CLEAR GROOVE - Advanced Vinyl Record Cleaner Kit Large 250ml Spray Fluid and Cloth - The Solution for Cleaning Vinyl Records LP Albums

Over the last ten years or so, once my relationship with vinyl was well-and-truly rekindled, I began to digitally archive my collection; so I bought a few bottles of Clear Groove to get rid of all the dirt, grease and static from the surface. The results were always fairly decent, but even after following the instructions to the letter, there was still some left-over dust or dirt in the grooves that had merely been dislodged; I had to play the record through twice after cleaning before it was quiet enough to be archived. I'd tried other solutions too, to similar results - while they got good results in the end, it likely wasn't doing my styli any good.Strolling through the cleaning aisle of my local B&M, I spotted a six-pack of multi-coloured micro-fibre cloths similar to the one supplied here... and had a lightbulb moment. As I was using the same cloth all of the time, I may have been redistributing the dirt rather than removing it. With a little bit of experimentation, and a fresh bottle of Clear Groove, I found a method that worked first time (for me at least, YMMV).In addition to what's included in the package, you'll also need a couple more micro-fibre cloths preferably of different colours so you know which is which: one for laying your record onto, one for cleaning and another for drying/buffing. An anti-static plastic inner sleeve is also recommended (Mobile Fidelity do some truly first-class inners, but if they're out of your price range, Spincare's are really good value - I've been able to get both through Amazon)1. Put your nose up to the vinyl you're about to clean. I'll explain why later.2. Shake the bottle well, just in case any of the ingredients that make up the solution have settled.3. Place your record on one of the cloths.4. Put *at least* four full sprays of Clear Groove onto the record, even if it's unplayed and fresh out of the shrink-wrap. Use more if the record is really dirty.5. Use another cloth to work the fluid into the grooves in a counter-clockwise motion. Make sure you work it into the entire surface, from the run-in to the run-out. Keep this going for about two minutes.6. Using the final cloth, lightly buff the surface for another two minutes. Don't put too much pressure on as you may involuntarily push fresh surface dust back into the groove.7. Rest your arm!8. Flip the record over and repeat steps 4 thru 78. If, in Step 1, you noticed your record stank of nicotine, repeat steps 4 thru 8.Following that method, I found Clear Groove cleaned like an absolute champion. It really brought back the shine to the record surface, and the reduction in noise was very significant. For the price, its good value too - I've had my current bottle for a year, cleaned a good 100-150 sides with it, and I'm not even half-way down. It's also safe to use on CDs, DVDs and console games.

Much as I have tried to look after my old records (some dating back several decades), replacing them in their sleeves, avoiding touching the groove etc etc, the purchase of a new turntable made me realise how dirty some of them had become. I'm not talking about freely-attracted dust which is easily removed by brushing. To my horror, many of them had cloudy grey-white patches of coagulated mildew, dust, fibre and grease - visible only if you held the record up to a bright light. Brushing would not shift this and, horror of horrors, when you play the record, the stuff collects around the stylus at first causing clicks, pops and sound muffling. Before you know it, the tone arm is skating across the record!!Horrified, I took to Google looking for an answer. Unfortunately for me, there is a mass of contradictory information out there with as many people saying "Tap water and/or water and/or detergent and/or alcohol are fine"(delete as applicable) as there are people saying exactly the oppositeIn the end, an Amazon search led me to where you find yourself now - looking at various proprietary vinyl cleaners with a baffling variety of customer reviews. Still confused, I took a stab and picked the one with the highest number of 5-star reviews. On receiving it, I dug out an un-cherished 7" single and got to workFirst observation: used sparingly (two to three quick squirts for a 12", less for a 7") followed by a very gentle (anti-clockwise) rub with the microfibre cloth really does shift the caked-on muck. Held up to the light, the vinyl regains its former shine. Not leaving anything to chance, I allowed 5-10 minutes for drying and then gave the record another gentle buffThe results: so does it actually make a difference? Answer - absolutely, a massive improvement. It doesn't get rid of every single click and hiss (some of which is obviously due to physical damage) but it reduces the background "noise" substantially. And I'm happy because that greasy film is no longer collecting on my stylusThe $64m question is: does it damage the vinyl? A lot of people are saying that some proprietary cleaners do a good job initially but, over time, the alcohol content can break down the surface and affect sound quality. Firstly, I did look into what Clear Groove is actually made of. If you go to their website, it is apparently highly diluted Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) and a surfactant mixed with distilled water. As far as I know, this shouldn't damage PVC - especially if used sparingly (as directed) and buffed and dried within a few minutes. I wouldn't go using neat IPA on vinyl as some people have recommended but I couldn't imagine that diluted IPA was going to be harmful. Being cautious, however, I left the 7" for a few days after playing to see what happened and, as far as I can see or hear, it still looks and sounds great. Time will tell and I will update this review if there are problems...My one criticism is the microfibre cloth that is supplied with the bottle. It does the job but, really, you need two - one to lay out and rest the record on and one to do the buffing. Also, I wasn't completely happy as it is unbranded. I have now replaced it with a couple of 3M branded anti-static microfibre cloths which you can get from just about anywhereSo, that's my review. It definitely does what I wanted it to do and does it very well. You need to be sparing with it and you probably need to get hold of a better, guaranteed anti-static cloth. As I say, if (as I doubt) there is any sign of long term damage to the surface of the vinyl, I will report back!!