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It's always interesting to me to see what you can get away with washing/getting wet without ruining it. I bought a bunch of vinyl 45's off of eBay several years

It's always interesting to me to see what you can get away with washing/getting wet without ruining it. I bought a bunch of vinyl 45's off of eBay several years ago and they were pretty gross. I stumbled across a forum where someone recommended washing them with water and a little bit of dish soap. As you can probably imagine, a lot of people freaked out in the responses and said it was a terrible idea. I gave it a whirl because the records were cheap and they sounded perfect after they dried. There was no warping or damage, although a few of the labels got a little messed up (but the needle doesn't go there anyways, so I didn't mind). I guess you're supposed to use distilled water, but Chicago water worked just fine.

sonofhans 2y ago
Nice. Once, just for fun, I followed online advice and cleaned a record with wood glue. It takes some time to dry, but it’s really fun, and the record was _spotless_ afterwards.
- codelikeawolf 2y ago
  Oh yeah, I remember seeing that recommendation as well! I think the reason I avoided it was because it seemed like it would be too messy. I'm guessing it's probably more effective than dish soap, though.
wongarsu 2y ago
Most vinyls are made from PVC. That's actually where the name comes from: the V in polyvinyl chloride. So they are actually pretty resistant and can deal with a significant portion of the stuff found in your cleaning cabinet.
- buildsjets 2y ago
  First, they are called "records", not "vinyls." Do you call your compact discs "polycarbonates?" Second, the records was working with were not vinyl. He said 45's, and most 45's were pressed in Styrene, not PVC. It is a lot more susceptible to both warping and scratching than vinyl.
01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago
I'd be more worried about a scrub sponge than the water itself. Those things scratch metal
buildsjets 2y ago
The commonly accepted way to clean records among audiophiles is to use an ultrasonic cleaner, and a homemade cleaning solution containing some industrial attractants and anti-static additives that are recommended by the Library of Congress, but a few drops of dish soap works about the same. You don't need a lot, just enough to break the surface tension. There's usually a motor that slowly spins the record so that the label never gets submerged, and there are label protectors with o-ring seals that you can use while rinsing to protect the label. The distilled water is mostly needed to avoid deposits from water spots after the rinse water evaporates. This can be mitigated with a vacuum drying system, which you can buy for between $25 and $500.
hinkley 2y ago
I've saved a couple keyboards from soda spills by unplugging them immediately, pouring the fluid out and running them through the dishwasher. Doesn't always work the second time, but it works often enough. It's worth a try.

sonofhans 2y ago

Nice. Once, just for fun, I followed online advice and cleaned a record with wood glue. It takes some time to dry, but it’s really fun, and the record was _spotless_ afterwards.

codelikeawolf 2y ago
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that recommendation as well! I think the reason I avoided it was because it seemed like it would be too messy. I'm guessing it's probably more effective than dish soap, though.

wongarsu 2y ago

Most vinyls are made from PVC. That's actually where the name comes from: the V in polyvinyl chloride. So they are actually pretty resistant and can deal with a significant portion of the stuff found in your cleaning cabinet.

buildsjets 2y ago
First, they are called "records", not "vinyls." Do you call your compact discs "polycarbonates?" Second, the records was working with were not vinyl. He said 45's, and most 45's were pressed in Styrene, not PVC. It is a lot more susceptible to both warping and scratching than vinyl.

01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago

I'd be more worried about a scrub sponge than the water itself. Those things scratch metal

buildsjets 2y ago

The commonly accepted way to clean records among audiophiles is to use an ultrasonic cleaner, and a homemade cleaning solution containing some industrial attractants and anti-static additives that are recommended by the Library of Congress, but a few drops of dish soap works about the same. You don't need a lot, just enough to break the surface tension. There's usually a motor that slowly spins the record so that the label never gets submerged, and there are label protectors with o-ring seals that you can use while rinsing to protect the label. The distilled water is mostly needed to avoid deposits from water spots after the rinse water evaporates. This can be mitigated with a vacuum drying system, which you can buy for between $25 and $500.

hinkley 2y ago

I've saved a couple keyboards from soda spills by unplugging them immediately, pouring the fluid out and running them through the dishwasher. Doesn't always work the second time, but it works often enough. It's worth a try.