Under a microscope, you would see that even a new record is not "clean"
Compounds left over from the pressing process are still in the grooves, and water based cleaners will not remove them, because the compounds are not water-soluble
Older records have additional accumulation and deposits
All of these deposits and contaminants make a difference in the sound, and must be removed
For 33rpm and 45rpm Records
LAST extra strength Record Cleaner has been developed to be used for the first cleaning, and later if needed... and guaranteed to safely remove all surface contaminants and deposit
REVIEW The LAST Power Cleaner is provided in a half-ounce squeeze bottle and is applied in the same manner as the All Purpose Cleaner, via the supplied little white velvet-covered plastic handles
Apply three drops, use the bottle nozzle as a spreading squeegee, and remove excess dirt and crud with the ridges of the lid
I'm pleased to be able to say that this Power Cleaner works much better than the All Purpose cleaner
I tried it on a couple of records after the All Purpose Cleaner and it never failed to dredge up a lot more dirt, crud and even some mold-release agents
This product seems to work much better than either the aforementioned DiscWasher or Stanton system
Once again, a thorough cleaning with a vacuum-powered machine proved to do a better job, but this stuff works wonders on really soiled and neglected records if one of those machines is out of your reach
If the thought has occurred to you by now that these little applicators just might be the limitation of the system, you are not alone
For one thing, they offer very low surface area
Secondly, once they get dirty, rubbing them on the ridges of one of the caps doesn't do a heck of a lot to dislodge the dirt and clean the brush
The best news is that there is a way to achieve better results with this cleaner
Feeling the fluid itself was not being seen in its best light because the brushes were somewhat inadequate
I tried the Power Cleaner with my old DiscWasher brush -- with wonderful results
If you have an old brush like that lying around, give it a go
- Greg Weaver, soundstage -
DELIVERY 3/4oz Power Cleaner and 3 microfiber applicators