Tír Na HiFi

Hi Lads, wondering if anyone can recommend something for cleaning LPs. I came across this on a few sites, anyone use it before or anything better to suggest?



Thanks,Shane.

Hi Shane,

I have no experience with the product above as I have cleaned my vinyl with the standard isopropyl alcohol mix. However I have decided to give the following product a trial as I have read good things about it....

Plenty of info here including info on the special liquid recommended by Fergus....

I've tried different methods of cleaning records over the years and, while I've never had any problems, you can really drive yourself nuts agonising over the best way of preserving your precious vinyl. Read the Hi FI World article above for proof :) Many times I've thought about reinvesting in a proper record cleaning machine. I used to own a second hand Keith Monks and while it was great and gave me peace of mind I still wonder.....

Anyway like most impoverished audiophiles I too use a mixture of Isopropyll/distilled water but only when absolutely necessary. I came across a hassle free way of cleaning records a while ago which works an absolute treat. All you need is an small atomiser (Boots) and three fine micro fibre cloths - I know, I know :)

I use a mixture of 3-1 Water to Alcohol. Lay the record on one of the cloths and spray it sparingly over the vinyl with the atomiser taking care to avoid the label. Then with another cloth you simply wipe it clockwise very slowly from the center out a few times. Finally with the third cloth you again wipe it as before but this time a little faster and not using as much pressure. Flip it over and repeat. Leave to dry on the dish rack for a minute or two just in case. That's it! Works everytime for me :) I also go to the trouble of keeping the cloths in separate resealable plastic bags which I also have labelled :)

I'd say it would work even better with the Le Art du Son liquid. Now I'm thinking.....

fergus wrote:Hi Shane,

I have no experience with the product above as I have cleaned my vinyl with the standard isopropyl alcohol mix. However I have decided to give the following product a trial as I have read good things about it....

Let us know how you get on Fergus as this stuff is not exactly cheap! Still I believe since it's a concentrate it can be made to last.

Thanks lads, I just have a few dirty second hand LPs that need a clean (fingerprints etc.) I'll check out the 3:1 method first before going down the L'art du son route. Don't think I can afford a Keith Monks machine (or the associated hernia) jusy yet ;-)

cybot wrote:

fergus wrote:Hi Shane,

I have no experience with the product above as I have cleaned my vinyl with the standard isopropyl alcohol mix. However I have decided to give the following product a trial as I have read good things about it....

Let us know how you get on Fergus as this stuff is not exactly cheap! Still I believe since it's a concentrate it can be made to last.

Hi Dermot,

I have used the exact same method as described by you above for some time now and I have also found that it works just fine. I am simply going to try the L'Art du Son as a replacement for the isopropyl alcohol.
The above small bottle of L'Art du Son apparently make 5 litres so it goes a long way. I will report back when I have used it.

tweber wrote:Thanks lads, I just have a few dirty second hand LPs that need a clean (fingerprints etc.) I'll check out the 3:1 method first before going down the L'art du son route. Don't think I can afford a Keith Monks machine (or the associated hernia) jusy yet ;-)

Just an afterthought; if you are going down the 3:1 method it should be mentioned that one is recommended to use distilled or some other form of purified water as the mineral deposits in tap water can apparently have a long term effect on your vinyl.

fergus wrote:

cybot wrote:

Hi Dermot,

I have used the exact same method as described by you above for some time now and I have also found that it works just fine. I am simply going to try the L'Art du Son as a replacement for the isopropyl alcohol.
The above small bottle of L'Art du Son apparently make 5 litres so it goes a long way. I will report back when I have used it.

Looking forward to reading your report Fergus. I would imagine that the L'Art du Son liquid would more suited to cleaning Classical records because of the wider dynamic range plus the little delicate details buried deep in the grooves. I could be wrong....

cybot wrote:
Looking forward to reading your report Fergus. I would imagine that the L'Art du Son liquid would more suited to cleaning Classical records because of the wider dynamic range plus the little delicate details buried deep in the grooves. I could be wrong....

I am going to try out the L'Art du Son liquid purely in an attempt to get away from the isopropyl alcohol but if it also displays the properties that you mention above Dermot then all the better!

cybot wrote:
I use a mixture of 3-1 Water to Alcohol. Lay the record on one of the cloths and spray it sparingly over the vinyl with the atomiser taking care to avoid the label. Then with another cloth you simply wipe it clockwise very slowly from the center out a few times. Finally with the third cloth you again wipe it as before but this time a little faster and not using as much pressure. Flip it over and repeat. Leave to dry on the dish rack for a minute or two just in case. That's it! Works everytime for me :) I also go to the trouble of keeping the cloths in separate resealable plastic bags which I also have labelled :)

If one buys a tub of CDRs the very top one in the deck is simply a CD that is blank on both sides and this is what I use to protect the label when I am spraying the vinyl. It is low tech I know but it works.