View Full Version : How often do you dust all your equipment?
Pete The Cat
22-11-2025, 11:06
I mean, thorough clean level of dusting. The sort of exercise where SWMBO would insist on unplugging every single item and getting it out so that every surface can be wiped.
I run a couple of systems in one room and I must confess that the sheer effort of positioning and connecting them up isn't something I'm prepared to do unless something breaks down, or I get a new component, or there's a major household incident. I'm in awe of folks who disassemble/reassemble everything over a weekend in order to attend events like the Maverick show. In my experience moving stuff sometimes ends with an unexpected case of the dreaded hum, which is depressing.
So I dust the turntables every couple of weeks, for obvious reasons, but everything else I leave as it is for about a year at a time, with just the swish of a duster on the top of the CD, amps and speakers. This means that they're always 'too dusty' for SWMBO and to be fair close up you can really see it, but I'm not bothered about that. There are no upward facing vents.
Fastidious about cleanliness or couldn't give a toss? Who's the Mr Sheen of AoS?
Maybe once every six months or so. Turntable more often when I was using one as I never use turntables with the lid attached so that was always stored elsewhere.
If I do dismantle the system for some reason everything gets cleaned properly with anti-bacterial wipes. Same if I am selling something, I'll use half a pack of wipes on it, a whole pack if it's speakers.
Stranraer
22-11-2025, 14:03
Rarely, if ever.
All my kit's in a solid sideboard so stays dust free.
I do unplug / plug all leads back about once a year.
I swear it sounds better, but I also maintain my car runs smoother after I've washed it.
The dusting gets done every week, along with all other surfaces: window sills; tabletops; bookcases; picture frames; record cases; CD shelves, and speakers and power amplifiers. Particular attention is paid to turntables and arms, for which I don't have covers.
For exposed stacked equipment such as preamplifiers and CDPs and DACs, I use baby wipes on the top surface, and on the facias, paying particular attention to the control knobs which accrue finger grime, but the latter only gets done roughly every month.
Pete The Cat
22-11-2025, 14:16
How about speaker drivers?
If you don't use grilles then the dust adds up. For all the brushes and advice available on stylus care I don't recall seeing anything about driver care. Once a year or so I have a quick blow at them (and must confess that I evicted a tiny spider once).
Maybe I'm relaxed about this stuff due to being all solid state. I wonder whether folks with valve amps view things differently.
How about speaker drivers?
If you don't use grilles then the dust adds up. For all the brushes and advice available on stylus care I don't recall seeing anything about driver care. Once a year or so I have a quick blow at them (and must confess that I evicted a tiny spider once).
Maybe I'm relaxed about this stuff due to being all solid state. I wonder whether folks with valve amps view things differently.
I use baby wipes but I'll leave them out in the air so they dry to being only very slightly damp first. And then just very lightly brush them over the surface. They still pick up any crud that's there. Really that only needs doing every few years, even then I doubt the dust affects the sound in any way.
Pigmy Pony
22-11-2025, 16:47
This once a week, along with everything else.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61lN1MLDl6L._AC_SX679_.jpg
They're really good, makes job quick and easy. And I give the speakers some pledge every month or so. T/T has a big acrylic cover, which does a great job of keeping dust off. Unfortunately it's a pig to clean, and it's a battle I'm losing.
Pete The Cat
23-11-2025, 11:22
They're really good, makes job quick and easy. And I give the speakers some pledge every month or so. T/T has a big acrylic cover, which does a great job of keeping dust off. Unfortunately it's a pig to clean, and it's a battle I'm losing.
This looks just the job. I'm surprised some enterprising audio manufacturer hasn't copied this, put a badge on it and charged three times the price.
Audiophile duster
https://www.hi-stands.eu/en/hifi-tuning-ultimate-cd-duster.html
£10 for one or you can get the non-audiophile version for 40 pence
https://www.buzzcateringsupplies.com/antibacterial-microfibre-cloths-38cm-blue-pack-of-10.html?msclkid=64a914e1317017bbe1bf7dc3def6e7bb&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EntirePro%20Shopping&utm_term=4588124591787376&utm_content=Entire%20Pro%20Shopping%20All
For a really deep clean I start off with a leaf blower then ramp down to a vacuum cleaner followed by a duster then a damp cloth and finally a cotton bud!:lol:
Nothing worse than having to tramp through a pile of dead leaves just to put a record on.
I had an ioniser decades ago, you put it on a sheet of silver foil and it attracts the dust to that so it doesn't settle on other surfaces. It did certainly seem to attract a lot of dust to the foil.
A year or so back I came across it in a box while looking for something else so I set it up again, but this time it didn't seem to work, although it powered up okay.
Nothing worse than having to tramp through a pile of dead leaves just to put a record on.
Quite right and they get stuck under the stylus!
Pigmy Pony
23-11-2025, 14:06
I had an ioniser decades ago, you put it on a sheet of silver foil and it attracts the dust to that so it doesn't settle on other surfaces. It did certainly seem to attract a lot of dust to the foil.
A year or so back I came across it in a box while looking for something else so I set it up again, but this time it didn't seem to work, although it powered up okay.
So it had spent decades just gathering dust with no thanks from you, no wonder it's decided to go on strike :ner:
So it had spent decades just gathering dust with no thanks from you, no wonder it's decided to go on strike :ner:
I still have boxes I haven't unpacked from when I moved in, coming up on 28 years this February.
Pigmy Pony
23-11-2025, 15:43
Well you can't rush these things can you. But buying stuff you forgot you already have is a real possibility.
You might find some of the equipment you have in those old boxes is worth a few bob now? Maybe have a look and put a listing up on AOS, would be interesting?
You might find some of the equipment you have in those old boxes is worth a few bob now? Maybe have a look and put a listing up on AOS, would be interesting?
There's no hi-fi equipment in them - when I bought this house I didn't have any surplus kit - although I do (did) have a Nagaoka MP30 which I've never found.
It's all stuff like those soap, shampoo, deodorant Christmas gift packs, from brands that no longer exist. I think I have enough of those to last me out. And terrible clothes, also xmas gifts, still sealed in the plastic wrappers.
Wakefield Turntables
23-11-2025, 17:16
I dust infrequently and follow the Quentin Crisp rule of life with respects to dusting.
I dust infrequently and follow the Quentin Crisp rule of life with respects to dusting.
Yes, but Quentin Crisp's rule states that dust builds up to a certain level of thickness and then stops. I'm not sure if I would want that level of dust on my turntable, or anywhere else for that matter.
Pigmy Pony
23-11-2025, 18:33
There's no hi-fi equipment in them - when I bought this house I didn't have any surplus kit - although I do (did) have a Nagaoka MP30 which I've never found.
It's all stuff like those soap, shampoo, deodorant Christmas gift packs, from brands that no longer exist. I think I have enough of those to last me out. And terrible clothes, also xmas gifts, still sealed in the plastic wrappers.
The responsible thing to do would be to 're-gift' all that stuff. Hai Karate or Denim aftershave for me if you have any :)
The responsible thing to do would be to 're-gift' all that stuff. Hai Karate or Denim aftershave for me if you have any :)
I did have a High Karate but I used it years ago now. No 'Denim' but there are some 'Brut' ones left. Packaging is damaged though. I was made promises about storage that were not kept.
Ah - "The Great Smell of Brut"! Fine if you want to smell like Henry Cooper who has just gone five rounds with Mohammed Ali.
Are you sure that stuff goes back that far I would say most of the aftershave you mentioned goes back to the 1970s!
FLASH...!
Ah ah!
this once a week, along with everything else.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/i/61ln1mldl6l._ac_sx679_.jpg
they're really good, makes job quick and easy. And i give the speakers some pledge every month or so. T/t has a big acrylic cover, which does a great job of keeping dust off. Unfortunately it's a pig to clean, and it's a battle i'm losing.
Ah - "The Great Smell of Brut"! Fine if you want to smell like Henry Cooper who has just gone five rounds with Mohammed Ali.
Splash it all Ova…
Are you sure that stuff goes back that far I would say most of the aftershave you mentioned goes back to the 1970s!
You can still get Brut now.
Hi Karate lasted into the 80s. I think they might have briefly brought it back some years ago now too. Mine was an original though.
Pigmy Pony
23-11-2025, 22:33
Ah - "The Great Smell of Brut"! Fine if you want to smell like Henry Cooper who has just gone five rounds with Mohammed Ali.
I can't see Henry slapping on Brut before going into the ring with Ali, but I suppose they were different times.
I can't see Henry slapping on Brut before going into the ring with Ali, but I suppose they were different times.
Our 'Enry' used to advertise Brut.
Pigmy Pony
24-11-2025, 07:01
Yeah I do remember that. In later adverts Kev Keegan joined him too.
Pigmy Pony
24-11-2025, 07:48
Audiophile duster
https://www.hi-stands.eu/en/hifi-tuning-ultimate-cd-duster.html
£10 for one or you can get the non-audiophile version for 40 pence
https://www.buzzcateringsupplies.com/antibacterial-microfibre-cloths-38cm-blue-pack-of-10.html?msclkid=64a914e1317017bbe1bf7dc3def6e7bb&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EntirePro%20Shopping&utm_term=4588124591787376&utm_content=Entire%20Pro%20Shopping%20All
Just had a look at these products, because I was bored, and also because I've money burning a hole in my pocket and Anita's ordered me to stop buying CDs and records until after Christmas.
At the risk of stoking controversy, I'm just going to say that I'm not entirely sold on the Hi Stands CD duster... in particular I take issue with the claim that it is 'made from top quality German materials'. So was this, and how did that work out for them?
https://content.easyliveauction.com/auctions/images_lots/160857564F7D3A133F7F3926D30A9D07_yeo01/1100159643_PREVIEW.JPG
And then there's my Mercedes Vito, the less said about that the better.
But I'll stand behind my recommendation for Flash Dust Magnet - flat and flexible enough to get all round your kit, uses static to grab the dust, so no rubbing and potentially scratching surfaces.
I should add that I have nothing to do with Flash, despite what the Magistrates said :eyebrows:
At the risk of stoking controversy, I'm just going to say that I'm not entirely sold on the Hi Stands CD duster... in particular I take issue with the claim that it is 'made from top quality German materials'. So was this, and how did that work out for them?
https://content.easyliveauction.com/auctions/images_lots/160857564F7D3A133F7F3926D30A9D07_yeo01/1100159643_PREVIEW.JPG
:
Hugo Boss.
They might have lost the war but they had the smartest uniforms.
Pigmy Pony
24-11-2025, 11:01
Stop talking about the war!
Stop talking about the war!
You started it!
Pigmy Pony
24-11-2025, 15:58
You started it!
:lol: Yes we know where this is heading.
Pete The Cat
24-11-2025, 16:58
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Screaming_Trees-Dust_%28album_cover%29.jpg
Right then, it seems like I need to up my game and clean my kit this evening.
The soundtrack chooses itself. Screaming Trees...Dust.
Pigmy Pony
24-11-2025, 17:07
Got to be better than Stormzy or Tinchy Stryder, I'm not into Grime.
Pigmy Pony
24-11-2025, 17:12
This would be ok.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71y9onXeypL._AC_SX679_.jpg
Pete The Cat
24-11-2025, 18:12
This would be ok.
Classy!
How often do I dust…?
not enough!
About once a week. Most of the equipment it is coloured black, so any dust shows up easily
Pigmy Pony
21-12-2025, 09:17
Same here. But I will refer back to my post #7, they are so good. And being slim and quite flat, they go down the sides and even underneath. Picks up the dust rather than moving it around, must be down to static or something.
Same here. But I will refer back to my post #7, they are so good. And being slim and quite flat, they go down the sides and even underneath. Picks up the dust rather than moving it around, must be down to static or something.
How do you clean it once it's picked up the dust? Can you just run it under the tap and then leave it to dry? I could really do with a quick, easy solution to dust.
I had a posh Furutech brush for 10+ years. Gone missing. Got this one now for a tenner. Brill.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFDMHN88?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_1&th=1
My hifi is a dust magnet, so every few weeks. My 301 plinth is 20 coats of lacquer so needs care, and in 3 or 4 years may get it polished and a few more coats applied and back like new.
Pigmy Pony
26-12-2025, 10:44
How do you clean it once it's picked up the dust? Can you just run it under the tap and then leave it to dry? I could really do with a quick, easy solution to dust.
No I don't think so. They seem to last quite well, but at some point it will want replacing. Refills are readily available next to the 'starter' packs.
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