Could plain old white vinegar be a super record cleaner?

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Wayner

Brought home a copy of Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason a few days ago from the used record shop. There, the LP looked to be in pretty good shape, but after my usual cleaning in the sink, it still had stains that produced some "pop-corn" effects at various locations on both sides.

I decided that if white vinegar is good for cleaning coffee pots, maybe it would clean my new record. So I put the record on my vinyl cleaning table (that I have to spin by hand), poured some vinegar on and brushed it with my old Ball brand record cleaning brush. I did leave it on for awhile, then rinsed and dried it off. I'm finishing side one now.

Almost zero noise!

I have another Floyd that's going to get the same treatment (Division Bell). Hey, vinegar is cheap.

Wayner

neobop

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Re: Could plain old white vinegar be a super record cleaner?
« Reply #1 on: 25 May 2013, 03:50 pm »
Good idea.

I tried a solution of 50% distilled water and 50% distilled vinegar as a stylus cleaner on a Last brush.

Works good.

neo

djbnh

Re: Could plain old white vinegar be a super record cleaner?
« Reply #2 on: 25 May 2013, 04:20 pm »
pH of distilled white vinegar is around 2.4-3.4; not sure what a limited exposure would do to vinyl. I do know that some sleeves are advertised to be acid-free. A Vinyl Engine thread recommends adding ethyl alcohol, Everclear to be specific, to a vinegar-water mixture to prevent vinegar-related mold growth.

Wayner

Re: Could plain old white vinegar be a super record cleaner?
« Reply #3 on: 25 May 2013, 04:44 pm »
It didn't fix one spot on the other side of Momentary, but after a look thru the jeweler's loop, it's a damn scratch, right at the quiet beginning part.

ner