Hi all,

I just wondered if anyone could tell me the best way to clean a 45. I've heard of various ways from buying some specialist cleaning machine for £loads, to secret recipes of Fairy liquid, distilled water and meths to WD40!

Cheers.

Chris.

I have tried 100s of ways but the best way i have ever found is the ultrasonic cleaner below, its perfect as it just the right depth to stop the label getting wet, what i do is let it steep and then after about half an hour run the ultrasonic a couple of times, you can see the dirt shaking out the groove sometimes, then i rotate and do it again till the whole record is done. I know its a bit sciency but it does work and it non desructive unlike a cloth or a brush.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CD-3800-ULTRASONIC-C...p3286.m14.l1318

The two mixes i use are %50 pure alcohol and %50 water

or soapy water for greasy dirt then rinse

This does work i have used it on very expensive records and crazy african record dirt which is the worst. If a record can be cleaned up this will do it. the model listed above is the model i have and its perfect.

Hi all,

I just wondered if anyone could tell me the best way to clean a 45. I've heard of various ways from buying some specialist cleaning machine for £loads, to secret recipes of Fairy liquid, distilled water and meths to WD40!

Cheers.

Chris.

I have tried 100s of ways but the best way i have ever found is the ultrasonic cleaner below, its perfect as it just the right depth to stop the label getting wet, what i do is let it steep and then after about half an hour run the ultrasonic a couple of times, you can see the dirt shaking out the groove sometimes, then i rotate and do it again till the whole record is done. I know its a bit sciency but it does work and it non desructive unlike a cloth or a brush.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CD-3800-ULTRASONIC-C...p3286.m14.l1318

The two mixes i use are %50 pure alcohol and %50 water

or soapy water for greasy dirt then rinse

This does work i have used it on very expensive records and crazy african record dirt which is the worst. If a record can be cleaned up this will do it. the model listed above is the model i have and its perfect.

Hi Motherfunk,

That's one seriously detailed answer - thanks very much indeed. I was beginning to think that nobody would answer this question...

Many thanks - I'm off to blow yet more money on eBay!

C

i use a pressure washer on mine ,brings em up a treat

Fair active foam is different to wahing up liquid though - get the record wet, then give the bootle a good shake and squirt about 3 blobs of foam onto the record, then start rubbing it in a circular motion. After about 20 seconds it will turn from a think liquid to a bubbling foam and you just leave it like that for a minute, then wash it off with water, and it really does take some washing off. While the foam is on there, you can often see the dirt actually being lifted out of the grooves.

I absolutely swear by this stuff but I wouldn't want to be responsible for it going wrong and damaging a rare record so try it on one of your Nans Jim Reeves singles first

I found Pete's recommendation above to be absolutely spot on. I had to search for Fairy Active Foam and stocked up when I found it (Sainsbury Bolton), but it surely does the job

I think that washing records by hand gets them cleaner than any machine does - and it's low-cost and fun. You'll need:

- Three 100% cloth diapers (a 12-pack, which will last years, can be bought at Walmart for about 9 dollars).

-A bottle of 90% isopropyl rubbing alcohol (not the 70% stuff, that sometimes has lanolin in it).

- A couple of plastic gallons of distilled water, sold right alongside the spring water jugs in the supermarket.

- A bottle of Dawn liquid dish soap (soap designed for the sink, not for the dishwasher)

- A couple of bowls.

- A place to stand up records; I stretch a tablecloth or beach towel across a table and stand record boxes or other boxes all over the table - then lean the records along the edges of the boxes.

Find an empty milk jug or some kind of big plastic bottle, clean it out really well, and fill (leave some room at the top) with four parts distilled water to one part rubbing alcohol. Add three or four drops of Dawn, and shake vigorously (that's why you need the room at the top). You now have the best record cleaning mixture known to man.

Pour some of the shaken mixture into a soup bowl. Fill the other soup bowl with distilled water. Take two of the three diapers and fold each in thirds so that it is one-third as wide but still the same length; in other words, fold it twice lengthwise (can't really describe that well). Set the third diaper aside, near the record-standing table (with the boxes on it).

Take a folded length-wise diaper and push it into the cleaning mixture, saturating the diaper pretty well (you'll get the feel for it). Place the wet diaper length-wise on your hand (starting at your fingers and running along your palm and onto your wrist), and cup your hand. Hold a record in your other hand and cup the wet diaper around the record, so that your diaper-coated thumb is along the grooves on one side of the record, and your diaper-coated fingers on the other. Spin the record slowly with your other hand, so that your stationary "wet" hand gets the record spun right through it. Rotate the record several times, uncup your hand, turn the record over, recup your hand and repeat. Make sure the diaper is wet enough - plenty of moisture will prevent the record from being harmed.

Place the wet record down somewhere (perhaps on a fourth diaper, or leaning against a non-slip surface), wring out the cleaning diaper and set it next to the cleaning mixture bowl. Saturate the second length-wise diaper in the distilled water and repeat the process, spinning the record through the moistened diaper (and removing all of the soap and residual dirt). Place the record down, rinse out the diaper and place it next to the distilled water bowl. Bring the wet record over to the record-standing area and drape the unfolded diaper over the record and pat the record dry - don't rub the diaper on the record, just pat it with your hands on each side, like praying with a 45 between your hands. Inspect the label and pat it dry carefully if it's gotten wet during the cleaning process. Carefully lean the record against one of the boxes or whatever you're using to stand records up. let the record dry for at least twenty minutes before returning to clean sleeve.

Once you're into it, it takes about thirty seconds a record. This works equally well for LPs and 45, too, of course, but don't ever use alcohol on a 78.

I think that washing records by hand gets them cleaner than any machine does - and it's low-cost and fun. You'll need:

- Three 100% cloth diapers (a 12-pack, which will last years, can be bought at Walmart for about 9 dollars).

-A bottle of 90% isopropyl rubbing alcohol (not the 70% stuff, that sometimes has lanolin in it).

- A couple of plastic gallons of distilled water, sold right alongside the spring water jugs in the supermarket.

- A bottle of Dawn liquid dish soap (soap designed for the sink, not for the dishwasher)

- A couple of bowls.

- A place to stand up records; I stretch a tablecloth or beach towel across a table and stand record boxes or other boxes all over the table - then lean the records along the edges of the boxes.

Find an empty milk jug or some kind of big plastic bottle, clean it out really well, and fill (leave some room at the top) with four parts distilled water to one part rubbing alcohol. Add three or four drops of Dawn, and shake vigorously (that's why you need the room at the top). You now have the best record cleaning mixture known to man.

Pour some of the shaken mixture into a soup bowl. Fill the other soup bowl with distilled water. Take two of the three diapers and fold each in thirds so that it is one-third as wide but still the same length; in other words, fold it twice lengthwise (can't really describe that well). Set the third diaper aside, near the record-standing table (with the boxes on it).

Take a folded length-wise diaper and push it into the cleaning mixture, saturating the diaper pretty well (you'll get the feel for it). Place the wet diaper length-wise on your hand (starting at your fingers and running along your palm and onto your wrist), and cup your hand. Hold a record in your other hand and cup the wet diaper around the record, so that your diaper-coated thumb is along the grooves on one side of the record, and your diaper-coated fingers on the other. Spin the record slowly with your other hand, so that your stationary "wet" hand gets the record spun right through it. Rotate the record several times, uncup your hand, turn the record over, recup your hand and repeat. Make sure the diaper is wet enough - plenty of moisture will prevent the record from being harmed.

Place the wet record down somewhere (perhaps on a fourth diaper, or leaning against a non-slip surface), wring out the cleaning diaper and set it next to the cleaning mixture bowl. Saturate the second length-wise diaper in the distilled water and repeat the process, spinning the record through the moistened diaper (and removing all of the soap and residual dirt). Place the record down, rinse out the diaper and place it next to the distilled water bowl. Bring the wet record over to the record-standing area and drape the unfolded diaper over the record and pat the record dry - don't rub the diaper on the record, just pat it with your hands on each side, like praying with a 45 between your hands. Inspect the label and pat it dry carefully if it's gotten wet during the cleaning process. Carefully lean the record against one of the boxes or whatever you're using to stand records up. let the record dry for at least twenty minutes before returning to clean sleeve.

Once you're into it, it takes about thirty seconds a record. This works equally well for LPs and 45, too, of course, but don't ever use alcohol on a 78.

Great answer you dont write manuals do you Ikea(flat pack furniture) could really do with your skills

No matter what method you use, make sure you rinse with just water or alcoholic last otherwise you will leave soap in the grooves which can be audible, sounds a bit like dried beer but not as bad.

No matter what method you use, make sure you rinse with just water or alcoholic last otherwise you will leave soap in the grooves which can be audible, sounds a bit like dried beer but not as bad.

Sand blasting has always been a lot of fun for me!LOL!