Winyl Record Cleaning Gel, 500ml

I’ve been collecting LPs for over forty years and have no illusions about their limitations, but still like their sound and covers. I’ve also tried many of the cleaning products available over that time and found them largely useless. My expectations for this product were therefore pretty low. The trick is not to get your LPs dirty in the first place of course!With the advent of digital media I’d reluctantly started buying secondhand records. Many of these have clearly not been abused, but lain in lofts or basements for years, or just accumulated the detritus of age. The underlying sound is often great when played, but accompanied by crackling which is quite immune to brushing, cleaning solutions etc.I bought Winyl after watching the various ‘wood glue guys’ on YouTube and tried it first on a very noisy secondhand copy of ‘Focus III’ (A Prog Rock double I know, and I’ll do penance later. Honest, I really will). This was bad, there were even fungal hyphae in the run-out grooves, but to my astonishment there was a huge improvement after I treated it. No vinyl pressing is perfect, but this went from loud frying to just an occasional bit of hiss and the odd pop, as good as some of my own LPs from the same era. There was also an increase in playback clarity and the records look a great deal better. I also got good results with a rather tired copy of Bryan Ferry’s ‘Bête Noir’ and am gradually working through some of the other cracklers in my collection.The product is potentially messy, so make sure you can work undisturbed and can leave your record untouched while the gel sets. Spread the gel with a spatula or equivalent, and patience: give it ample time to set. I found it useful to coat one side, let it set, then coat the other, wait for that to set too, and remove the hardened gel from both sides at the same time. This allows you to treat the second side whilst the first remains protected. I also found it helpful to use disposable gloves to avoid getting gel on my fingers and spreading it where it's not wanted. Oh, and screw the top back on the jar as soon as you’ve filled the supplied syringe with the required volume of gel, knocking it over an irreplaceable LP or its cover would be a major disaster :) This sounds hard work but it's well worth the effort.Bear in mind the medium’s limitations: gel will remove dirt but not scratches, nor will it restore records on which the groove has become worn, and remember even the best pressings have a high noise floor compared to CDs.

To be honest from the outset the idea of spreading a green sticky gel all over my record collection filled me with horror and dread but having tried it I can truly say this stuff is absolutely amazing.I like to browse the second hand record shops for something "new" but often the condition of my find leaves a lot to be desired, but one application of this wonder gel transforms the sound quality from rice crispies to something very close to what you would expect of a new pressing. Granted it won't remove everything (scratches etc) but what it can do is very impressive.I would recommend reading the instructions and following them implicitly and to resist the temptation to use less mainly because if you spread it to thinly you'll find it almost impossible to remove. As has been stated in previous reviews leave it to dry overnight and once dry flip the record and do the other side, this makes good sense as the gel can spread as it settles. I find using the cheap polythene album protectors that my second hand records come in ideal as a mat to protect my furniture and I've found that the gel doesn't stick to them either.All in all a great product that will revive your record collection, you just have to be patient.

I have tried many things and processes to revive my vinyl collection and only this is effective ultimately. I have even had to deep clean new vinyl albums, because the quality control by some pressing plants is dire. I have used PVA glue and this generates huge amounts of static and leaves too much behind. Record cleaning gel is pliable when set, so it is easy to lift off and removes any static in the process. Any residual gel should be cleaned off using a professional liquid and micro-fibre cloth. DO NOT rub with a ball of the set gel, as recommended by the manufacturer, as this generates static. REMEMBER - Static not only attracts dust, but it can also permanently damage your precious vinyl when severe arcing occurs. Try removing a heavily static record from a deck in a completely darkened room. The light show will make sure you limit static as much as possible in future. That is why this product is better than PVA glue.

Back in the early 80s I used to use a product called DiscMask which was the same idea as this, apply and peel back. That product eventually disappeared but probably just around the time that vinyl was losing popularity. It was sorely missed. Then I found this. It actually works in a similar fashion and I’ve now cleaned a few records with success. The results are clear. If I had to have a little moan, it would be due to the lack of a supplied applicator. Instead, some suggestions are made in the instructions. However, I’ve used a card similar to a credit or bank card to apply as these are perfect for working the gel around and I’d recommend this as an applicator tool. Just the right width . I also noted that the recommended amount of gel on a 12” vinyl is 14 to 16 ml. Naahhh.....11 is plenty. Despite the instructions suggesting placing a bit of cardboard in the gel to aid in the removal of the resultant film, I instead applied a strip of sellotape between the record edge and the run out track once the gel had set and peeled this back with the dried gel film attached instead. However, I think masking tape would be better due to it being less tacky. I’ll try this next time.

I wasn’t sure about this, even after reading the reviews but it has made a record that was previously unlistenable back to almost perfect.The product itself requires a degree of patience to apply and leaving it overnight to set is essential. The advice about laying a piece of paper on top of the solution at the edge of the record is also correct - it really did peel off the record in a very straightforward mannerUnless you want to invest in an actual record cleaning machine then this is a satisfactory alternative. I am so pleasantly surprised with the process and results.