Get Your Vinyl Records Pristine Clean With an Ultrasonic Cleaner
As a collector of vinyl records, only you will be able to appreciate the value of these priceless pieces. While water and a clean cloth can help, it cannot be as nearly effective as an ultrasonic cleaner. Specifically designed to clean dirt and grit that settles in hard to reach places, the ultrasonic cleaner is a proven way of keeping those vinyl records in pristine condition.
Dr. Sandor explores his fascination with ultrasonic cleaner applications when free. He is Director at Tovatech, a leading North American supplier of ultrasonic cleaners.
In terms of choice, you could use those cleaners that are used at the optician's to clean glasses or even those used in a lab for sterilizing. Place your ultrasonic cleaner in a clear surface and fill it up to the recommended level with water. Run the cleaner for around 10 minutes till you see little bubbles forming in the tank. This is the process of degassing and is essential. Do all of this, without turning up the heat. It is highly recommended that a cleaning solution not be added to the water. Despite warnings of using appropriate cleaning solutions in ultrasonic cleaners, one has to be careful when it comes to vinyl records. The chemical cleaner used may not easily rinse of the surface of the record or could adversely affect its performance.
Take a long pencil or a thin rod and pass it through your record. Using this as an anchor lower the record into the tank of the cleaner. Keep a close eye on the paper label. Ultrasonic cleaners are not gentle to paper and you risk damaging it if you put it all the way in. Allow the album to sit in the cleaner for around two minutes. Slowly turn it on the pencil anchor to put another part of the album into the ultrasonic cleaner. If the water you are using is fresh then you will not need to rinse out the record. However, if you have gone through a stack of records, you will want to rinse the record with some plain water. Place the cleaned record on a dish rack and allow it air dry.
Temperature in the ultrasonic cleaner needs to be maintained between 140 and 170 F. This allows the ultrasonic energy to pass through at optimum levels. Anything higher than this when cleaning a vinyl record could lead to a deformity of the record or a weakening of the vinyl material. For the water, some people prefer to use the distilled version.
What you will need to be careful about is not using an ultrasonic bath for records that may have even the smallest crack on them. This could further damage the record. In the due course of cleaning, the ultrasonic cleaner does have tendency of getting a bit hot. While this will not unduly affect your records, you have to be careful around those that have sticky residue that might spread over the record and mix with the water.
Generally, ultrasonic cleaning is a great way to keep your vinyl records clean, but when it comes to your most valuable records, take extra care. It would also be a good idea not to try this method on your really valuable discs unless you are absolutely sure.
