found a strange buch of 12″ black plastic disks that need a bit of a shave and a haircut.

any tips for the lazy/economically challenged?

I just run mine under a tap with a tiny bit of wasing liquid. Avoid the label. Shake and leave to dry

Beano’s records used to use a bit of lighter fluid and a glass cleaning cloth for removing finger marks etc (they were the biggest S/H record shop in the UK). What you need is a record brush, this is what I use Goldring

Wet cleaning is really best used when the records are really, really bad for example mildew…

What you need is a record brush, this is what I use

Me too, but it only really works on normal dust. If you’re talking finger marks*, it sweeps the fine stuff onto them where it then sticks.

*How? How do people get finger marks on a record? Handling it like a **** feckless idiot, that’s how!

The brush look good for maintenance duty but I’m talking jammy footprint levels of nastyness!

washing up liquid? would it not leave some residue, I’m thinking of using a cloth suitable for glasses with some mild detergent under a tap.

any reason why not?

With the disclaimer that I’ve never actually done it, I can’t see the harm in using mild detergent, as long as you rinse it well and your water’s soft. I’d be cautious about damage caused by wiping grit around, light pressure and using the water more than the cloth to shift any dirt would probably be a good idea.

washing up liquid? would it not leave some residue

I don’t see any on glasses when I wash them and I only use a very little and rinse well. Its not been a problem so far but I only do on recordsthat won’t clean with a normal soft record brush

My suggestion:

Large [pristine] sink of lukewarm water with a drop or two or Fairy.

Soak for a half a minute, then use a wide but fine/taper tipped synthetic paintbrush*, with another single drop of fairy and wiping in circular motions [bristles follow groove] and a single pass of forward-backward strokes… Imagine you were trying to sweep the dirt out, but with the wet bristles.

After each side is gently scrubbed, use another identical brush and cool running water to lift all the residue out of the grooves.

Shake the droplets off when you finish, then gently press the record once against a clean towel to remove the rest and prevent water marks.

Stand in a line to dry [draining board rack works].

Records that have been cleaned like that usually sound enormously better, and after that just a gentle brushing/lifting action on a dry LP with a carbon** brush will suffice until you get grease on the surface.

I don’t believe you need any solvents unless you water is 99% chalk, or if there’s glue/etc on the playing surface.

In theory you shouldn’t submerge the labels, but I have not noticed any lasting damage on my mainstream pressings.

Alternatives options:

– Really.

[video]https://youtu.be/_gyvipBs6Vs[/video]
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I like the paint brush idea, are natural bristle brushes too abrasive?

Probably not, but fine ones are expensive and don’t like water.

I think Ronco might have what you need

thanks everyone,

will be trying out the brush+fairy method on a SingalogaMax.

PS

I never knew I needed this, but now I do 🙂

Warm water and fairy, then coated in latex glue, peeled off, voila, even the static pops were minimised