Record-playing Rituals?

Detlof, glad to hear you are giving the Record Research fluid a workout. There are a couple of issues with testing these cleaners that should be considered. First, the fluid I sent you was part one of a two part solution. It is the heavy duty version, developed as a replacement for the (EPA) banned "First" which was a Freon based product. A second cleaning should be done with Record Research Vinyl Wash, the more dilute every day cleaner.

Do I understand from your post that you washed with the Record Research and then washed again with Nitty Gritty? If so, you have not heard the Record Research properly. You should wash off the Nitty Gritty with the RR and do no additional rinse for your next test. The only bottle of Vinyl Wash I had on hand was the 32 oz. size, and no small "clean" containers to make up a sample.

I will ask RR if they will send me sample size versions of Vinyl Wash, or mail me some clean sample bottles, and I will pour you enough for the test. I just wanted you to have the chance to hear this for yourself, and sent what I had on hand. Judging from your well written post, you appear to be (mostly) favorably impressed. Perhaps the follow up rinse with this additional RR product will provide the magic you are after.

Doug, Maicomike, Slawney, Deshapiro, and others, are you interested in trying this too? If so, I should know in advance so I can ask for some extras when I contract RR. Hopefully all of you will follow up with your own results if you wish to become involved.

There are more contaminants in the air than in the water. Even water that has been processed with an ion exchange filter is fine. In the 70s I had a system with several baths. Today that's not so practical. Trace minerals are so small, we're talking minimicrons, that they fit between gaps in the porous surface of the vinyl. Now if you have really hard water, there could be enough to hinder playback. Actually the biggest contaminant in the cleaning fluid is the surfactant itself. It tends to gum up brushes, because it is a very high molecular weight with a complex molecular structure. Dirt and dust and grease are what will hurt your records and cartridge. The type of brush is pretty inconsequential, I use a lint brush, a reccomendation from the vinyl asylum, for really dirty records. I use the last brushes, a little overpriced but not for audiophile stuff, for everyday cleaning. I clean the brushes regularly to remove dirt but more importantly the cleaner (surfactant) buildup.

Blues man, I've had the same trouble with aqua dest as you mention, even with ion exchanged water, so I've stopped using it a long time ago. Up to now, I've used the Nitty Gritty machine solution. Have now, thanks to ALBERT's suggestion ordered some RR Vinyl Wash and yes Albert, I'll report again, as soon as it has arrived and I've tried it.
Cheers to all,

I have tried a number of products and rituals over the years. I estimate that 90% of my listening time is vinyl, so I attempt to get the best possible sound that I can from the vinyl rig.

My current procedure is to use Disc Doctor (DD) in combination with VPI fluid and and Last Preservative. Any record that gets brought into the house (new or used) gets the same treatment. I put it on a VPI 16.5 and wash with the DD cleaner using the DD brushes. I vacuum with tube no. 0, then do the distilled water scrub with VPI brush no. 1 and vacuum with tube no. 1. I then apply VPI fluid and scrub with VPI brush no. 2 and vacuum with tube no. 2. After that I apply Last Record Preservative and vacuun with tube no. 3. I remove the record, change the mat and repeat for side 2.

At each step, I scrub for 6 revolutions and vacuum for 3 revolutions. My procedure only takes a few minutes per side. I usually get records on a buying binge, so I end up performing a cleaning marathon, doing all of the side one's then all of the side two's. Once the records are cleaned in this fashion I just use an old Decca brush to clean away the dust prior to playing.

I have not tried the Record Research products yet, but like others I have tried many products and many "homebrews" including washing the record with dishsoap.

Kudos to Albert for passing on a what sounds like a great product. I will give it a try soon. Regards, Doug

On an average night I'm not cleaning records. I walk toward my rack, wine in hand and open up the tray of my CD player which sits next to my turntable. I place the glass of wine on the open Cd tray and brush my record with an AQ brush and clean the stylus. I then grab my wine and sit back and listen. Who said CD players were worthless?