How To Clean Stylus Needle With Magic Eraser

How to make clean your turntable's stylus

Vinyl may be known for pops and hisses, but it doesn't have to be that way. Surface noise is virtually always preventable. Step 1 is to brand certain that your records are clean before playing. We strongly recommend cleaning your records with a simple record castor every few plays. But fifty-fifty when playing make clean records, surface noise can exist caused by:

Grit or droppings on the stylus
Harm to the record
Static

In this post, we'll focus on one of the most mutual culprit: a dirty stylus. The diamond stylus tip is the only office of the cartridge that actually touches the record - and so dust and debris on the stylus can accept an enormous bear on on sound quality. (To learn more most how the cartridge and stylus work, cheque out our cartridge guide.)

Why should I make clean my stylus?

Cleaning your stylus on a regular footing not only ensures a better listening experience for you, but also ensures a longer life for your records. By practicing practiced stylus hygiene, you can avoid:

Playback issues: No cartridge will sound good in one case it has accumulated layers of dust. Accurate sound reproduction requires close contact between the stylus and record grooves. Dust interferes with this contact, causing muffled or scratchy sound that lacks detail. A dirty stylus is also more than likely to jump out of the groove. In fact, stylus droppings is one of the near common causes of mistracking.
Damage to records: Dust, dirt, and other debris act as abrasives when defenseless between the stylus and the record groove. Every fourth dimension y'all play a record, yous wear it down a petty - a dirty stylus can advance this procedure and lead to a loss of clarity.

Here'due south what a stylus can look like earlier (left) and after (right) beingness cleaned. Can you spot the departure?

Dirty stylus close-up

Clean stylus close-up

OK, I become it. So how do I do it?

There are many stylus cleaning products and techniques available. Nosotros've chosen 3 that are simple, fast, and cost-constructive.When using whatsoever of these techniques, delight proceed in mind that the stylus is incredibly fragile and must be treated with care at all times.

1. Onzow Zerodust Stylus Cleaner : Onzow claims that this "mysterious fabric" is "softer than a infant skin and... will never damage a delicate stylus." Nosotros don't know about that. Merely we do know that it'due south incredibly effective and easy to use. Simply lower your stylus onto the gel pad, and so lift and echo until your stylus tip is costless of dust and debris. If your Zerodust starts to look a little dirty, you can run some warm h2o over information technology - it will basically concluding forever. Plus, it comes with a magnifying drinking glass for inspecting your stylus.

2. Stylus Castor:This is the most traditional method, and is recommended by cartridge manufacturer (and castor maker) Ortofon. To apply your stylus brush, but motion information technology across the stylus from back to forepart - the aforementioned direction that a record spins. Some brushes come with cleaning fluid, but we don't recommend using liquid products on your stylus. According to Ortofon, "using liquid cleaners can dissolve glue that binds the stylus to the cantilever... interior parts of the cartridge tin can be afflicted seriously by the intrusion of solvents."

iii. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser: This is an inexpensive DIY method that has become popular on various audio forums. All you need is a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which can be found at just about any hardware store. Start past cutting off a 2" square. Next, identify that square on either the plinth or the platter – anywhere that the tonearm tin can hands reach. And then gently lower the stylus onto the eraser and repeat until the stylus stops leaving residue behind.CAUTION: Some versions of the Magic Eraser have a blue side which is treated with cleaning agents.Brand sure you merely use the white, untreated side. Do not wet the eraser beforehand.

How oft should I clean my stylus?

If you are a regular listener, we suggest cleaning your stylus nigh once a week. Opinions vary about cleaning frequency – ultimately, the charge per unit of stylus dust aggregating depends on how oft you play records and how make clean those records are. Regularly cleaning your records before each play is your first line of defense against a dusty stylus. If you have older records with layers of grit in the grooves, information technology might be time to invest in a record washer.

Proceed a close eye on your stylus during your next few listening sessions to become a better sense how quickly dust builds up and where it accumulates. Beware of subtle accumulation right behind the stylus tip. This tin can exist piece of cake to miss, but will cause distortion.