When it comes to taking care of your LPs and 45s, there are many questions to ask, with an equal amount of conflicting answers. For example, when cleaning vinyl records, should one use isopropyl alcohol as a solution? Is a vacuum record cleaning machine necessary, or is a bath unit okay? Can I get by with a do-it-yourself set-up at home, using every-day dish soap, under a running faucet, with a few lint-free cloths? What is the best way to maintain my records? Do I really need to buy more expensive inner poly sleeves? What is the best way to store my LPs and 45s, and where should I store them?
First, let’s address how to best clean vinyl records, what is safe, and what is not.
There are certainties when it comes to cleaning records. The first one, and the most absolute one is this: a dirty record and your turntable should never meet, as playing a dirty, dusty, or oily record is one of the most damaging things you can do to your stylus.
On the topic of do-it-yourself record cleaning, there are some that champion the use of isopropyl alcohol as an effective ingredient in cleaning LPs and 45s. In fact, you can easily find such “recipes” on the Internet which include isopropyl alcohol along with Kodak’s Photo-Flo and the household cleaning agent, Lysol. Make no mistake: any regular or repeated use of isopropyl alcohol cannot be good for vinyl records, as it can leach the plasticizers from the vinyl, causing additional problems, including increased rigidity. While others might argue that there is no scientific evidence out there to support the dangers of isopropyl alcohol use, there are obviously better and less harsh choices that are just as – if not more effective. So why take the chance? In addition, we know that isopropyl alcohol is successful at removing glue/adhesives from labels, so why would you want to take the chance on alcohol damaging your record labels?
Here are two more guidelines that are hard to debate. Firstly, if you are using water with any cleaning method, try to always avoid tap water, as it will leave behind mineral deposits in the record grooves. Distilled water is always the better choice. Secondly, once your cleaning process is finished, any drying cloths that are used should always be soft and definitely lint-free.
Examining vacuum record cleaning machines, one finds that there are many great products out there that do very thorough cleanings on LPs and 45s. These machines, manufactured by companies such as VPI, Nitty Gritty, and Clearaudio, typically have a turntable platter on which you place your record. After tightly securing the record to the turntable and applying cleaning fluid to the surface of one side, a vacuum arm is then extended over the width of the record. The motor is turned on and the applied fluid, along with the dirt and dust that has collected into the vinyl grooves, is extracted and collected in a reservoir. From time to time this reservoir of collected fluid must be emptied. While the “pros” of these vacuum machines include their ability to “deep clean” and vacuum dry records, their “cons” include price (units range from $500 to $5,000), the limitation of only cleaning one record side at a time, and the fact that vacuum machines contain motors and moving parts that require on-going maintenance.
Somewhere in between washing your records at home with a mild soap solution and purchasing a top-of-the-line vacuum-cleaning machine is a bath-type method, such as the Spin-Clean unit. Consisting of a plastic basin filled with cleaning solution and distilled water, a record is immersed about half-way on edge, just far enough to bathe only the vinyl portion (and never the label) and manually spun between two brushes that do the heavy lifting from the vinyl grooves. The record can then be wiped dry with the included lint-free drying cloths. The advantages of these units include the ability of cleaning both sides of the record at the same time, not having any noise, motor, or machine parts to contend with, and offering an affordable price point (standard units are under $100).
It is also important to keep your playback equipment in fine working order. A worn out stylus or tone arm with tracking force that is not properly gauged and balanced will cause damage to your records. To clean your stylus, always use a soft, (usually camelhair) brush, along with an appropriate cleaning solution, gently brushing from back to front. When using any kind of solution, however, one must be cautious to never allow any liquid to enter the housing of the cartridge, which can cause damage. Another method that has gotten high praise is to use a small, one-inch strip of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in its dry form, slowly dipping the stylus into the eraser a few times. You can find a more exploratory article on these and other methods for cleaning styluses here.
When you handle and play your records, the key fingers are the thumb, middle finger and ring finger. You want to handle the vinyl by the edge and label areas only, with your thumb supporting the rim while the third and fourth fingers balance the label. When you are ready to remove the vinyl from its inner sleeve, gently bow the jacket open, hold it against your body, and naturally allow the inner sleeve to slowly and safely slide out.
To store your records, simply use good common sense. Remove the shrink wrap after you bring the records home from the store. Always store them vertically to prevent warping. Replace paper sleeves, as paper will deteriorate, leaving oil and paper residue. Use polyethylene or polypropylene inner sleeves instead. Some of the highest end inner sleeves, known by many as “rice paper,” have two layers of anti-static high-density poly, sandwiched around an inner paper layer. If possible, store the vinyl and its new inner sleeve outside of its original dust jacket, placing both the outer jacket and the poly sleeve and record inside an outer poly sleeve. Records should be stored at temperatures between 65 to 70° F at humidity levels not regularly exceeding 50% relative humidity.
Regular thorough and effective cleaning of your records and turntable equipment, along with good, common sense storage and handling techniques will allow your records to last a lifetime and beyond.
— Author is Tim DeBacco (Google+), vinyl enthusiast and Media Director for Spin-Clean® International.
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When it comes to taking care of your LPs and 45s, there are many questions to ask, with an equal amount of conflicting answers. For example, when cleaning vinyl records, should one use isopropyl alcohol as a solution? Is a vacuum record cleaning machine necessary, or is a bath unit okay? Can I get by with a do-it-yourself set-up at home, using every-day dish soap, under a running faucet, with a few lint-free cloths? What is the best way to maintain my records? Do I really need to buy more expensive inner poly sleeves? What is the best way to store my LPs and 45s, and where should I store them?
First, let’s address how to best clean vinyl records, what is safe, and what is not.
There are certainties when it comes to cleaning records. The first one, and the most absolute one is this: a dirty record and your turntable should never meet, as playing a dirty, dusty, or oily record is one of the most damaging things you can do to your stylus.
On the topic of do-it-yourself record cleaning, there are some that champion the use of isopropyl alcohol as an effective ingredient in cleaning LPs and 45s. In fact, you can easily find such “recipes” on the Internet which include isopropyl alcohol along with Kodak’s Photo-Flo and the household cleaning agent, Lysol. Make no mistake: any regular or repeated use of isopropyl alcohol cannot be good for vinyl records, as it can leach the plasticizers from the vinyl, causing additional problems, including increased rigidity. While others might argue that there is no scientific evidence out there to support the dangers of isopropyl alcohol use, there are obviously better and less harsh choices that are just as – if not more effective. So why take the chance? In addition, we know that isopropyl alcohol is successful at removing glue/adhesives from labels, so why would you want to take the chance on alcohol damaging your record labels?
Here are two more guidelines that are hard to debate. Firstly, if you are using water with any cleaning method, try to always avoid tap water, as it will leave behind mineral deposits in the record grooves. Distilled water is always the better choice. Secondly, once your cleaning process is finished, any drying cloths that are used should always be soft and definitely lint-free.
Examining vacuum record cleaning machines, one finds that there are many great products out there that do very thorough cleanings on LPs and 45s. These machines, manufactured by companies such as VPI, Nitty Gritty, and Clearaudio, typically have a turntable platter on which you place your record. After tightly securing the record to the turntable and applying cleaning fluid to the surface of one side, a vacuum arm is then extended over the width of the record. The motor is turned on and the applied fluid, along with the dirt and dust that has collected into the vinyl grooves, is extracted and collected in a reservoir. From time to time this reservoir of collected fluid must be emptied. While the “pros” of these vacuum machines include their ability to “deep clean” and vacuum dry records, their “cons” include price (units range from $500 to $5,000), the limitation of only cleaning one record side at a time, and the fact that vacuum machines contain motors and moving parts that require on-going maintenance.
Somewhere in between washing your records at home with a mild soap solution and purchasing a top-of-the-line vacuum-cleaning machine is a bath-type method, such as the Spin-Clean unit. Consisting of a plastic basin filled with cleaning solution and distilled water, a record is immersed about half-way on edge, just far enough to bathe only the vinyl portion (and never the label) and manually spun between two brushes that do the heavy lifting from the vinyl grooves. The record can then be wiped dry with the included lint-free drying cloths. The advantage of these units include the ability of cleaning both sides of the record at the same time, not having any noise, motor, or machine parts to contend with, and offering an affordable price point (standard units are under $100).
It is also important to keep your playback equipment in fine working order. A worn out stylus or tone arm with tracking force that is not properly gauged and balanced will cause damage to your records. To clean your stylus, always use a soft, (usually camelhair) brush, along with an appropriate cleaning solution, gently brushing from back to front. When using any kind of solution, however, one must be cautious of never allowing any liquid to enter the housing of the cartridge, which can cause damage. Another method that has gotten high praise is to use a small, one-inch strip of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in its dry form, slowly dipping the stylus into the eraser a few times. You can find a more exploratory article on these and other methods for cleaning styluses here.
When you handle and play your records, the key fingers are the thumb, middle finger and ring finger. You want to handle the vinyl by the edge and label areas only, with your thumb supporting the rim while the third and fourth fingers balance the label. When you are ready to remove the vinyl from its inner sleeve, gently bow the jacket open, hold it against your body, and naturally allow the inner sleeve to slowly and safely slide out.
To store your records, simply use good common sense. Remove the shrink wrap after you bring the records home from the store. Always store them vertically to prevent warping. Replace paper sleeves, as paper will deteriorate, leaving oil and paper residue. Use polyethylene or polypropylene inner sleeves instead. Some of the highest end inner sleeves, known by many as “rice paper,” have two layers of anti-static high-density poly, sandwiched around an inner paper layer. If possible, store the vinyl and its new inner sleeve outside of its original dust jacket, placing both the outer jacket and the poly sleeve and record inside an outer poly sleeve. Records should be stored at temperatures between 65 to 70 °F at humidity levels not regularly exceeding 50% relative humidity.
Regular thorough and effective cleaning of your records and turntable equipment, along with good, common sense storage and handling techniques will allow your records to last a lifetime and beyond.
— Author is Tim DeBacco (Google+), vinyl enthusiast and Media Director for Spin-Clean® International.