Vinyl Accessories?

  • Thread starter Black Sheep Audio
  • Start date
Although some people use a combination of water and dish soap, we don’t recommend it. Instead, we recommend using a cleaning solution designed for use on vinyl records. However, not all record cleaning solutions are created equal. In particular, we recommend avoiding any that contain isopropyl alcohol. While it will clean the muck off your record, many people report that over time it’ll also damage the protective coating on your vinyl. If you are going to use a solution with isopropyl alcohol – use it sparingly.

So what is the best vinyl record cleaning solution? The archivists at The Library of Congress use a combination of a mild surfactant called Tergitol with deionized water. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us. We think this is the best vinyl record cleaning solution. You can pick up a Tergitol-based concentrate from Amazon. You only need to add a couple drops to your water. You can pick up the deionized water from Amazon as well. Lightly spray the disc with the Tergitol solution and let sit for about 4-5 minutes. Then using a record brush like the ones we described above, lightly wipe the discs in the direction of the grooves to clean up the soapy mixture.

Repeat this process one more time using only the deionized water (so no Tergitol) to clean off any remaining soapy residue.

 
Whether it's a vintage turntable missing its dust cover, or one that sells new for which a dust cover isn't standard, this company offers very affordable options for protecting your valuable audio equipment (not just turntables). I've long had one of their cloth covers for my Bogen turntable, and just ordered one for a Thorens TD-125 II. They're as advertised and get the job done, but most significantly, they are very reasonably priced. I've opted for cloth, but there are other option. Just figured I'd share this info in case it may be of use to anyone.

 
Although some people use a combination of water and dish soap, we don’t recommend it. Instead, we recommend using a cleaning solution designed for use on vinyl records. However, not all record cleaning solutions are created equal. In particular, we recommend avoiding any that contain isopropyl alcohol. While it will clean the muck off your record, many people report that over time it’ll also damage the protective coating on your vinyl. If you are going to use a solution with isopropyl alcohol – use it sparingly.

So what is the best vinyl record cleaning solution? The archivists at The Library of Congress use a combination of a mild surfactant called Tergitol with deionized water. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us. We think this is the best vinyl record cleaning solution. You can pick up a Tergitol-based concentrate from Amazon. You only need to add a couple drops to your water. You can pick up the deionized water from Amazon as well. Lightly spray the disc with the Tergitol solution and let sit for about 4-5 minutes. Then using a record brush like the ones we described above, lightly wipe the discs in the direction of the grooves to clean up the soapy mixture.

Repeat this process one more time using only the deionized water (so no Tergitol) to clean off any remaining soapy residue.


Damn, clicked that link because I was pretty sure it was what I had bought awhile back and Amazon says I got it back in 2016.. Time flies! I have had nothing but a great experience using it in small batches to keep the water fresh.
 
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