Record Cleaning Tips

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Analog Gear NewsRecord Cleaning Tips
CleanerVinyl ProXL Record Cleaning System & UC-3360 Multi-Frequency Ultrasonic Cleaner
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 23, 2023  |  12 comments

People always like to talk about spring cleaning, but we here at AP like to do it year-round — especially when it comes to making sure our records are as clean as they can be before we put them on our turntables. CleanerVinyl has a similar philosophy, and the company’s flagship ProXL record cleaning system and UC-3360 multi-frequency ultrasonic cleaner are clearly tailor-made for this all-important LP maintenance task. Read on to see how CleanerVinyl may have the literal solution for your own regularly scheduled record cleaning needs. . .

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FeaturesRecord Cleaning Tips
The Big Dust Off!
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 06, 2022  |  55 comments
Dry dusting records before play is critical for both stylus and record longevity. New records come out of the jacket dusty because they are pressed in relatively dusty environments and in some cases spend a great deal of time stacked on spindles before being packed.

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Record Cleaning Tips
What's the Difference Between These Two Mini-Rollers? (Actually More Than I Thought!!!!!!)
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 09, 2019  |  35 comments
The one on the right is part of a set of 4 rollers Audio Desk sells for $99.95. In reality, it's a readily available microfiber mini-paint roller into which someone has drilled a tiny hole that fits into a peg on the machine's spinning mechanism. The one on the left is a 1/4" nap microfiber mini-paint roller purchased at Home Despot. BUT THERE IS ONE KEY DIFFERENCE!

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NewsRecord Cleaning Tips
Kirmuss Audio Versus The LAST Factory! Gloves On! Rabbits Off!
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 25, 2019  |  81 comments
If you've watched the "RMAF Wrap-up" video on the AnalogPlanet YouTube channel (which today hit 30,000 subscribers), you no doubt remember the surprise "name check" encounter with record restoration expert Charles Kirmuss. It wasn't a "set up". I happened to walk into the room where he was restoring records for attendees as he talked about LAST Record Preservative and said "unlike Michael Fremer who...."—well watch the video below.

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Munich 2018Record Cleaning Fluid ReviewsRecord Cleaning Machine ReviewsRecord Cleaning Tips
If Charles Kirmuss's Record Cleaning Machine and Regimen Are Correct, Are Everyone Else's Wrong? *
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 01, 2018  |  124 comments
* Mr. Kirmuss insists that the vinyl residue seen in his cavitation tank in this video is not damage caused by his device. Rather, he insists, it is vinyl residue "locked" into the grooves by soapy residue from other machines that his process has removed.)

We first encountered at AXPONA 2018 Mr. Charles Kirmuss and his "In The Groove" Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Restoration System. The system is based upon an ultrasonic bath-type cleaning machine from China, another of which that looked identical was being sold but a few feet away.

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Record Cleaning Fluid ReviewsRecord Cleaning Machine ReviewsRecord Cleaning Tips
Pro-Ject's Most Excellent $499 VC-S Wet Vacuum Record Cleaning Machine
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 06, 2018  |  31 comments
AnalogPlanet.com editor Michael Fremer describes the features of, and shows you how to use Pro-Ject's recently updated VC-S wet vacuum record cleaning machine. The usual occasional hilarity ensues. Though in the video it appears that more than 2 revolutions are required to dry a record, 2 will do it for most records.

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Record Cleaning Fluid ReviewsRecord Cleaning Machine ReviewsRecord Cleaning Tips
Another AnalogPlanet Record Cleaning Extravaganza!
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 26, 2017  |  48 comments
The most expensive record cleaning device in this video is Pro-Ject's $499 VC-S. That's good news! The other gizmos include the new Allsop Orbitrac 3, the Vinyl Vac (about $30 on Amazon.com), which is a wand that you use with a shop vac, and a few others.

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NewsRecord Cleaning Tips
Throw Away Your Old AudioQuest Carbon Fiber Brush!
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 30, 2017  |  59 comments
AudioQuest's carbon fiber brush, in production for thirty five years, has been the industry "standard" dry record brush. If you have the one pictured above, please throw it out or donate it to a really needy record collector.

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Record Cleaning Fluid ReviewsRecord Cleaning Tips
The Record Revirginizer Record Cleaning System
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 19, 2016  |  37 comments
Surely you’ve seen the YouTube guy who uses wood glue to clean records. He brushes it on and when it’s dry, he peels off the glue and the record gets a “facial peel.”

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Record Cleaning Tips
Yes, That Flood Damaged Record Can Be Saved!
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 07, 2013  |  22 comments
After steam cleaning the flood damaged record (see 'Can Steam Save This Record?") I used Audio Intelligent Enzymatic Cleaning Fluid and the Loricraft cleaning machine.
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Record Cleaning Tips
Can Steam Save This Record?
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 02, 2013  |  17 comments
Back in April a reader sent me a box of flood-damaged records. I said then that I would try to resurrect them. More than 7000 people read that post and have been waiting with baited breath for almost six months!
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Record Cleaning Tips
Don't Let This Happen to You!
Michael Fremer  |  May 02, 2013  |  55 comments
This is a digital microscope shot of my Lyra Atlas. I am embarrassed.
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Record Cleaning Tips
Can These Records Be Saved?
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 23, 2013  |  37 comments
An Analogplanet.com reader "lost" much of his collection due to water damage.
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Record Cleaning Tips
An Orbitrac™ Replacement?
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 19, 2013  |  3 comments
"Record Cleaning Made Difficult", Michael Wayne's definitive and fanatical record cleaning article originally published in The Tracking Angle back in the mid '90s includes use of Allsop's no long in production Orbitrac™, which was a pad based cleaning system that fit over the turntable spindle, allowing you to easily rotate it around the record.
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Record Cleaning Tips
The Most Comprehensive Record Cleaning Article Ever!
Michael Wayne  |  Dec 31, 2011  |  7 comments

Editor's Note: While this article is at least 10 years old, to my knowledge it still offers one of the most comprehensive and effective record cleaning regimens ever published. Nitty Gritty's 'First' cleaning fluid, mentioned in the piece, is no longer available. While it was extremely effective, it was environmentally unfriendly and had to be taken off the market. In addition, many new, non-isopropyl based cleaning fluids (alcohol is still used in most of them, just not isopropyl, which is said to dry up vinyl plasticizers) are now available. Even if you don't follow the regimen precisely, the principles are worth noting.

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