you mean I should not be rinsing after cleaning with DD?

Shasta: From what you stated, it would seem that you believe that the residue left behind by RRL's solvent is beneficial to the stylus / groove interface in terms of retrieving data and / or the life expectancy of both surfaces. What do you base this belief on? If i'm putting words in your mouth, please correct me, but that's how i interpreted your message.

Other than that, i do agree that giving a solvent time to penetrate and loosen imbedded particles is beneficial to its' effectiveness as a cleaner. This is akin to soaking an item in a solvent compared to simply rinsing it off quickly. A quick rinse will remove surface film, but is far less likely to achieve anything beyond that.

Then again, the more thoroughly that the solvent penetrates into the various "nooks & crannies", the more thorough one has to be in removal and rinsing. Otherwise, the cleaner itself will remain imbedded in the various "cul de sac's" of each groove. Over time, it will dry up and harden leaving a film and / or attract and hold other contaminants that it comes into contact with. Whether it becomes a dried film or retention pond for other contaminants would depend on the chemical make-up of the solvent(s) used and the long-term chemical reaction that takes place with the vinyl that they reside upon.

That brings me back to the original question: Why not rinse off any / all residue from the records? Sean
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Shasta and Sean, from my experince RRL Fluids do not leave behind any residue of any kind when used in conjunction with a vacumm cleaner - unlike MANY other fluids I've used. DD fluids do, even after rinsing with distilled water, again in my experience. The resaon that RRL recommends no rinse is that the fluid itself is more pure than the distilled water one would use for a rinse. If you are experiencing what you think is residue following RRL cleaning, I'm guessing process must have gone awry or your vacuum wand are dirty/contaminated. If you a hearing good result using it, it is not due to any reside left behind. It is because the fluid has held the crap from the grooves in suspension before you vacummed it away - what a cleaner should do.

As for price, you can get it from Galen Carol for $20 a bottle. I think people use way, way too much. I can do a shade over 180 LP's with 32 oz. At $20 a bottle, that is about 11 CENTS an LP. Cheap.