Cleaning Records Soap & Water? DON'T DO IT!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- You'll find countless articles on how to clean vinyl records with soap and water online, and I'm here to explain why that might not be such a wise idea.
Sure, we all want clean vinyl records, free of pesky pops and clicks - that much is a given.
But what if I told you that, sure, cleaning vinyl records with soap and water is cheap, but it could damage your precious records in the process.
Cleaning vinyl records with household tap water, in-particular, can cause huge problems down the line as regular tap water contains impurities, such as mineral and limescale deposits that can contaminate the record surface, potentially building up in the grooves.
As for using dish soap to clean vinyl records, well, it's more down to your own sense of risk factor. For me, I don't trust that these household cleaning products are safe on records for the long term, or even effective, for that matter.
Resources & Links:
___________________________________________________________
How to Clean Vinyl Records - Complete Guide:
www.yoursoundmatters.com/clea...
Pros & Cons of Different Vinyl Record Cleaning Methods:
www.yoursoundmatters.com/pros...
Recommended Cleaning Fluid (GrooveWasher):
Get 10% OFF their record cleaning products using the code SOUNDMATTERS10
www.groovewasher.com/
#vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #recordcleaning #recordcollection - เพลง
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Ive been cleaning my records with washing up liquid and warm water for over twenty years and as long as you rinse it THOROUGHLY it is fine ! Ive sold over a thousand albums and never had a complaint
I have almost 3,500 records I have been cleaning my records with tap water since the mid-70s. And for records I may pick up that are extra dirty I'll use soap and water and a flat trim paint brush. But that's not something I do to a record on a regular basis. I do it once in its lifetime. Frankly, I use very little water to clean my records anyway.
So far they all sound great.
Yep it's a bs internet myth no based in science.
That’s what I did and have had no problems.
Absolutely..we do it only once....and should be done only once.... Hummingbird guru is for those who do wash their records on a daily basis and have no time to play them.
I have cleaned mine for years using clear detergent and water solution. Rinsing thoroughly. The results are astonishing.
Agreed. You just need to be sure to rinse it thoroughly.
These days I buy all my albums used ...as I suspect many of you out there do. Most of these used records will have a nice, healthy patina of "grunge" from spending heaven knows how many years in less than proper archival storage. There's no way I'm going to get a record in this "raw" condition to a proper cleanliness suitable for playing using the "dainty" procedures outlined on many of these "How to Clean Your Records" videos. Nor will I ever expose the stylus on my vintage Shure M97Xe cartridge to the ravages sitting in the groove of one of these second hand finds until after a *thorough deep cleaning*.
It's nice to see others out there who don't buy into the insanity or "OCD-ness" of how to clean a record. And no, I'm not disparaging those who embrace these techniques described here in this and many other videos on the subject; to each his own. I do get and understand the concerns and techniques promoted, however, many are based on less than practical experiences and a lot of supposition. There are more than a few ways to skin the proverbial cat. Before you simply consign using household cleaners on your records as a form of insanity, heresy or both, try it; you might be amazed.
I use a multi-surface household spray cleaner (not dish soap) and a 2" cut-down inexpensive paint brush (as a scrubber). Think about what you want to accomplish by *deep cleaning* a record; lifting and removing as much surface and embedded dirt as possible. To do that you need lots of surfactants. Which is what these cleaners have lots of. All of these cleaners use well-filtered, distilled water as their base ...so you're not going to get "contaminants" on your records from using them nor will they harm the vinyl itself. And as far as "hard" water deposits? IMHO, if you rinse the record and allow it to air dry, then yeah, you'll get all those dissolved bits left on the surface of your record. That's why you blot dry the record using a bath or microfiber towel. The water and minerals are all drawn off by the towel. I've lived in areas of the USA where tap water was so hard you could walk on it; it's never affected my cleaning process or the playback condition of my records.
Lastly, this deep cleaning process, ideally, is something I do once to an album. Once deep cleaned, all new additions to my collection get proper inner liners to better protect and preserve the album. Subsequent cleanings prior to play are done with a dry anti-static brush and a slightly damp Discwasher; this is where I use a distilled water and a 90%concentration isopropyl alcohol elixir ...to lightly dampen the Discwasher brush. My point here was not to disparage, but to share personal experience. Cleaning a record is not rocket science nor does it require a degree in chemistry. A vinyl record is a lot more robust than it looks. Think about it logically, use common sense and you'll have your records well-cleaned minus all the histrionics.
i have a water filter built in, soft water...back when i was young 70s and 80s cleaned my records with water and a cloth...move onto 2024 those got back then, still play like new...
I agree, it would damage the records if we do it regularly...but for the buck a piece OG LPs I picked from the dollar bins in early 90s ( when everyone were on the CD bandwagon) had too much dirt in grooves already and I washed all those once with tap water and soap and they all sound still awesome to this day to my ears, I washed them only once in a life time with running tP water and soap, rest of the times, I just brush of the dust if any, ..buying commercially developed Ultrasonic gumming guru requires refilling the dirty distilled water, replacement of brushes etc which would add up way more that the price of vinyl itself , running water and soap is comparatively cheaper...but wash like this only once, if doing this on regular basis would affect the sound quality...my ears are happy with my once washed with tap water, Vinyl sound..they still sound awesome..( no one eve deep clean vinyl regularly ever, do it only once with tap water, forget the Ultrasonic nonsense and save the money on more Vinyl) rant over
We have a water softener so I don't worry about hard water (Calcium, lime, etc) and I clean my records in the sink with warm water and a small squeeze of Palmolive dish soap. It isn't something I do often, just when the records look very dusty and it works fine. I rinse them under running water and "hang" them to dry on a jig I made using a small dowel rod to push the albums on to so that I can space them apart evenly.
Good video man. Distilled water for sure. A drizzle of dawn dish detergent is fine. The original not a scented one. The key is a good rinse with more distilled water. I use a garden sprayer. The kind you pump up by hand. The trigger and nozzle are attached at the top of the bottle. Not the wand kind. Similar to powerwashing but not as strong. I have done hundreds of records with great success! Fixed some skips in the process!!
Hi Marc, I never use tap water or normal dish washing liquids or alcohol. I do make my own fluid after about 20yrs of experimenting. I filter, de-ionize, and double distill my own water. I then add Ecover Zero dish washing liquid (no scent, no residue, clear fluid). Then i add a flocculent and also Tergitol (Tergiclean is good). I also add a small amount of a Quaternary agent to eliminate Bacteria and mould. If I run out of my self made fluid, Iuse SpinClean fluid with a Quaternary added to it mixed with distilled water. One fluid I have found to work very well straight out of the bottle with no side effects or residue is Windex Clear mixed with distilled water.
If you must use detergent, I suggest no more than 1 or 2 drops per liter of water. I only use this for last-resort LPs, that I couldn't clean otherwise. My mistake in the past was not to thoroughly rinse, so now I do. Then wipe with clean cotton, or multi-fiber if you can afford it. Keep turning the cloth while wiping in groove direction. Then I clean on the table with discwasher and solution. I don't represent myself as "expert," and this is only for discs that were headed to the trash anyhow.
Ok maybe I'm being Looney tune but we are talking about cleaning plastic? If isoprofen alcohol is so concerning then why do they sell it in plastic containers? Also I do put a few drops of dishwashing liquid in my cleaning solution. I do this to help remove oily residue caused by finger prints and such. I figure if it's safe to use plates and utensils then it's ok to use on records. I do use only distilled water throughout the cleaning process and heavy amounts at the end of the process to remove any residual solution. I can in almost situations improve my records grades at least one spot. I've had some records go from VG to NM. I believe if you overly think the way you clean records and treat the process with kit gloves you'll end up with records that are not sufficiently clean. A little measured elbow grease goes a long way.
I use a vacuum system. I think using distilled water is a no-brainer. It's very inexpensive too. I add a drop of detergent and a bit of Isopropyl alcohol. My beef is that some recommend as much as one part to one part water/alcohol. Back off on the alcohol! -- it softens vinyl. The record cleaner Boundless is very pure and works fine. No alcohol. I know someone who dilutes it with distilled water for more mileage.
Sounds good. Yea, I'm with you on the back off the alcohol stuff
The significant word in the sentence is "potentially". This means you have no idea if tap water damages your vinyl or not. I'd say not. The time spent cleaning a record with tap water is so minimal over the lifetime of the record itself, if it's done once, it isn't going to kill the record!
Good advice. I have had good success with distilled water in a spin clean. It has turned thrift finds into great sounding records.
Hard water and all this nonsense. It’s water, not rocks. The needle has the weight of an elephant. Soap helps dislodge dirt, it’s why we use it for other reasons.
I've been cleaning my records that way for years. I live in a hard water area and have no problems because like my dishes and cutlery I DRY the records afterwards with a soft towel. I have stopped doing it this way now as it fails to deeply clean the grooves. I have invested in a degritter ultrasonic cleaner, but not everyone wants to spend that much.
Degritter gets almost unanimous praise. I'd love to test one. Congrats on the investment!
Well No I won't tell you you have it all wrong. Been a record store owner in the past and have cleaned thousands of records with all the methods you mentions and more. I feel what your saying is for the most part spot on. I would tell people it depends on how bad a record is and its value and how many you have to clean as to the best method. If its a disaster of a record that's been out of its case for years and you want to as best you can rescue it I would start with dish soap and tap water get it clean than use a machine and or distilled water and some record product for final cleaning.
I have cleaned records with tap water and Dawn dish soap in the past with good results but have to say it is a pain and you risk getting labels that don't do well with water wet plus as stated in the video that depends a lot on how bad your water is. the problem with the nice ultrasonic cleaning machines is they are best for records in good shape that are pretty clean to get the little specs out of the grooves not for really dirty records.
Too late for me, I washed with tap already. I did it once with a record that kept getting my needle full of dust that wouldn't let the record play. I cleaned the record and was amazed. Not only did it stop that needle debri build up, but it made it sound cleaner and made the record shiny. The record still sounds great! I mean, it's just plastic at the end of the day. But this record I just washed was way too noisy. I like a little noise on my records, but this one forced me to clean it.
I think if you wash your records regularly with tap water, the mineral deposits would definitely be deleterious. But I only wash/clean a record when I first get it, so any build up would be incredibly minimal. I spray my record with distilled water, add a couple drops of castile soap, wipe the surface, rinse with tap water, then spray the record with distilled water again.
Water and dishwashing liquid does not damage records. Scrubbing Bubbles is also very good to use.
I use a homemade solution in a spray bottle consisting of 75% distilled water and 25% denatured alcohol. The owner of a local record store gave me the recipe solution. I've been using it for several years. And I always use a microfiber cloth and/or my vintage Discwasher brush.
I use 95% distilled water 5% isopropyl alcohol 2 drops of ilfotol surfactant and finally a drop or two of ecover dish liquid. I have been using this recipe with the help of a Knosti Discomatic for many years for cleaning my records and agree with Marc on cleaning them before you play them
Pretty close to what I use. I use a home water distiller, 90% distilled water 10% isopropyl alcohol, Ilford Ilfotol or Photo-Flo 200 & Ecover Zero dish soap
I use my tongue to clean mine from any residue… works fantastic. You should try it.
Mmmm, delicious vinyl
Good unbiased review - thanks.
Thanks for watching and happy spinning
This is one of the most maddening topics in record collecting, I think because record collectors (and especially those active online) are the "grumpy old men" demographic you'll see this attitude of refusing to be "conned by some overpriced cleaning solution" when a few cents of dish soap will clean them. Yes, dish soap and tap water will leave a dirty record cleaner than before, it hardly takes a genius to guess that that was going to happen. Why not use dish soap in the shower? It's scented, it'll leave you cleaner than if you didn't use any soap and it's cheaper than shampoo....because it'll strip your hair and scalps of its natural oils and make it brittle...much like the surface of your records!!!
Why collectors are so stubborn on this topic never ceases to amaze me. The cost of using products developed by chemists who understand what each chemical does and how it will react to a vinyl record is so insignificant. I calculated that using high-quality solutions made for cleaning my collection costs 0.05% of the value of my collection.
I’m in the same camp when it comes to preferring to invest in cleaning fluids that are were purpose made for the job 👍🎶🎧
I only do soap and water quickly first time I bring them home expecally used but after that using record cleaner liquid made for it usually used have lots of dirt dust in the grooves record cleaner doesn't get out but it's only first time done have space or money for the machine like spin ones so it's only first time but good advice
i always used water (clean water) and neutral detergent, with a soft car sponge and all the records that were dity and noisy are playing silentlly and flawlessly, just sometimes i had the bad luck of damaging the labels of some records
I used to own a marine tank and made a LOT of RO/DI water. I kept hold of filter system and it's even better than Distilled water.
That's handy! Cool
Can I use mineral water instead of distilled water?
I wouldn’t do that personally due to the mineral deposits. You can buy distilled water fairly cheaply online
I actually clean my records using a hair shampoo and moisturiser. After a quick towelling, I give them a brush and blow dry and then use a styling mouse to finish them off! :0)
This works great for those 80’s hair bands LP’s
You can wash the records like I did with water under the tap like I did when I was little
I use a spin clean often and I use 2 drops of dawn 2 drops of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water and been collecting since I was 12 and all my records sound and look beautiful but no I don't think your wrong I say to each their own and yes always be careful what methods you choose 😊
Any method that removes the particles without abrading or gouging the vinyl and leaves no residue is fine. Mostly the problem lies in the fact that ticks and pops remain after cleaning, and are wrongly assumed to be dirt which has not been removed, when in fact the noise is scars, craters and pockmarks caused by the stylus ramming particles into the vinyl while playing a dirty record.
Yep. Sadly, no cleaning method can repair groove wear 😩
A friend tried isopropyl alcohol and dish soap combination on an original copy of Josefus - Dead Man that had a dime-sized spot on it that would not come off. It left that spot cloudy and didn't do anything positive. Basically, made it unplayable. That's quite sad as an original pressing of that lp costs around $500 and up.
Damn... not good! 😑
@@soundmatters that's exactly how I felt when he told me. I felt bad for him because I have a copy and played it for him. He really liked it, so he found one and bought it.
Is deionised water the same as distilled?
Hey Gary. Thanks for your comment. No, it's not the same, but both types are typically very pure. Distilled water is water that's distilled and sometimes also filtered to remove impurities. DI water is water that has had all of the ions removed. I think in some cases DI water can be cheaper to produce. Both are a great deal better than tap water.
@@soundmatters thanks! So would you be happy using di water for record cleaning or would you recommend distilled?
Isonic cleaning solution is bright blue and that's what's used for ultrasonic cleaning. Think they been around for 60 years as some of the leaders in the cleaning industry. Another record store owner here had mentioned he cleaned 20 thousand records and using tap water can be fine if it's not hard water.
I thought that household dish liquid had grit mixed in the formula to clean stubborn food residue. That is why I never use it on any off my cars paintwork
Interesting! - I'm not sure if that's the case? Perhaps with some formulas?
Hi Mark im glad i subbed its Juan enjoy your emails love this video finally i subscribed Cheers!😊
Thanks for being a subscriber on email and here. Much appreciated! Happy spinning 🎶🎧
We have excellent public water from northern Kalifornia. Who washes the same record(s) frequently? I wash and rinse one time only the used records that I buy. The record(s) are stored upright. My only suggestion is to use a shallow pool of distilled water as a final rinse after being well rinsed with public water if you have cr@p water.
all is clear, just it would be great if you show how you doing that with hands...
anyway appreciate !
I use shampoo! which is mild and contains surfactants that lower the liquid's surface tension, allowing it to penetrate deep into the groove. I also use a soft toothbrush, brushing along the groves. I wash with tap water and then rinse thoroughly with distilled and have incredible results. But like Not Insane ( @ReasonablySane ) mentioned below, I usually do this once per the records' lifetime (for records that I purchased second hand), so I doubt there is any chance for build-up.
That's worse than getting them scratched or warped!!
I understand your intention is noble but I need to inform you that I’ve been cleaning my records with soap and water with paper towels, water and soap with great results for years.
Yes me to. With good results.
i use reverse osmosis water in my ultrasonic and a dash of windex they sound brand new and im happy my unplayable vinyl is now playable again ,my 229 buck vevor ultrasonic is a miracle ...
I’m just not sure if at the peak of records they cared much lol
Really . And where can i view the data that backs up your comments.😮 a bunch of word salad.
Get with times, put `em in the dishwasher!
Bunch of nonsense clean with tap water and good dish soap rinse and dry thoroughly and don’t wet the label and never going to have a problem with minerals in the water unless you do it 100 times in a row 😂
Are you doing sign language for the deaf?