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CleanerVinyl.com products are designed by vinyl enthusiasts for vinyl enthusiasts and made in the USA. This blog focuses on vinyl record cleaning and related topics. Enjoy the blog!

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

What is the Best Ultrasonic Frequency for Vinyl Record Cleaning?

At CleanerVinyl we often get the question: "What is the best ultrasonic frequency for vinyl record cleaning?". As it is often the case in life, the answer is not totally straight forward. Generally, lower frequencies are better for removing coarse debris from the surface of the records, while higher frequencies are better for removal of smaller particles and 'chemical' residues, such as finger prints, grease, oil, or other residues from liquid contaminants.
ultrasonic vinyl record cleaning vs. ultrasonic frequency
Cavitation bubble size vs. ultrasonic frequency.
From: https://techblog.ctgclean.com/2011/12/ultrsonics-number-and-size-of-cavitation-bubbles/
The reason for this relationship is that the cavitation bubble size depends on the frequency in an inverse way, i.e. the higher the frequency, the smaller the bubbles, and vice versa:

In the best of all worlds one would use a multi-frequency cleaner to cover both ends of the "dirt spectrum". 
The good news is that decades of research have shown that a frequency around 40 kHz is a very good compromise in the middle of the frequency range, which covers the entire range of cleaning challenges. That is the reason why most standard ultrasonic cleaners on the market have a frequency close to 40 kHz. 
Our research at CleanerVinyl has shown that this is true, and that excellent cleaning results can be achieved on vintage vinyl records with 40 kHz cleaners. 
Check out our playlist of before/after demonstration videos that demonstrate impressively how well 40 kHz works for rejuvenating vintage vinyl records.

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