Record Cleaning "Homebrew" Question

mprince

mprince

Super Member
I've been doing some searching here on home-made record cleaning solutions, and one recipe I see often is to use 20% isopropyl, 80% distilled water and then a few drops of dishwashing detergent. One thing I have not seen and that this question is asking, has anyone substituted Murphy's Oil Soap for the dish liquid? I have found this to be a fantastic mild detergent without many of the fragrance or other additives of dish soap.

Additionally, I would consider adding a small amount of Jet-Dry to this mixture.
 
I think jet-dri's been mentioned here before (search function), there's something in there that's not recommended for vinyl. Murphy's I wouldn't use since it leaves residue when applied.
 
I would skip the jet-dri and add photo-flo. It is a bit of a pain to have to order it on line, but once you have it you will never run out.
 
The idea is simply to add anything that would be considered a surfactant. I use jetdri because we always have some under the sink. Dish soap works fine but may be a little strong. Baby shampoo could also be used and would be more gentle on your records butts ha!
 
According to the MSDS, the active ingredient in MOS is Sodium Hydroxide (caustic soda or lye), which is ok to use on PVC at cool temps but only moderately safe at 60C, according to a PVC chemical resistance chart I found online.

My only concern is it's rinseability, especially when used with an RCM where a complete and thorough rinse cannot be guaranteed.
 
A couple of drops of Jet-Dry in distilled water makes a nice quick rinse formula for folks with a RCM. And I like the way the records sound afterwards.
 
Triton X-100 is the primary surfactant used in thousands of different detergent formulations ranging from household cleaners, laundry detergents and even hair/skin care products. You can buy it on ebay--that way you get the surfactant (the active ingredient) without all of the colors/fragrances/etc.
 
My formula for wash: 80% distilled water, 20% industrial grade alcohol 99.9% (cheap from Frys Electronics), couple or three drops of Bright Green clear dishwashing soap (Vons grocery) & one or two drops of clear Jet-Dry
 
Last edited:
IMHO ... the secret to a good home brew is to use as little concentration of cleaner as possible & get away w/ it. Micro grooves don't need mega cleaner to be effective.

The objective is to clean & not leave a residue afterwards.

You have to find out the proper recipe (cleaner 2 water amounts) through experimentation.

I use Aquafina in place of distilled water ... carefully measure the amount of cleaner ingredients dispensed in the recipe & vac w/ RCM. Never have to use a rinse afterwards in day to day cleaning.

On the rare occasions where I have to use more potent cleaner recipes (really dirty records)... I follow up with as many rinse cycles as needed.
 
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