DIY stylus-cleaning magic long

Some people brush with a liquid cleaner, though a few cartridge makers advise against it. Others dunk their stylus into a ZeroDust or ExtremePhono. A few experienced folks just scrape their styli clean using the striker from a matchbook cover.

I’ve tried all the above and they all have their pluses and minuses. Then my partner thought of something that presents little or no long term risk, costs next to nothing and WORKS BETTER THAN ANY OF THEM. I wish I could sell this stylus cleaner, but it’s based on an existing commercial product and it’s so easy to make your own that I’d feel foolish asking anybody to pay me for one. Interested? Follow me…

WHAT DO I NEED?
Next time you’re shopping, swing down the household cleaning products aisle and pick up a package of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. This will set you back a couple of bucks, but you’ll only use a small portion of one eraser to make two stylus cleaners. You can use 95% of what you bought for keeping the house clean. Major WAF points for those so burdened. You’ll also need two plastic toothpicks, a dab of clear silicone adhesive and a clean razor blade or very sharp scissors.

HOW DO I MAKE IT?
First, try to avoid touching the white foam with your fingers or anything else that might be oily or dirty. Don’t let it get wet either or its structure will begin to collapse.

Slice the end off a Magic Eraser. Something like 6-9mm will do but it’s not critical. Cut this small piece in half to make two stylus cleaners. Slide a toothpick about 2/3 of the way into the thing lengthwise to make a pilot hole. Pull the toothpick out, coat it with a thin film of silicone adhesive and slide it back in. This is your handle, you need never touch the white foam again.

Once the glue dries you’re done. I suggest keeping them in a ziplock bag when not in use.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
By abrasion. The white foam is actually woven micro-fibers with spikes pointing in every direction. Those tiny spikes will loosen stubborn dirt particles that chemical stylus cleaners leave behind, and the soft foam lets you get into corners that a match striker can’t reach. The proof of the effectiveness of the stuff is this - if you use it properly you’ll use it LESS often. A clean stylus playing clean records tends to stay clean.

WARNINGS
This device could damage your cartridge if you’re careless. The foam is both abrasive and “grabby”. USE WITH DELICACY and AVOID SNAGGING THE STYLUS! Used too aggressively, it might even damage the glue that holds stylus to cantilever. I’ve never seen this happen, but please be careful. If you have difficulty seeing your stylus let someone else use this product for you. You need to see and feel what you’re doing.

Don’t touch the foam with your filthy, oily fingers. That’s what the handle is for.

Don’t let the foam get wet. If an edge or corner becomes soiled just snip it off.

HOW DO I USE IT?
I recommend a three stage stylus cleaning procedure and no chemicals whatsoever.

1. After every side, brush your stylus and cantilever gently with a dry, soft brush. Always brush from back-to-front (BTF). The corner of a carbon fiber record brush works fine. Always brush before using the stylus cleaner to keep the foam from absorbing loose dirt.

2. If a cleaning is needed, very gently scrape all sides of the stylus with the foam, always BTF and downward. Leave your system powered up and the audible feedback will help you judge how much pressure you’re applying. YOU DON”T NEED ANY PRESSURE! A touch is sufficient.

You can also scrape along the cantilever and even up into the back corner behind the stylus, a spot that loves to grab dirt. BE VERY CAREFUL doing this. It’s easy to snag the stylus. You can also dunk the tip of the stylus vertically into the foam, but NEVER brush across the stylus tip nor across the bit of the stylus that pokes above the cantilever. NEVER put any downward force on the cantilever.

3. After cleaning, ALWAYS brush the stylus and cantilever again with your soft brush to remove loosened particles.

If you inspect your stylus with a good magnifier before and after using this cleaner you may be amazed. I was.