Cleaning System Instructions For Use

To download these instructions click or right click & save here . Instructions

Thank you for buying the Vinylcare cleaning system. Your records will thank you too by providing a quieter more dynamic sound. Please take the time to read through these instructions before starting cleaning to get the most from the system. The process may seem very onerous but remember you should, barring catastrophes with spilt food or drink, only ever have to perform this once. Thereafter the only treatment your records will ever need is wiping with a carbon fibre brush before and after playing and zapping with a Zerostat anti static gun.  

Preparation for Use.

 The Disc Doctor solution provided is full strength. You only need to use it at this strength for very badly contaminated (read filthy beyond hope!) records or records with extensive mould growth. For the majority of records 2/3rds strength is sufficient.  So take the small Disc Doctor flip top bottle and fill it 2/3rds full with solution and top up with distilled water. Fill the other flip top bottle with distilled water. On a suitable firm work surface layout your materials in an arc left to right as in the picture:

Lay two lint free cleaning cloths (or a clean well used linen glasses cloth) as a work surface to lay the LP on. On the left place one of the Disc Doctor cleaning pads, the cleaning fluid flip top bottle and a lint free cloth for removing cleaning solution. In the centre place a second lint free cloth for removing rinse water. On the right place the second Disc Doctor pad for applying distilled water, the distilled water flip top bottle and a lint free cloth to dry the LPs. Behind or aside from the work point place a clean vertical standing plate rack to receive cleaned LPs. 

Wash your hands. If you have hyper sensitive skin wear medical rubber gloves available from any chemist. I personally have never had the need for this or found any side effects from the very mild cleaning solution so I work with bare hands as I find this more comfortable.

 Dampen both cleaning pads with distilled water. Remove the excess by wiping the side of a forefinger down the pad in a rapid flick motion.

Cleaning a record.

 Stage 1 Clean 

First brush off any obvious fluff, dust or hairs from both sides of the record with a Carbon Fibre record brush. It is best to keep a “dirty” brush just for this purpose using a different brush from the “clean” brush you will use for day-to-day use on your cleaned records. Then lay the LP down on your work surface. Take the first Disc Doctor cleaning pad and apply a light dribble of cleaning fluid down the centre of the pad. (Approx 1.25ml) Rotate the pad around the record to spread the fluid.  

When you start getting the amount of fluid right is a concern. You will soon get the feel of how much is right. Having spread the fluid rub the pad in an arc approximately 1/3^rd of the records circumference following the grooves back and forth three or four times. Then repeat this twice for the remaining two thirds of the circumference. You don’t have to scrub, let the fluid do the cleaning. If you have your fluid quantity right the pad will ride smoothly on the fluid and stick to the record creating a small amount of foam. Too much fluid will create copious amounts of foam, too little fluid and it won’t “ride” properly. You will soon get the feel of this.  

Wipe the pad all round the records surface to collect the foam. Hold the pad over a sink and wipe off the foam with a side of a forefinger flick. Clean the record with the first lint free cloth. Turn it over and repeat the process for the other side. 

Stage 2 Rinse 

Set your sink tap to a cold or tepid slow dribble. Hold the LP under the tap so that the water runs over the playing surface. Slowly rotate the LP so the whole surface is rinsed. Flip it over and do the same for side two. Try to avoid getting water on the label. For most labels it won’t do any harm, but some old labels can discolour and leave watermarks. Shake off the excess water and dry with the second lint free cloth. 

Stage 3 Fanatics Rinse

 This stage will ensure your records are absolutely clean even when you are not happy with the purity of your tap water. It will ensure that no possible minute residue is left in the grooves.

Lay the record on the work surface. Apply distilled water to the second cleaning pad. Follow the same procedure as cleaning rubbing the distilled water in an arc 3 or 4 times over each third of the records circumference. The water will bead and should not foam showing the record is truly clean. Dry the record with the third lint free cloth. Turn over and repeat for the B-side. Rack the record and leave to air dry. 

I will typically clean 10 LP’s in a session. By the time the last is cleaned the first record is dry and ready for storage in a new clean film lined sleeve. Please don’t put cleaned records back into old sleeves all you will do is re-contaminate the record and waste much of your cleaning effort. 

Stage 4 Playing The Records 

Before playing brush with your “clean” Carbon Fibre Brush and zap with an Antistatic gun such as the Zerostat. After playing brush with your clean carbon Fibre Brush. After first cleaning you may find the record, horror of horrors, sound noisier. Don’t panic this is because long ingrained muck in the base of the grooves has been dislodged leaving behind minute pits in the groove surface. When a record is played the pressures and heat generated at the tip of the tiny stylus causes the vinyl to soften and flow and these minute pits will disappear.So a couple of plays are required for the record surface to quieten down. Once it has you will hear more nuances and subtleties to the music than could be distinguished before. 

Optional Approaches 

Rather than air drying you can vacuum your records dry. This is generally considered to be the major benefit a record cleaning machine offers ensuring that all liquid and any suspended muck comes off the surface and no airborne contamination can effect the record whilst it is drying. Rather than buy a £400 plus record cleaning machine the same effect can be achieved with a domestic vacuum cleaner and an old turntable. I bought a suitable turntable for £2 at the local car boot. 

The pictures below shows my modification to a domestic vacuum basically blocking the end of a spare attachment tube and cutting a slot 7.5 cm long in the end of the tool and sticking 2 x 10cm lengths of velvet either side of the slot. Be sure to make a vent hole in the blocked off end of the tube otherwise the suction pressure will cause your groove to close. The velvet strips are available from the vinylcare web site.

Any problems or comments please feel free to email me at  

sales@vinylcare.co.uk

Thanks for buying the system and enjoy the music.

David Slater