How To Clean | Maintain Analogue Vinyl Records

[Rab]

I have some old 12" singles that are in need of a good cleaning. Some of these records got damp and seem to have a very light cast of film or mold. Some have fingerprints on them, and some seem to have residue from being in a smokey club for many nights. I would be very interested to hear what people use to clean their records? I have one friend that uses alcohol and water. I have another, that believe it or not, swears by "windex"? I'd like to know what other people trust, when it comes to cleaning their records. Something that people feel confident does not impair the fidelity or leave any residue??

[maarten]

I second this request. Giovanni found me a copy of Midnight Gang's "Love is magic" album, and it needs a thorough cleaning.

A friend of mine recommended distilled water with alcohol. OK... but how much of each. How to apply - soft cloth, I imagine. And then what - hang them in the spring sunshine to dry?

Also: does anyone know of an online address where you can buy inner sleeves and plastic sleeve covers? Do they ship overseas?
_________________

"ON THE BEAT"

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: maarten on 2002-04-01 20:09 ]</font>

[Mixmachine]

If you can justified the expense, depending on how many records you own, I’d recommend a Vacuum cleaning system, the cheapest I’ve seen is the Disc Doctor for 200.00 from Audio Advisor, best investment on vinyl I’ve made, this model is manually operated and they include two jugs of cleaning fluid, I was able to clean records with mold and junk accumulated through my DJ-ing years, it is amazing to hear the before and after difference, now I hardly play anything without cleaning it first; especially when recording to CDR, be very careful with what you use on your vinyl, if the Cleaning fluid is not well formulated you could ruin the microscopic grooves, there are all kind of wild concoctions out there but I rather be save than sorry, if you don’t care to invest this much, your best bet is to use a basic record cleaning kit, the Disc Washer is a pretty good alternative.

You can buy inners sleeves from many online sources including this two below, but if you check on eBay you get better prices, comics vendors sell the plastic protectors, and I won a bunch of those green 7” protectors on the cheap.

Record cleaning machines, record cleaning brushes, supplies...

Record sleeves for vinyl records

[Giovanni]

another good address is:

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/

[jack]

i have used bags unlimited for over 10 years. they are great.

for cleaning LPs...rubbing alcohol, make sure has no additives { mint fragrance, spring rain scent etc...leaves film }I use a spray bottle or daube a bit of alky on a soft cloth to clean, go in a spiral motion with the grooves,flip on side and pay attention to the starting grooves { usually the dirtiest } then do other side.

play

enjoy

repeat

[markydefad]

OK, I'm waiting for the guy who previously said he uses BABY LOTION & water to clean his records, to weigh in. Bernie was taken aback by that one, to say the least. Remember???

[BrunoRepublic]

On 2002-04-02 16:56, markydefad wrote:

OK, I'm waiting for the guy who previously said he uses BABY LOTION & water to clean his records, to weigh in. Bernie was taken aback by that one, to say the least. Remember???

I figured out the reason why he thought that worked so well. The lotion would act as a surfectant, and also the slick residue would *temporarily* seem to decrease the surface noise. The problem is, once the oils completely dry out, you've got a nasty mess on your hands.

Getting back to the original topic at hand (sorry I haven't answered your e-mail, Maarten):

For most records, a touch of mild dish detergent and a thorough rinsing is enough. The trick is to get the water off the record before it dries. I generally pat it dry with an old soft cotton cloth. The reason you want to get that water off is that it's full of contaminants -- the harder the water in your area, the worse this will be. Ideally one should use distilled water.

However, for a couple of records, I have had to resort to a more extreme measure. For discs that have serious ground-in dirt, I cover the disc with a mixture of water and alcohol and play it -- wet. This allows the stylus to clear out much of the crud, and can sometimes work wonders. However, you must keep the record wet, and you must also thoroughly rinse it afterwards, *before the original liquid dries*. Otherwise, all the dirt will sink back into the grooves, and you'll be back at square one.

[markydefad]

Graham,

I think you must be the Canadian "Mr. Wizard" (a U.S. 50's TV show reference--I think I'm gonna include footnotes with all my jokes from now on) cause you ALWAYS know the scientific explanation for everything.

Wutzup wit dat??????

[BrunoRepublic]

... cause you ALWAYS know the scientific explanation for everything.

Hey, I don't claim to know, I'm just making an uneducated guess..

Wutzup wit dat??????

Part of my highly-developed skills at boring people to tears

[Bernie]

Just a few quick, but very important points on record cleaning.

Use a vacuum record cleaner if possible. I have the Nitty Gritty Mini Pro2 and swear by it. They are expensive so if you want to do it by hand note the following:

Never use tap water. Instead use distilled water.

Don't use rubbing alcohol or witch hazel. Instead use Isopropyl 90% or above alcohol.

Never "wet play" your records. Thoroughly clean and dry them before playing.

Try not to get the label wet. If it does get wet then blot it dry immediately. Do NOT rub it.

Record cleaning machines, brushes, supplies...

Record sleeves

[NickNack]

On 2002-04-03 15:58, Bernie wrote:

Never "wet play" your records. Thoroughly clean and dry them before playing.

OK - This directly contradicts a method mentioned by Graham. Why do you object or think it's bad? Graham gives the impression a 'wet play' loosens the grit/grime and you can quickly wash it away.

Not trying to start any mess, you know... Just curious and really interested in any solid cleaning method. My bank account is hurtin' so a vac cleaner is on hold.

[Bernie]

On 2002-04-03 17:01, NickNack wrote:

OK - This directly contradicts a method mentioned by Graham. Why do you object or think it's bad? Graham gives the impression a 'wet play' loosens the grit/grime and you can quickly wash it away.

"Wet playing" sounds like an ideal solution-at first. In reality the liquid starts to evaporate as the record is played and the needle just starts to dig the junk further into the grooves and now contaminates the entire disc. It clogs up the styli muddying the sound and can cause damage to the styli and cantilever as water seeps into the cracks and erodes the glue that holds it together.

As this crud starts to dry it just makes it more difficult to now properly clean the record. Once a record is "wet played" it neeeds to be played that way again to sound acceptable.

With thousands of records in my collection the last thing I want to do is ruin them. Please don't "wet play" unless you know that you are going to discard the disc and want to get one last shot at it.

A good cleaning solution is made by Last, but it can be pricey. If you have over a thousand records it's best to simply "bite the bullet" and buy a vacuum machine. They are as low as the $200. range. Your records and ears will thank you for it.

Record cleaning machines, brushes, supplies...

Record sleeves

[Mixmachine]

I was preparing a reply but Bernie beat me to it, If you want to read more about “wet” play go to Audioasylum.com, in the vinyl section do a search for “wet” and you’ll find hundreds of posts; I wouldn’t use dish detergent either, if you can’t rinse it off your car you certainly don’t want it on your vinyl.

[BrunoRepublic]

On 2002-04-03 19:44, Bernie wrote:

As this crud starts to dry it just makes it more difficult to now properly clean the record. Once a record is "wet played" it neeeds to be played that way again to sound acceptable.

True, but if you rinse off the liquid before it dries, you'll be okay. You can also use this method to fix up records that someone else has wet-played, or improperly cleaned.

Now, I don't really advocate wet playing for the other reasons you mentioned, and I use a different stylus for this very purpose so as to not gum up my regular one. But I've come across two LPs so far for which this was the only way to salvage them. Regular cleaning methods had almost no effect. NickNack can vouch for me on this; he has heard the results.

[NickNack]

Bernie,
MixMachine,
Graham,

Thanks to all. Bernie mentioned debris buildup on the stylus which was a concern of mine. Also, the idea of the liquid drying while playing is scarey.

I think you really do have to know what you're doing. Graham used his 'wet play' technique on what I consider a priceless lp of mine by Sharon Ridley, produced by Van McCoy. I had virtually stopped playing it because the sound was so awful. The results are nothing short of AMAZING!! If you were rating the vinyl then he took it from "poor" to "very good+".

My problem would also be the ratio of alcohol to water so I don't think I'll screw around that way just yet. I will check out the website, MixMachine, and see what others are saying.
_________________

Life Is a Dance
Nicky


Record cleaning machines, brushes, supplies...

Record sleeves

[12incher]

I'm curious about this vacuum cleaning device for cleaning records? I have heard this can make records sound like new?

[Sami M]

I'd very much like to now a good and reliable cleaning method too. At another forum folks seriously recommended Zippo lightning fluid! They said that when gently rubbed on record it would efficiently remove all dirt and it itself evaporates.

Sounds odd, have you heard about this? Thought I try it on some worthless record to see what will be left of it.

[Bernie]

I'd very much like to now a good and reliable cleaning method too. At another forum folks seriously recommended Zippo lightning fluid! They said that when gently rubbed on record it would efficiently remove all dirt and it itself evaporates.

Sounds odd, have you heard about this? Thought I try it on some worthless record to see what will be left of it.

Hi Sami,

Welcome to the site.

When it comes to record cleaning stick with the time tested methods such as vacuum cleaning or LAST brand record cleaners. Even if Zippo does remove dirt... one doesn't know the checmical reaction it can have on vinyl either now or over time. Don't play with fire :-)

If you want to use readily available items then try Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid. It cleans dirty records well, but you have to avoid getting it on the label and rinsing all of it off quickly. I usually finish this with a pass on a Nitty Gritty vacuum machine and it works very well.

Record cleaning machines, brushes, supplies...

Record sleeves

[Disco Funk]

My method for cleaning is pretty simple. First of all, I have those wooden handled brushes from several record cleaning kits. The liquid ran out, and I couldn't get any more cheap refills, so I've since switch to using distilled water on my vinyl in conjunction with the brushes. I always clean my records on the turntable, so I can turn it as I'm wiping away the water. If the dirt is really in there, I just put a bit more water and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then I use two or three brushes to get it off. The records definitely don't sound like new or anything after cleaning, as there will always be a little dirt. But I get them clean enough so the sound isn't muffled. Sometimes I'll need to even play it through a couple of times before I decide to record it to my PC and then burn it onto CD-R.

Disco Funk

[Cdnbob]

Does anyone know of any retailer or source in Canada where one can buy record cleaning kits and record sleeves? Sadly by purchasing stuff like this in the U.S. I'm likely going to get dinged by customs etc.

[Cory Ander]

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned or thought of this before, but today I was trying to get the dust off a vinyl album using an old t-shirt, and all it did was move the dust from one part of the record to another. I thought for a brief moment..."what do I have that would be good for removing dust?" and I had the idea to try one of the dry sweeping cloths that I use on my Swifter grab-it mop to clean my hardwood floors! And I was surprised, it worked great! It actually picked up the dust and didn't just shift it from one area to another. Afterwards I looked to see if it had left any residue and I didn't see any. I'm not sure it would remove anything that was spilled on the record but in addition to removing dust it removed fingerprints also. Until something better comes along I'll be using these. 2/7/2010