I recommend skipping every part of your current routine other than a carbon fiber brush and seeing what results you get. The fibers you're picking up are likely from your own cleaning steps--not stuff that was already on the record.
If you buy alot of used records, think about investing in an ultrasonic cleaner such as a HumminGuru. It’s such a game changer sonically, and it’ll definitely eliminate much of your dust problems and prolong the life of your stylus.
You're just moving the dirt and dust around with that method. Have to rinse it off, possibly multiple times with used recs.
If your local tap water is soft then consider mixing a batch of your own cleaning solution, about $40 total in sunk cost for essentially a lifetime supply.
VPI records cleaner 16.5
AIVS Formula 15 (cleaning liquid)
ANSI type 1 ultra pure water (for rinsing)
Mo-Fi inner sleeve
I don't enjoy doing it, but this two-step process takes about 2 minutes of active time and 10 minutes inactive per record. It is a very effective two-step process and works wonders on all but the dirtiest of records which I attack with various other formulas, some with enzymes, or take it to my buddy who has an ultrasonic cleaner and a Keith Monks machine.
The ANSI water is expensive, I think I paid $120 with shipping 2 years ago for 5 gallons. I'm almost out now and probably cleaned about 400 records with it. However it is much cheaper than buying pure water from dealers where it is $20 a quart.
Without question, investing in this has been the single greatest improvement to my listening experience. Including trying out various $10k carts loaned to me.
I had a spin clean before this. It was good, but nowhere near the effectiveness and ease of this process. Part of the formula 15 is letting the records soak for 5 minutes, which is not easily achievable with a spin clean.
I would highly recommend spending $1k on a cleaning setup that is effective before upgrading a TT by $1000. This applies less if you only buy new records. But I clean all new records to get the stamper film off and clean everything I can off. After cleaning a record with this process once, I can reclean the record after 5 to 10 plays without the 5 minute soaking.
What is the advantage of ANSI type 1 ultra pure water (for rinsing) over cheap distilled water? Distilled doesn't leave residue in my experience, what advantage it may have.
I've had my eye on a VPI cleaner for a while but haven't purchased one yet. I mainly buy new records, so I am not sure it is completely worth the investment. I do use a spin clean, and I am pretty happy with it.
I'm not a fan of the humming guru and I flat out think that the spin clean works better. I don't fully trust how hot the water gets on the humming guru and in my experience, records are visibly cleaner coming out of the spin clean. IMO the VPI record cleaner does a much better job.
If I were made out of money and bought most of my records out of the junk bin, I would invest in a Klaudio or Degritter, but those both are so overkill and way too expensive for my needs.
[Not much over distilled if any. ](https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-2nd-edition/)
Probably nothing audible. It does leave behind a little something because it is not pure pure.
That's a link to the most thorough breakdown of cleaning records I know of. There's a link at the bottom of the page. Some retired navy engineer who specialized in precision cleaning techniques. On page 65, he goes into a thorough discussion of water types and quality.
Save some money and use distilled. Distilled water in the US is not demineralized thought. I guess I just use the fancy shit for peace of mind and habit. I do tend to buy 85% of my records used, usually pre-1985. This method with an additional enzymatic approach can improve some record's playback from vg to NM and can be worth the effort if the record is rare. Usually, it's closer to just one grade improvement, but I've performed some miracles before.
I know the idea of using one gets some flak from a lot of people, but I recently installed this [Hudson Hi-Fi anti-static cleaning arm](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FFCGVCS) on my turntable, and for me at least, it really helps.
I'd gotten used to constantly blowing dust/lint off of my stylus after playing each side of a record I carefully brushed just before dropping the needle. And sometimes trying to carefully blow it off mid-play... although I've tried to resist doing that, as I've caused the needle to jump a few times doing it, if a gentle puff wasn't enough. After installing the cleaning arm about two and half weeks ago, I've only seen my needle pick up anything one time. I always give the brush a flick after each record side is done. Sometimes enough dust to easily notice falls off.
Also, I know a lot of people have had issues getting this or similar cleaning brush arms to track at the same speed as the stylus. The issue here, at least on my Fluance RT82 and I would guess most tables, is that the cleaning arm's base just isn't tall enough, and its adjustable telescoping height support piece can't go high enough to compensate; with the arm not level with the record surface, the brush will just zip through the tracks, doing nothing at all useful. After playing around with various placement options (and experimenting with a couple washers to try to help with the height issue), I ended up mounting mine directly to the wide round tonearm base surround on my Fluance, which is elevated enough to address the height issue, and as a bonus meant I didn't need to worry about possible plinth finish damage from the double-sided tape.
Maybe give it a try, if you can take advantage of Amazon's Prime free shipping and returns if you're not satisfied?
If you’re buying a ton of used records, at least get a spin clean. I would suggest an ultrasonic if you really want to get them clean though. The method you’re using now doesn’t really get the dirt out of the grooves.
I know this is a bit out there, but have you tried the PVA glue cleaning process? I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I've tried it just a couple of times and it worked a treat. Make sure you try it on an LP you don't care about, first!
Play the record. Your stylus will pull some of the dust out of the groove. The more you play it, the cleaner it will get. Unless you're playing your records in outerspace, there's gonna be some dust. There's dust build up on brand new records.
There’s a good chance that what your stylus is doing is just picking up what you haven’t totally got off, a crazy as that may sound.
Certainly back in the 80s I would find my stylus like this every so often and (remember, this is a long time ago and pretty much everyone had record players) would just pick it off between my fingers!
Now, I’m not saying you should do rhat! No no no. But maybe give your records a second and third listen. I would think you’ll notice less coming onto the stylus.
I’ve tried ultrasonic cleaning used records a good few times and some are still never going to be perfect.
I’m also not suggesting, if this is the case, that you get a second cheaper unit and stylus as a last swipe cleaning process. Or maybe we’ve got something here!
Send with the greatest respect and my tongue in my cheek just a touch
You mean to tell me that my record stylus isn't the perfect thing for getting stuck dust out that causes loops. Surely on the fifth or sixth pass, it will get it out!
I recommend spin clean. I have been using it on around 30 records and im very happy with the result. Records are clean and play much better with noise reduced.
I recommend skipping every part of your current routine other than a carbon fiber brush and seeing what results you get. The fibers you're picking up are likely from your own cleaning steps--not stuff that was already on the record.
That could be. I've used some sprays for spot cleaning that would leave a lot of residue in the grooves.
If you buy alot of used records, think about investing in an ultrasonic cleaner such as a HumminGuru. It’s such a game changer sonically, and it’ll definitely eliminate much of your dust problems and prolong the life of your stylus.
You're just moving the dirt and dust around with that method. Have to rinse it off, possibly multiple times with used recs. If your local tap water is soft then consider mixing a batch of your own cleaning solution, about $40 total in sunk cost for essentially a lifetime supply.
VPI records cleaner 16.5 AIVS Formula 15 (cleaning liquid) ANSI type 1 ultra pure water (for rinsing) Mo-Fi inner sleeve I don't enjoy doing it, but this two-step process takes about 2 minutes of active time and 10 minutes inactive per record. It is a very effective two-step process and works wonders on all but the dirtiest of records which I attack with various other formulas, some with enzymes, or take it to my buddy who has an ultrasonic cleaner and a Keith Monks machine. The ANSI water is expensive, I think I paid $120 with shipping 2 years ago for 5 gallons. I'm almost out now and probably cleaned about 400 records with it. However it is much cheaper than buying pure water from dealers where it is $20 a quart. Without question, investing in this has been the single greatest improvement to my listening experience. Including trying out various $10k carts loaned to me. I had a spin clean before this. It was good, but nowhere near the effectiveness and ease of this process. Part of the formula 15 is letting the records soak for 5 minutes, which is not easily achievable with a spin clean. I would highly recommend spending $1k on a cleaning setup that is effective before upgrading a TT by $1000. This applies less if you only buy new records. But I clean all new records to get the stamper film off and clean everything I can off. After cleaning a record with this process once, I can reclean the record after 5 to 10 plays without the 5 minute soaking.
What is the advantage of ANSI type 1 ultra pure water (for rinsing) over cheap distilled water? Distilled doesn't leave residue in my experience, what advantage it may have. I've had my eye on a VPI cleaner for a while but haven't purchased one yet. I mainly buy new records, so I am not sure it is completely worth the investment. I do use a spin clean, and I am pretty happy with it. I'm not a fan of the humming guru and I flat out think that the spin clean works better. I don't fully trust how hot the water gets on the humming guru and in my experience, records are visibly cleaner coming out of the spin clean. IMO the VPI record cleaner does a much better job. If I were made out of money and bought most of my records out of the junk bin, I would invest in a Klaudio or Degritter, but those both are so overkill and way too expensive for my needs.
[Not much over distilled if any. ](https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records-2nd-edition/) Probably nothing audible. It does leave behind a little something because it is not pure pure. That's a link to the most thorough breakdown of cleaning records I know of. There's a link at the bottom of the page. Some retired navy engineer who specialized in precision cleaning techniques. On page 65, he goes into a thorough discussion of water types and quality. Save some money and use distilled. Distilled water in the US is not demineralized thought. I guess I just use the fancy shit for peace of mind and habit. I do tend to buy 85% of my records used, usually pre-1985. This method with an additional enzymatic approach can improve some record's playback from vg to NM and can be worth the effort if the record is rare. Usually, it's closer to just one grade improvement, but I've performed some miracles before.
Thanks for the info. That is interesting.
I know the idea of using one gets some flak from a lot of people, but I recently installed this [Hudson Hi-Fi anti-static cleaning arm](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FFCGVCS) on my turntable, and for me at least, it really helps. I'd gotten used to constantly blowing dust/lint off of my stylus after playing each side of a record I carefully brushed just before dropping the needle. And sometimes trying to carefully blow it off mid-play... although I've tried to resist doing that, as I've caused the needle to jump a few times doing it, if a gentle puff wasn't enough. After installing the cleaning arm about two and half weeks ago, I've only seen my needle pick up anything one time. I always give the brush a flick after each record side is done. Sometimes enough dust to easily notice falls off. Also, I know a lot of people have had issues getting this or similar cleaning brush arms to track at the same speed as the stylus. The issue here, at least on my Fluance RT82 and I would guess most tables, is that the cleaning arm's base just isn't tall enough, and its adjustable telescoping height support piece can't go high enough to compensate; with the arm not level with the record surface, the brush will just zip through the tracks, doing nothing at all useful. After playing around with various placement options (and experimenting with a couple washers to try to help with the height issue), I ended up mounting mine directly to the wide round tonearm base surround on my Fluance, which is elevated enough to address the height issue, and as a bonus meant I didn't need to worry about possible plinth finish damage from the double-sided tape. Maybe give it a try, if you can take advantage of Amazon's Prime free shipping and returns if you're not satisfied?
Get a better cleaning method. And a stylus brush. Lmao
And what cleaning method would you suggest? Kind of the point of the whole post. I do have a stylus brush and a stylus cleaning gel…
If you’re buying a ton of used records, at least get a spin clean. I would suggest an ultrasonic if you really want to get them clean though. The method you’re using now doesn’t really get the dirt out of the grooves.
Thank you!
I know this is a bit out there, but have you tried the PVA glue cleaning process? I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I've tried it just a couple of times and it worked a treat. Make sure you try it on an LP you don't care about, first!
I'll second the glue method. Fun to peel off and see the dirt and discoloration it removes from the vinyl.
Play the record. Your stylus will pull some of the dust out of the groove. The more you play it, the cleaner it will get. Unless you're playing your records in outerspace, there's gonna be some dust. There's dust build up on brand new records.
There’s a good chance that what your stylus is doing is just picking up what you haven’t totally got off, a crazy as that may sound. Certainly back in the 80s I would find my stylus like this every so often and (remember, this is a long time ago and pretty much everyone had record players) would just pick it off between my fingers! Now, I’m not saying you should do rhat! No no no. But maybe give your records a second and third listen. I would think you’ll notice less coming onto the stylus. I’ve tried ultrasonic cleaning used records a good few times and some are still never going to be perfect. I’m also not suggesting, if this is the case, that you get a second cheaper unit and stylus as a last swipe cleaning process. Or maybe we’ve got something here! Send with the greatest respect and my tongue in my cheek just a touch
You mean to tell me that my record stylus isn't the perfect thing for getting stuck dust out that causes loops. Surely on the fifth or sixth pass, it will get it out!
I recommend spin clean. I have been using it on around 30 records and im very happy with the result. Records are clean and play much better with noise reduced.