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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Pakistan Post Number: 104 Registered: May-05 | My father recently gave me a bunch of his old LP's that have been stored in a damp basement for about 15 years. They have some very heavy dust, and a few even have mold on them. I was wondering if anyone knew of a way to clean these up? I have seen some LP cleaning products on the web, but didn't know if they were basically a $20-$30 bottle of denatured alcohol that I could pick up the same thing at a place like CVS for a few dollars. Also, would either denatured alcohol or isopropol alcohol work, or would they ruin the records? Thanks for any advice. |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 629 Registered: Feb-04 | Stu, Google diy record cleaners or go to the audio asylum website and run a search on the vinyl asylum. There's a lot of useful information posted on the topic. Personally, I use a lint brush to clean off the dust, hair, etc., followed by a wet wash with RRL deep cleaner (expensive but effective) and RRL super record cleaner (not as effective as the deep cleaner) using a carbon fiber brush, and drying on a VPI vacuum machine. If you have the time, there are cheaper diy options, but I can't attest to their effectiveness. Good luck. |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Pakistan Post Number: 105 Registered: May-05 | Two Cents - Thanks for the info, I'll check it out. What I was really wondering about the cleaners is are they basically fancy bottles of alcohol, or are they really something different. Or what really is the difference between them? I ask this because I've seen a bunch of different CD cleaning products out there that claim to be better than the rest, but the only real difference most of the time is the packaging and price tags. I know that LP's are a completely different thing than CD's, but I think you're following what I mean. Thanks again! |
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Bronze Member Username: DvautierBellevue, Wa Usa Post Number: 16 Registered: Feb-05 | I see questions on the web about cleaning LP records a lot. If you have a record in a sleeve that's in a jacket, what is going to get in there to mess it up? You have the usual suspects; fingerprints and dust, and they can be cleaned away with warm water and mild hand soap--that simple. I'm not so sure about mold but vinyl is completely non reactive to mild hand soap so you can always try that first before experimenting around with alcohol and other chemicals. I'm really opposed to using anything stronger than mild hand soap. Most of the stuff that gets on a record like finger prints, food, pizza, coffee, cake, dust, cat hairs, dog hairs, dander, can all be removed using mild hand soap. I suspect that you may be in for other unrelated problems such as warping, which requires a very docile turntable or a flattening process. I have over 3000 or so LPs (keeps growing--lost track--wife hates it), most of which are in very good shape, so a little dusting is all I ever do. After a play I find no residue on the stylus. A record can be totally ruined and you can't even see it. You can usually clean up what you can see. It's what you can't see. I do have a few web pages on this subject, for what it's worth. http://dvautier.home.comcast.net/audio/audio.htm and this one too may help http://dvautier.home.comcast.net/lp/lp.htm |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 630 Registered: Feb-04 | Stu, There will be no harm done using generic isopropyl alcohol to clean your records. So it's worth trying. Mild dish soap can also be tried as Dominic points out. A carbon fiber brush will reach within the grooves. Make sure you give the records a good rinse, preferably with distilled water, to remove all residue. Wipe dry with a soft towel or chamois and air dry on a dish rack. I'm not sure exactly what's in the commercial record cleaning solutions. Some are alcohol-based while others are not. The only way to find out their effectiveness is to try them, but you might want to first try the isopropyl alcohol or dish soap. That's probably the most economical method. |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Pakistan Post Number: 106 Registered: May-05 | Thanks to the both of you for the help. I am hoping that the records will play fine. Other than some dust and mold on one or two of them they appear to be immaculate. There isn't any warping, scratching, etc. My father was pretty @nal about them when he played them, but the last time he played them was about 15-20 years ago. He had to hide them in the worst area of the basement because he got sick of hearing my mother complain that they always got in the way, so he acted like he threw them out. He also gave me his old Tecnics turntable which needs a new cartridge, but works pretty well otherwise. I've got a new cartridge on the way (haven't used the old one), but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on cleaning products, cartridges, etc. if the records didn't work anymore. The albums he gave me are all original pressing classic rock like Hendrix, Santana, The Doors, and so on. They are pretty hard to find, and cost an arm and a leg when you do. If they don't work it's not going to be fun to live with me for a few days... |
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Silver Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 592 Registered: Sep-04 | Stu Isopropyl alcohol is fine. The problem is how to get the dust and mould off the record without harming it. Also, if you use the alcohol with a brush or cloth note that this will get off some of the muck, but it will also push some into the grooves. This is why the best system is a vacuum system which lifts the muck off the record. That said, sometimes there's no alternative to scrubbing! From what you've said, your dad had pretty good taste. Enjoy... Regards, Frank. |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Pakistan Post Number: 110 Registered: May-05 | Thanks Frank. I was (and still am) concerned about pushing the dirt into the grooves. There is no alternative to scrubbing, but I'm afarid that I'll probably scrub a little too hard and ruin the records. I was thinking and old soft toothbrush covered with a lint free cloth. Should I go circularly, or center to edge like a CD? |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 632 Registered: Feb-04 | Circular. Clockwise or counter-clockwise. |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Pakistan Post Number: 111 Registered: May-05 | Thanks again!!! |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Pakistan Post Number: 150 Registered: May-05 | Thanks again for all your help guys. Last night I cleaned up and played three records - Inner Secrets, Borboletta, and Abraxas, all by Santana. Sounded great!!! I think tonight will be a few Eagles records. I'll finish strong with The Doors on Saturday and Hendrix on Sunday. Had I known they sounded this good on vinyl, I would have never bought them on CD. |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 634 Registered: Feb-04 | Glad to hear another soul discovering the wonderful world of vinyl. Enjoy and pay it forward. |
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Tooth Unregistered guest | Two Cents and Dominic, Regarding manufactured record cleaners. 8 to 10 years ago? I don't really remember when, but I bought a bottle of cleaner. There is no listing of ingredients. It's named "Sounds Cleaner" Manufactured by Doubleday Sales, Div. of Practical Systems, Inc. The label says "anti-stat professional record and cd cleaner." The kicker ... it also says "high lustre protective shield." Who the heck knows what that is? Should I trash it and use your generic solutions? Wonderin' if I'm layin' something down on my vinyl that I shouldn't be... Tooth |
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Alfonso Reyes Unregistered guest | AW COME ONE DOESNT ANYONE KNOW THE KEROSENE TRICK? THREE PARTS KEROSENE AND TWO PARTS COCA COLA WHEN APPLIED WITH SOME TISSUE PAPER WILL FIX ALL AND ANY PROBLEMS YOUR LPS, CDS, DVDS, OR SPOUSES WILL EVER HAVE AT ANY POINT IN THEIR LIVES. TRUST ME ON THIS I HAVE OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN AUDIO AND KNOW EXACTLY OF WHAT I SPEAK. BOOM CHUCK A BOOM CHUCK CHUCK BOOM BOOM, CHUCK A BOOM, CHUCK A BOOM, SIS BOOM BAH! |
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tooth Unregistered guest | thanks reyes, after i apply the mix, should i go ahead and strike the match, or will that not be necessary? |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNYC, NY Post Number: 266 Registered: May-05 | Tooth - I don't know about the one you are asking, but if it leaves a 'protective sheild' it will most likely alter the sound. Ispropol alchol worked great fo me. About 1/3 alchohol and 2/3 water mix sprayed onto a lint-free cloth got most of the stuff out. For the ones that still had some static and popping I used the same thing, only I put the cloth over a soft old toothbrush for the grooves. Everything has sounded fine since. |
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Tooth Unregistered guest | Thanks Stu, I think I'll trash it. Without any specific info on the label; the more I think about it, the less I want to "shield" my needle from the groove. waitin' for the puchline... |
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Gill Pell Unregistered guest | Hello There I've helped my husband collect and clean records for more years than I care to count - and have found Stu's mixture of water and Ispropol to be the best for most records. Today we pulled out a really old 1967 album and it looked OK but sounds dreadful - so I applied my emergency treatement. Warm water and a tiny bit of washing up liquid. I used a very soft toothbrush - used circular movement - avoiding label. Then a rinse in clean water and air dry. Then a polish with a velvet cloth. Hope this helps - The records sound great |