Deep Cleaning Records With Steam?

Thommas,

I think R/O water works fine. I use it to clean my records. I would bet that most other forms of demineralized water would work fine too (distilled, cation/anion exchange that is not based or replacing water hardening minerals with salt).

I just think that the steam cleaning method is a big hassle compared to wet cleaning and vacuuming. I hardly ever find a used record that does not clean up by using such machines, and I never let my own records get terribly dirty. I have the same Nitty Gritty machine for almost twenty years and it does a good job and is easy to use. I don't use the automatic fluid dispensing feature (I apply fluid from a squirt bottle) and I don't even use the rubber wheel to turn the record (I prefer to turn by hand so I can scrub back and forth). Thus, for me, the cheapest machine would be enough. The idea of having to get out a steam cleaner, fill it with water, wait for it to heat up, clean the record, dry the record, empty the steamer, etc. is just too much trouble for regular, every day use.

Larryi : I can understand your view point and from that mind-set its hard to see where this thread has anything to offer you. Steam Cleaning is not for everyone and neither are RCM's. For some the use of a dry, static-free brush is all they prefer to use. And that's the way it should be-- options for all. I wish you well.

Well said Creml, Thanks to you, I now have the cleanest most quiet records possible. My perfection steamer used with my RCM, (VPI) makes them better than new. I will never have to buy record cleaning fluids at $25.00 per quart again. My R/O cleaning fluid costs .49 cents per gallon and cleans better or as good as the expensive stuff. Thanks and regards.

Thommas, Thank you for the kind words. For those that wish to make the investment of time and almost no money, it is sure interesting what steam can do to revive your record collection.

For instance, I have a 1950's Verve 2 LP recording of Ella & The Duke that I bought for .50 cents. The recordings were so dirty they were unplayable. After several minutes of steaming and combo'ing with my VPI, the LPs looked clean but still they were unplayable. After a third and fourth cleaning I set the LPs aside for a few days before a re-play. The differences were like night and day. These mono recordings had life breathed into them. I consider them to be one of my most satisfying finds. Oh, and the Jazz books recount a fair-market value of $100 for a .50 cent investment.

Crem1 and Thommas,

I don't think we have a big difference of opinion. You both use RCMs and steam cleaners. I also use both, though I rarely find a record so dirty I need to avail myself of the steam cleaner. But, for me, the RCM is the essential tool because of its everyday utility. R/O water used in either/both is a very practical approach from the standpoint of cost and minimal damage to plasticizers and other compounds in the record.

Thanks for the anecdote about four intensive cleaning cycles making a difference. I usually make two vigorous efforts and then I assume that what I hear is permanent damage to the record and not just stubborn dirt. I will try more cycles with some precious, but noisy, records I have found.