budget cleaning ideas for garage sale records?

R U guys serious cleaning records with alcohol or soap???
50% of alcohol will make the grooves flat(forgive me for exhageration but in some way it's true). I do recognise vinyls cleaned with alcohol that have unremovable and visible traces and I bet it means something in terms of sonics.
Why break your head and experiment when you can easy order a professional VPI record cleaning solution $16 a bottle of which you mix with 1/2 galons of distilled water??

Mikey likes the Eureka Shure Shot hand held steamer for steaming off all of the old crap, just don't hit the label with it. Mikey will listen to anything.

I have been cleaning records for thirty five years with soap and water like I said. A Dj I knew way back when used it so I tried it and it worked great. Never had a problem - I would not use alcohol - messed one up about thirty five years ago like that. The discwasher brush is helpful with the soap and water. I guess you could spend money on a solution but I would rather buy records.

FWIW, The 50/50 solution is direct from Kieth Monks. Haven't screwed up a piece of vinyl yet using this solution. I admit that I don't buy garage sale items so rarely have to do this type of cleaning. Never-the-less, don't knock it unless you try it. I swear, if people believe what they read from the manufacturers regarding vinyl cleaning solutions, you'd be buying their tap water for $100 a half pint.

Go here and read the various recipes:

http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/fluids.html

There is also a very detailed explanation about cleaning vinyl records that are 33 1/3 rpm from The Library of Congress:

http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/record.html

Go read up and then critique the practice of using alcohol.

Happy listening,
Patrick