![]() ![]() I would love to be able to give you a decisiveĬonclusion to this article, but the truth is, it’s difficult to draw a precise The debate surrounding alcohol and vinyl records willĬontinue for many years to come. Records.” So is it ok to clean vinyl records with alcohol? Again, we choose to use an abundance of caution with our Low concentration to total volume, appears to be safe to use on vinyl ![]() GrooveWasher’s preferred or recommended approach. Suggesting that while it might be safe when used sparingly, it’s not Steve Chase added further comment on DIY cleaning, Regardless, fears of iso alcohol’s effect on the vinyl record surface are fairly widespread, but despite these concerns, the internet (and the market for that matter) is awash with cleaning solutions that contain iso alcohol, often in quite high quantities. There’s a good chance, I would say, that what they really mean here is the removal or leaching of plasticizers, as per Dr Bruce Maier’s research. However, when I dug deeper to find information on this supposed protective layer, I couldn’t find much information, anything I did find seemed to suggest that it’s a myth. So while they might sound better at first, there is reportedly a risk that repeated use can irreversibly damage the groove. The most alarming claim about iso-alcohol is that it can remove the “protective coating” of the groove. The smell of an alcohol-rich cleaner is rather unpleasant, as I was reminded when recently digging out an old container of Clear Groove, which has a much higher quantity of alcohol than GrooveWasher. Ingredients in our fluids are water-loving and blend quickly. We use a small amount of alcohol (non-iso) in our G2 FluidĪnd SC1 Stylus Cleaning Fluid, mainly as a blending agent. Smells like a hospital and dries too fast, from our experiments, compared to “Given the choice, we decided not to use isopropanol. Add acetic acid to it, however, and it melts PVC!” Advertisements As you can see, isopropanol doesn’t react with PVC. “When we experimented with the chemical families that Dr Maier used for his Discwasher record cleaning fluids, we found reaction tables for PVC vinyl, like this one. Powerful cleaning solution that may require multiple cleanings, instead of a Hammer?! As an abundance of caution, one should have a bias toward a less Vinyl record or shellac finished wood table, with a high alcohol glass cleaner,īut you may destroy the object in the process. You can clean a delicate hard surface, like a “The firstĬoncern with a cleaning solution is to do no harm. Solvent and miscibility characteristics”, he explains. “TheĪlcohol version we use dries a little slower than iso, with almost the same (just not iso alcohol), I asked Steve Chase to elaborate further. Knowing that GrooveWasher contains a small amount of alcohol GrooveWasher’s concerns about isopropyl alcohol are also shared by the manufacturers behind the popular Disc Doctor, who state on their website that iso alcohol can “…dissolve shellac surfaces, and cause the leaching of plasticizers from synthetic plastic pressings making them brittle and subject to excess wear.” They don’t rule out alcohol entirely, however, adding, “Methyl alcohol should also be avoided undenatured ethyl alcohol concentrations must be kept to a minimum.” Advertisements The grime dries back onto the surface before you can wipe it away.” ![]() ![]() Try cleaning any hard surface with alcohol and you will see how poor a cleaner it is. It evaporates too quickly to remove the contaminants. But it is not an effective hard surface cleaner. Some experts take pride in using high iso alcohol to clean their records. Our G2 Fluid does not contain any iso alcohol. “He stated that iso alcohol can remove plasticizers from the vinyl and make the groove brittle. “Dr Maier cautioned against fluids with high concentrations of iso alcohol,” explains Steve. In our previous interview with GrooveWasher founder, Steve Chase, he explained why the creator of the original 1970’s Discwasher, Dr Bruce Maier stayed clear of high amounts of iso alcohol when cleaning vinyl records. Many cleaning product manufacturers err on the side of caution when considering alcohol as a record cleaning ingredient. ![]()
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