Tips on How to Take Care of Vinyl Records by Alexis Andrews - December 11, 2008 Keep those vinyl records clean The mere possession of hard-to-find music and rare vinyl records does not a vinyl junkie make. Yes, you might be an audiophile with wide, robust collections of, say, Beatles music on vinyl, but without any basic knowledge on how to take care of your old records, your hobby may not be any more valuable than any other. You’ve got to know the value of vinyl records! You’ve got to realize how to keep them from getting scratched and bent and broken and damaged! As with all our prized possessions, vinyl records need taking care of: they have to be stored, used, handled, and cleaned properly, no matter how old they are. (Besides, the older they are, the more precious they can become.) Here are some tips you can follow in order to keep them clean and – literally – long-playing: Clean the vinyl record before playing it on the turntable. That’s as sound as any advice gets. Most collectors clean their vinyl records by wiping them in circular motion with distilled or filtered water using a soft cloth. As for me, I use a 50/50 solution of water and denatured alcohol, the latter having fewer impurities than does isopropyl alcohol. Others still use mild detergents like Johnson and Johnson Baby Bath, also applied with water but with no rinsing necessary. Of course, it’s also important to regularly clean and maintain the turntable’s stylus – or needle. If you think it’s so old it’s scratching your vinyl records, then a replacement might be necessary. Always store your records in a cool, dry area. Vinyl records easily get damaged and warped-through when exposed to direct sunlight, heaters, fireplaces, and other sources of heat, moisture, and humidity. That’s because warmth and humidity are conditions that are ideal for mold, mildew, and fungi to grow. You don’t want your records and their covers to be infested with that, do you? Handle a record by its edges and avoid touching the grooved surface. Static can distort the pure sound of a vinyl record, and is likely to have an adverse internal or external reaction with environmental agents, corrosive products, acid, even bubble gum. So do your best to not let your fingers – or anything else – touch the grooves. Do this by handling a record by its edges and pinching them when trying to remove a record from its sleeve. It takes practice, but it pays off. Even better is the recommendation made by the most serious collectors: wear quality cotton gloves when handling the valuable, hard-to-find vinyl records in your collection. Always store vinyl records in an upright position. Vinyl is not CD. Don’t just leave them out in the open or on a table or floor; otherwise the chances will be more likely that your record will get scratched. Get yourself a box or crate in which to store the records. If possible, use both the inner paper sleeve and the outer cardboard jacket, so that you can prevent any unwanted elements or particles from touching your vinyl records while they are stored.  Subscribe to Latest Articles

6 Responses

David Hensley December 11, 2008 11:08 AM Hello from Kansas: Yes this is good sound advice, I currently have a record collection of approx 1100 albums, most approx 80% were bought during the 70's-early 80's and most are still in perfect condition, they are washed yearly with a mild soap solution, properly dried, and never played without being cleaned with Discwasher 4 solution, the new solution tends to leave increased static on the vinyl, not a problem to take care of with the zero-stat from Discwasher and frequently cleaning of the stylis, for the most part those albums are a direct link to my youth/adult hood, so I take pride in their ownership,remember:vinyl because digital is not original. Thanks David Densley Larned, Kansas

Brad Sisson December 12, 2008 11:08 AM Nice post. It is easy to forget the little things that can damage the music we love. Simple, but dangerous if forgotten. Vinyl:Never Say Die!!!!

pigdog January 1, 2009 11:08 AM i have a growing collection of vinyls along with a stable of turntables. just like everything else, some form of maintenance will always be required with regards to vinyl, so far alexis has mentioned the basic ones already, as veteran vinyl spinner, i also felt it is important to understand the basics of setting up the tonearm and the carthridge on the turntable. even a basic turntable popular amongst the dj, turntables such as the Technics or the stantons, some basic setup skills are extremely helpful for keeping vinyls last longer. basic skills such as understanding the very nature of the carts, their tracking weight and geometry helps insure that vinyls dont get damaged, or worst getting the carts damaged as well. another added benefit is the proper setting up of carts will guarantee a more superior sound reproduction there should be plenty of information online with regards to the setting up of phono carts and tonearms. hope this helps

Fermin Alvarez April 11, 2009 11:08 AM Always good to be reminded of how priceless and valuable a good record collection is specially when "THEY DON'T MAKE THEM ANYMORE" being an avid analog vinyl junkie(what sounds better than a mono record) for years,I've always heard not to use any alcohol based products on records and cd's. What's your take on that Alexis? by the way love your picture.

deepfunktion April 30, 2009 11:08 AM You may wish to know that I still buy 12" House/Dance singles on a weekly basis and have for near 10 years. Many club Djs insist on vinyl for the feel and the low frequencys (bass) that digital cant quite provide like the pure analog waveform can.

piers paterson August 8, 2009 11:08 AM Thanks for the usefull advice alexis cleaning vinyl before playing is a very good tip,but once you vinyl is shiny and clean and spinning on the turn table i use a very large japanese sign writing brush which has very fine hairs,this removes any dust that will clog the stylus and any static. Ive been collecting vinyl for many years and like to go to garage sales,car boot sales and charity shops to pick up those bargans,when yove sifted all the rubbish thats at these events and come away with a gem for next to nothing its a real buzz,as you can imagine the state of some of this vinyl is very poor not scratched but more covered in years of dust,grime and mold,in these cases i use a petrolium based lighter fluid squwerted direcly onto the vinyl (dont get it on the lable),you can see the grime being lifted out of the grooves within a few seconds,leave this to do its work for about fifteen seconds then wipe clean being carefull not to scratch the vinyl with the grime thats been removed.This method should only be used in the most dire of cases but it will bring life back into the most dusty and neglected records you can find

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