Washing shellac after non-concentrated Dawn is discontinued.

[ymg200]

Dawn Simply Clean (non-concentrated) was the most popular dish soap for cleaning shellac records. I see a lot of people recommending Simply Clean in this forum.
Unfortunately, non-concentrated Dawn has been discontinued. No stores in my area carry non-concentrated anymore, I only see Dawn Ultra and other more aggressive varieties.
What can I use as an alternative to Dawn Simply Clean to wash shellac 78s?
Thanks all.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Ajax detergent mixed with water, Dawn concentrate mixed with a little water, "Fairy liquid" dish detergent--bet all these would do the business.

[52089]

I've been using "concentrated" Dawn for years with no issues. One or two drops in a 6-8 ounce glass of water does the trick.

You may want to try your local Dollar Tree to see if they still have the non-concentrated version. It was available there in the past.

[ymg200]

Thank you gentlemen for your responses.
I've continued doing my research and here what I found:
Dawn has been a standard for cleaning shellac, no one ever questioned Dawn. Second most popular recommendation is to use any mild dish soap with neutral pH. I was surprised to find, however, that Dawn pH is 9 (as listed in Dawn MSDS), which is way to the alkaline side. For comparison, baking soda also has pH 9. Looking further at Dawn ingredients, I saw Sodium Hydroxide (listed as pH adjuster). That's caustic soda - very strong base (pH 14), which explains overall pH of 9. Also, Dawn lists denatured alcohol as a solvent. Alcohol is a common solvent for shellac, that worried me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the percent of alcohol in Dawn. Their MSDS doesn't list percentages.
The other alternative that I am looking at is Seventh Generation Free and Clear, pH 8. PH uses the logarithmic scale, one point difference means ten-fold. PH 8 is 10 times less alkaline than pH 9. Seventh Generation also lists percentages in their MSDS. There is no alcohol listed there. Out of all listed ingredients, I'd be worried about citric acid (listed as pH adjuster), but it says <1%.
It's interesting that Dawn uses a strong base as pH adjuster, but Free and Clear uses acid for the same purpose.
I'm sure that few drops of Dawn in a cup won't do harm even if alcohol content is 10%, but I really wish that Dawn disclosed the percent in MSDS.
I'll see what I find in the local store.
Stay safe and enjoy music.

[Orchorsol]

I use baby shampoo which is both pH 7 and alcohol free. It seems to lack a little 'cutting power' for greasy fingermarks so I add a very small proportion (guesstimate 2 to 3%) of ordinary washing-up liquid.

A friend recently asked what I thought about Castile soap for washing 78s, but I haven't tried it. As a seemingly more natural product one imagines it's mild - but looking online, it's quite strongly alkaline.

P.S. Here in the UK, "Ajax" cleaning product is a scouring powder!

[ymg200]

I use baby shampoo which is both pH 7 and alcohol free. It seems to lack a little 'cutting power' for greasy fingermarks so I add a very small proportion (guesstimate 2 to 3%) of ordinary washing-up liquid.

A friend recently asked what I thought about Castile soap for washing 78s, but I haven't tried it. As a seemingly more natural product one imagines it's mild - but looking online, it's quite strongly alkaline.

P.S. Here in the UK, "Ajax" cleaning product is a scouring powder!

Thank you, I forgot about baby shampoo.
Btw, I want to try BCN needles some day. Too bad that shipping to the U.S. doubles the price. You need to establish a distributor here.

[Orchorsol]

I use baby shampoo which is both pH 7 and alcohol free. It seems to lack a little 'cutting power' for greasy fingermarks so I add a very small proportion (guesstimate 2 to 3%) of ordinary washing-up liquid.

A friend recently asked what I thought about Castile soap for washing 78s, but I haven't tried it. As a seemingly more natural product one imagines it's mild - but looking online, it's quite strongly alkaline.

P.S. Here in the UK, "Ajax" cleaning product is a scouring powder!

Thank you, I forgot about baby shampoo.
Btw, I want to try BCN needles some day. Too bad that shipping to the U.S. doubles the price. You need to establish a distributor here.

Just to respond regarding BCNs, I've looked into that several times - unfortunately with the small scale of the business a distributor might not help much with costs. To TMF members I'll happily ship packs of 10 by standard airmail (currently £3.80).

[Inigo]

...
P.S. Here in the UK, "Ajax" cleaning product is a scouring powder!

In Spain it was the same! Scratching soapy compound to bring the shine out from the bottom of dirty pans and pots!

[ymg200]

Just to respond regarding BCNs, I've looked into that several times - unfortunately with the small scale of the business a distributor might not help much with costs. To TMF members I'll happily ship packs of 10 by standard airmail (currently £3.80).

Thank you, Orchorsol . I'll definitely take advantage of your offer, but a little later. I got too many unfinished projects on my hands right now and too little time, so I restrain myself from getting involved with anything new.

[Marc Hildebrant]

PH 7 is neutral and makes Baby Shampoo safe for eyes.

Why worry about a mild acid ? 78 RPM records were made from ground up Slate Rock and Shellac Binder. Hard Stuff.

Marc