Cyber Clean Vinyl Phono Care Review

When it comes to vinyl record cleaning, choosing the right product for you can seem daunting. I’ve covered a wide range of the available options through this website, ranging from the conventional to downright bizarre. By this point, it’s not very often I come across a method that’s new to me, which is ultimately why a product like Cyber Clean piqued my interest.

What is CyberClean

CyberClean for vinyl is a high-tech compound that, according to the brand website, allows for dry-cleaning of your vinyl records simply by gently rolling the soft compound over the surface of your records.

It’s an interesting concept. After all, most conventional dry-cleaning methods for vinyl consist of a simple carbon-fiber brush, which is great for removing surface-level dust and debris, but not so effective at removing grease and deep grime. Traditionally, wet cleaning methods are required when a record requires more thorough attention.

The CyberClean brand and product was originally developed for home and office use but has recently undergone further development for use on vinyl records. It’s not 100% clear how the vinyl care edition varies in comparison to the original, but there are a couple of immediately obvious differences – including the color and aroma. The original is bright yellow with a fresh lime aroma, while the phono-care edition is grey and smells more neutral.

The original Cyber Clean is popular, and seemingly very effective, at cleaning a multitude of office and home products with difficult to reach crevices. You can easily see why the product was adapted for the vinyl record market given the difficulty of deep cleaning micro-grooves. But does it work? To find out, I purchased a used record from my local record store to see how the compound performed.

Firstly, I have to credit Cyber Clean on their product presentation; as pictured below the cleaning putty is housed in a neat plastic container that keeps the product fresh and clean. Also included are clear instructions (a key detail that is often missed from other vinyl cleaning products on the market). The most critical instruction is the color chart, which helps to indicate when the product needs replacing.

Now on to the clean itself…

Cyber Clean is certainly easy to use. After a quick massage in hand, the product is ready to gently roll over the surface of the record, and it’s plain to see the compound has no trouble removing built-up surface dust — arguably more effectively than a standard carbon-fiber brush. How deeply the putty penetrates the grooves, however, is difficult to tell without more sophisticated microscope analysis.

I sampled the record before and after cleaning with the product, and while the record was visibly cleaner after Cyber Clean, I did notice some increased surface noise that was later rectified using wet cleaning. Could this be caused by residue left on the record? Perhaps, but I must stress that Cyber Clean do claim their product leaves no surface residue after cleaning. Certainly, the record was not damaged by the cleaning process in any way.

Conclusion

It’s an interesting and innovative product that definitely has a place in the market. However, for me personally, I still prefer a wet cleaning product, such as Groove Washer, for example.

Like any product on the market, there are pros and cons to Cyber Clean. One unique aspect that stands out is the usability of the product when cleaning your hi-fi equipment. In other words, Cyber Clean can easily double up as a turntable cleaner – helping to keep that pesky dust away from your playback equipment.

I’m confident I can find a use for Cyber Clean within my turntable arsenal, but I may require some further convincing to continue using it on my records directly. But hey, your mileage may vary; the product is very fairly priced on their website, and I’d be keen to hear from any readers about their own experience with this relatively new-to-the-market innovation.

For our international readers, the product is also available on Amazon.

Cleaning Samples

Firstly, no vinyl record cleaning (straight from the used record store).

Second Clip: Cleaned once with Cyber Clean.

Third Clip: Cleaned twice with Cyber Clean.

Fourth Clip: Wet cleaned with another product.