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Do I have to re-apply the preservative after vacuum cleaning? -G.

“Hi I have a question about using Last record preservative. Before I play the disc I run it through my Nitty Gritty record cleaner then I apply the preservative, but if I do, and I am going to play the same record some other day and I clean it [with NG first] again do I also have to reapply the preservative?” –  Thanks , G.

Hello G,

No, it is not necessary to re-treat the record with preservative should any vacuum cleaning be done first.  The preservative treatment is absorbed into the vinyl to a depth of about 20 molecular layers, and will not be adversely affected by additional vacuum cleaning.  In fact, 2 conditions can help the cleaning process.  The Preservation Treatment binds so tightly with the vinyl, that it displaces or “loosens” tightly held contaminants from the surface of the record.  The surface becomes so “slickery” the contamination cannot “hold onto” the surface.

One other condition can definitely be helped by the presence of the treatment.  Mould release agents and internal lubricants are part of the vinyl mix when the record is pressed.  With new records, over time, some of this material will move by diffusion from the interior to the surface of the record, where it can cause noise and distortion (that did not exist when the record was first cleaned and treated). A subsequent vacuum cleaning can remove these contaminants more easily because of the exceedingly low surface tension of the Preservation Treatment.

Hope this information is helpful.

Best regards, Walter Davies, The LAST Factory