33 - Vinyl Record Cleaning Kit- Record Vacuum Wand for Deep Cleaning (Attaches to Your Wet Dry Vacuum Hose, U.S. Standard 1.25" & 1.5")

I decided I didn’t want to spend $400-500 on a record cleaning machine like an Okki Nikki even though I am an avid record collector and audiophile. I spent some $$ on my record player so I don’t want to play dirty records and ruin my stylus. For $30 I thought I would give this a try. I already had a small shop vac and purchased an electric powered “lazy Susan” from someone named “Biffy” on eBay. See pics for what the item looks like. It works great with the Vinyl Vac! The Vinyl Vac hooks right up to your shop back and it’s super easy to use. It has a lot of suction and I usually let the record spin twice one way and then twice the other and it is pretty much completely dry. The sound quality is a lot better after using this item. If your records are scratched then there’s only so much you can do but for those swap meet find records that are really dusty and dirty or have fingerprints all over them this device is a lifesaver. I personally use a small amount of Turgeon tall with distilled water to clean my records and then do a distilled water rinse and then use Vinyl Vac. I’m thrilled! I’ve tried many other record cleaning solutions and the lint roller style cleaner and this is by far the easiest to use and the best way to get your records really clean. The device does not damage your records. The pads are very soft. See my video for how I use it. If it’s not working here, go to YouTube and search for Vinyl Vac Review. And it definitely needs to be noted that this company has amazing customer service! I have emailed them twice about replacement parts and they have literally responded in a matter of minutes. When you need to buy replacement pads they are not expensive and they will include a few freebies. Super nice people and a great product! This record collector is done searching for a record cleaner. And no, I was not paid or offered anything for this review!

I've gone through a few different methods of cleaning vinyl and have done a ton of research (read: internet browsing) before deciding to invest in a vacuum cleaner. I was originally set on trying the record doctor v when I came across the vinyl vac as a recommendation. I quickly learned about DIY vacuum cleaners and thought it was worth a shot, especially for a fraction of the price of an actual vacuum cleaner. I use the vinyl vac along with an audio technica cleaning solution and brush kit, also sold on amazon. I attach the vinyl vac to a wet dry vac I purchased at Walmart for a mere 20 bucks. For this small investment, my records have received the best cleaning they've ever had (looking quite lovely) and sound as best as they possibly could. Now, it's going to take me quite some time to go go through my entire collection, but once I do I am going to be a very happy person with very clean records. I have experienced clarity on certain recordings that had been previously missed. Plus, it's always nice having shiny, glossy records. The vinyl vac very easy to use. I have had no problems and my records were never in any danger of being damaged. Anyone that has anyone trouble with it probably shouldn't be left alone with scissors either. This is an absolutely fantastic device, which has saved my records and I would definitely recommend this to any serious record collector and most definitely the casual one. For such a small investment you really can't go wrong. The VV helps me enjoy my new headphones unbelievably well. I am so glad this was released and its creator is an absolute splendid person that even sent me additional improvements at no extra charge.

I've been collecting used vinyls for a while to play here and there, but recently I've started to really get into collecting and playing my records as a hobby. Part of collecting means keeping my records in good shape and protecting them from new or further damage. I always thought cleaning records meant using those run-of-the-mill "disc-washer" pads with the corduroy on them, but I had no idea that it really wasn't cleaning my records at all, it was just pushing the dirt and dust around the vinyl and further into the grooves. I did some research and found that the best method for really removing the grime from the grooves was some sort of vacuuming system. There are several popular brand name machines out there, but the cost is way out of my budget and I couldn't justify the purchase of a machine like that for my small collection (about 50 records). Then I discovered Vinyl Vac. I read the reviews on Amazon and even watched some video reviews on Youtube, as well. It seemed like a cheap, effective, and rather convenient way to clean my records whenever I needed to! The selling point for me was the ease of use and the fact that cleaning my records this way might help to eliminate pops and crackles and, ultimately, improve audio quality. Now, having purchased the Vinyl Vac and using it to clean my entire collection already, here's what I think about the product and my experience: To start, the creator of the product suggests building your own lazy Susan-esque turntable to use along with the Vinyl Vac instead of using your good record player. But the thought of finding/buying a cheap lazy Susan somewhere, securing a peg in the middle somehow, and then buying a roll of that rubber matting seemed like too much work, so I ultimately bought a broken turntable on eBay for about $11, it even came with its own mat, so it saved me the effort of having to build my own and in the end probably would have cost about the same either way. I did buy a Stanley Wet/Dry Vac ($20) to use with this, too, plus a bottle of distilled water ($.80) and a paint edging pad ($3), so in the end the total cost (including the Vinyl Vac) was roughly $60. A decent price compared to what the Record Doctor or Okki Nokki would have cost me (somewhere in the $100 to $400 range). The product itself is sturdy with a good weight to it. It comes with two suction reducers, an "o" ring to help with securing the product onto your wet/dry vac, a felt washer for protecting your record labels, and an extra pair of velvety pads. I like that it's not a bulky machine, so it's easy to put in a drawer somewhere out of the way when not in use. For the cleaning solution, I used distilled water, a cap's worth of Isopropyl alcohol, and a drop or two of Dawn dish soap. I did not follow the recipe measurements (provided by the Vinyl Vac website) exactly, as I wanted my cleaning solution to be mostly water and less soap/chemicals. I also did not use the wetting agent listed on the recipe, so unless the wetting agent vastly improves the results of the cleaning, I more than likely will not use it in the future, either. I don't really think you need it, but again, if I know for sure it will improve audio results in some way, then it may be worth purchasing. Set up was easy - directions and usage I think are rather self-explanatory, so I won't go into detail about how to use the product here, but I will say that the Vinyl Vac does a really good job of cleaning! I didn't use any of the reducers provided in the package, so suction was at 100% and it sucked up every drop of liquid (and hopefully all those little dirt particles) wonderfully! I used the paint edger pad to brush the records after applying the solution (picture provided of this process). I dripped the solution around the record (you could also spray it if you wanted), then spun the turntable and passed the edger along the record until it was completely wet. I turned the record a few times in each direction until the solution got a bit sudsy, then I placed the felt washer on the record, put the Vinyl Vac into position, and turned the wet/dry vac on. I then turned the record one complete rotation until all the liquid/suds were sucked up, then turned the record another rotation in the opposite direction (picture shows the record with no suds after the Vinyl Vac did its job). Afterwards, I left the records to air dry in a stand. (Pictures provided of a record before and after cleaning with the Vinyl Vac.) Once the records were dry, I placed them in new anti-static inner sleeves, put them back in their jackets and then put the jackets inside new outer sleeves. Does the Vinyl Vac actually get records clean? Visually, yes! Records look clean and shiny! However, I would need a handheld microscope to see into the grooves to know if dirt and dust is really getting sucked up. Some records may need a second cleaning if they're in really bad condition. My main concern was sound (I play my records on an LP60 Audio-Technica turntable)...would records with a lot of crackle and pop be less noticeable once I used the Vinyl Vac? Youtube reviewers said YES...but I'm saying NO. I took before and after videos of two records that had really bad crackling, especially right when the stylus touched the vinyl itself (and I replaced the stylus with a brand new one right before taking these videos, by the way), and after using the Vinyl Vac the crackling is still there, just as bad, and doesn't seem reduced at all. It should be noted that after cleaning and vacuuming I did not use an anti-static brush on the records (because I don't have one yet) so maybe the static could be part of the problem? When I get one I will pass it over the record before playing just to see if that makes a difference at all. But so far I'm disappointed that the audio quality does not seem improved. Then again, I don't really mind the crackling too much (it's part of the uniqueness of record playing) so I will live with it. Now that I think about it, though, do the crackling noises that still remain mean that dirt is still lodged in the grooves somehow? Hmmm.... If you have advice on how to fix this problem, feel free to comment! Overall, I think this is a nice and effective product for cleaning records....I have more faith in the cleaning ability of this product than I do with simple wet and wipe methods, or just rinsing and air drying your records only. I hope to toy around a bit more with it and other ideas to see if I can improve the audio of my records at all. One star deducted until I can microscopically prove and see with my own eyes that this really does clean as well as other reviewers claim it does.

I have an immense record collection from high school and college, which has grown over the years by inheriting collections from others, as well as thrift store/used record store finds and some new 180-gram purchases. When I bit the bullet and bought a restored Thorens turntable, I didn’t want to wear down the fine-tuned motor, band, and spindle on record cleaning. (It is designed for minimal vibration and audiophile sound, not cleaning pressure). So I extensively researched and tried many different record cleaning options. In addition to the old Discwasher-style cleaning brush, I tried the Nitty Gritty, Oki Noki, wood glue (surprisingly effective, but impractical), dishwashing soap, Windex (don’t try it-ammonia slightly dissolves and gums up records), as well as an elaborate ultrasonic cleaning setup with the Cleaner Vinyl attachments (works well, but overkill and impractical for daily cleaning). I have settled on this doohickey as the core of the best system. I use this attachment with a dedicated $40 “Stinger” wet-dry vacuum. I also repurposed an old low-end Gemini turntable and converted it into a dedicated record-cleaning station. (The old direct drive turntable motor works, but the electronics and stabilzation of the turntable were not great, so it was a perfect repurpose). I also make my own fluid out of alcohol, distilled water, and a drop of liquid dishwashing soap (merely to break surface tension; otherwise, the water/alcohol mix would just bead on the record and wouldn’t get into the grooves). I wet-clean with an old LAST or Discwasher velvet brush, then use this vacuum attachment merely to suck it all up after being soaked and wet cleaned: the older the record, the more I wet-clean before using the vacuum. Together, the items cost less than one-third the price of a Nitty Gritty/OkiNoki. This setup works perfectly: even better than the pricier vacuum record cleaner units. It is not as automatic as the Nitty Gritty or OkiNoki, but the suction is better/stronger even with an inexpensive $40 vacuum, so it pulls up microscopic dirt best. I can also control how much suction it uses by lifting up on the attachment: heavier pressure initially, then lighter pressure to get any microscopic remnants before I slowly lift it off: thus no “dirt line” at the point where I lifted off. I can also turn the turntable motor off and rotate both the wet-cleaning brush and the vacuum attachment backwards and forwards to suck up dirt that might remain trapped if it were only cleaned in one direction. The whole process takes only a couple of minutes per album, and it makes them look brand new. The materials are simple. But it works. The PVC pipe, glue and velvet they use are good quality. I have cleaned over a hundred records with this system in the past two years, and there is no visible wear on the velvet brush. Some old records are scratched and can’t be improved by cleaning, but it has revived many thrift store purchases to near-perfect near-mint sound quality.

There are countless ways to clean records with prices ranging from single dollars to tens of thousands of dollars - it really is ridiculous how far some of us will go for clean records and at some point we have to ask ourselves if it's worth the time and money. Well, this is worth both, without question. Is it the best, easiest or most effective way to clean records? Nope. But is it good enough for the majority of people? Absolutely. Get yourself an old junk turntable, cheap slip mat, paint edger, cleaning fluid of your choice and small wet-dry shop vac - all for around $100, which is half the price of the lowest-cost vacuum-based RCM on the market. You won't be sorry. Plus, you can use the shop vac for other things - you can't do that with a standard machine - it'll only clean records! Of course, that's why you're looking at this product. So suffice to say, it works very well with a bit of finesse and the right additional tools. I'm using it with a 2.5 gallon Armorall wet/dry vac which has a hose the perfect size for just the front wand portion (it comes in three parts for fitting it to various sizes of hose), and I don't even need the washer. I did have to sand the back end of the wand first to get it to fit but it's super snug and works great with no air leakage.

I just got rid of the 5.1 home theater receiver that I've struggled to get a proper stereo image out of for the last 20 years and replaced it with a nice simple stereo power amp that matches the nice front speakers I already had. Instant happiness and the catalyst that got me digging into my long dormant vinyl collection. That led to upgrading the cartridge on the turntable. That led to replacing my 35 year old turntable with a nice new one. And that led to me getting the Vinyl Vac. I also got the cheapest lp washer (the Studebaker), a couple gallons of distilled water, an $11 Lazy Susan, a $15 rubber turntable mat for the Lazy Susan, and the Stanley 1.5 mini wet/dry vac (not on Amazon; found it elsewhere refurbished for $24.95) which is a PERFECT match for the VV. Drilled a hole in the middle of the Lazy Susan using the hole in the rubber turntable mat as a size guide and made a spindle for it with a cut off and whittled down #2 pencil plus a drop of Elmers. All together the various items for my "album salon" came to about $110. (Compare to any machine with a vacuum. Those start at around $700). Combined, this is a really great album cleaning system but the kernel of the system, what really makes it happen, is the Vinyl Vac. Could you fashion one yourself somehow? You bet, but I'm happy to have ordered this and would do it again. As I dig out my old treasures, they're all going through the salon for a spruce up before getting to play again and they're all curling my toes. Vinyl totally rules. I give each lp about a dozen spins in each direction in the Studebaker. The lp then gets dropped dripping wet right on the rubber mat on the Lazy Susan. I vacuum both sides twice which leaves almost no traces of water. A short dab with a microfiber cloth and it's off to the real turntable. I hit it with the anti static tool first, set it spinning and...magic. Fantastic, and the Vinyl Vac is the key that makes it happen. It was well thought out too as all the little extras are very useful as well. Put. me in the happy camper camp.

I'm sure it works well, but it didn't fit any standard shop-vac without an adaptor from factory, so now I gotta buy an adaptor.

When I first saw this product I was a skeptic. I am a serious record collector. My expectation of a record is a quiet sounding lp, no pops , no clicks. I have always tried to do my best to keep y records clea. I've used discwasher, spin clean ... to name a few. I have bought anti static guns, stylus cleaners. If it would make my record sound better I tried it. Up to this point, the spin clean seemed to work pretty well but I must admit it some times left residue and still left my records with some surface noise. I had thought about buying one of those $400- $500 cleaning machines but it was not in my budget. Enter Vinyl Vac. I watched the videos on line and thought, why not give it a try. It arrived and I went to Walmart and bought an inexpensive wet/dry vac . I constructed a simple turntable to use when cleaning... don't try it on your phono turntable... too much of a chance to get liquid on the electronics. Pick up a lazy Susan at a thrift store, add a spindle in the middle and you're set. I applied a homemade solution... vinyl vac gives you the formula. My application brush is a $2.99 painter edger pad...it works great. I then used the vinyl vac to suck up the liquid, then let the record dry on a dish rack for a few minutes. Next came the test. Wow, I was blown away. My records never sounded better. No surface noise, no pops... it was a miracle. Records I thought were lost causes now sound amazing. Don't think twice...buy this product. It rejuvenates your record collections. Very exciting!!!!