Cleaning Vinyl LP Records
Cleaning vinyl LP records might seem complex at first, but hopefully after reading this article you will be able to perform the task with ease and confidence knowing that your most expensive vinyl records are kept in the best possible condition. Now I'm not sure if there is an absolute best way to clean vinyl records, but I do know through my years of experience what is GOOD and BAD when it comes to maintenance of your vinyl record collection. Below I've listed some of the most common methods used for cleaning vinyl records:
1) Lighter fluid and a micro-fiber cloth ~ bad!
2) Rubbing alcohol soaked in a cotton rag ~ bad!
3) Plain soap and water with a brush or cloth ~ not so bad!
Now for the hardcore audiophile characters of the world, there are products like The Disc Doctor's Miracle Record Cleaner which boasts as being a safe and effective one-time cleaning solution. I've yet to try any packaged product like this and I don't know how I feel about the whole "one-time" statement that some of these solutions offer. More established collectors tend to lean towards a vacuum record cleaner like Nitty Gritty's machine called the Record Doctor, which retails around $199 USD.
If you don't have the $200 to fork out for another machine to collect dust in your studio, there are alternative solutions such as Last or Discwasher D4 (now distributed by RCA), both of them come with an applicator brush to my knowledge which is a nice bonus. The advantage to using a commercial cleaner specifically designed for cleaning vinyl LP records is that the solution has been tested and approved, and is usually created by a record collector or enthusiast of some degree. The downside to purchasing a commercial record cleaning product is that if you have a fairly large collection of wax, how long is a little 750ml bottle really going to last? Yet another bump in the road.
Time for the truth...
There are plenty of household items that will work just fine for cleaning your new and rare vinyl records, and the best part of all, most of them can be bought at your nearest dollar store or Walmart. One factor that I will stress though is DO NOT USE TAP WATER when you clean vinyl LP records! Tap water contains all sorts of chemicals that will harm the finish and coating of your vinyl records, and once damaged, the odds of that record being restored to its original condition is not likely. Stick to distilled water and you will be just fine!
First, invest in a high quality record cleaning brush made of carbon fiber. Lay the record down on a soft surface like a towel and make sure the surface is flat and secured. Before you begin cleaning wash your hands thoroughly as the oils in your skin can damage the record as well. Also make sure that the label portion of the record is sealed off using tape and wax paper or saran wrap. If you happen to get the label wet while cleaning, be sure to blot it dry immediately and try to avoid rubbing it as you might bleed some of the ink and ruin the label.
Second, mix your solution in a clean bowl. Now your solution can be one of two mixtures: 90% isopropyl alcohol or higher (not rubbing alcohol) or any dish washing liquid that is moisturizer-free such as Dawn or Joy. I prefer the soap and water method over the isopropyl. Mix your dish soap in the bowl with a reasonable amount of distilled water but don't get it too bubbly! Take your carbon fiber brush and dip the tips into the solution. Next take the brush and place it on the record, and begin following the grooves against the direction that it plays. Make one solid, smooth pass around the record and then remove any dirt or dust from the brush and repeat. Clean in single rounds until the surface is spotless and shiny. It's important to clean the brush after each round as you don't want to be redistributing the guck when you should be removing it. Once both sides are finished take a micro-fiber cloth and lightly pat the record dry. You can rub it dry in the same motion, but you want to avoid rubbing to hard.
Once dry if you want to be a complete fiend you can take a separate brush and make a few passes with the isopropyl alcohol, which should dry by itself almost instantly. This will insure any last particles are caught and removed. When you're finished cleaning each vinyl, place it into a new paper or anti-static plastic inner sleeve and make sure you store your records vertically rather than laying down. It would suck if you spent all that time cleaning the record and then lay it down on it's back so it gets warped! What a waste of time that would be! If you have a plastic outer sleeve, make sure you place it back in there prior to it hitting the shelf again.
Thats all she wrote folks! I know some people might perform the cleaning ritual in their own way, but my method has always been slow, simple, and steady wins the race; and gets the best results in the end! I hope I have been of some help regarding the topic of cleaning vinyl LP records.
Long live vinyl!
MrBlue
www.mrbluereviews.com
www.myspace.com/basementtheory
Cleaning vinyl LP records might seem complex at first, but hopefully after reading this article you will be able to perform the task with ease and confidence knowing that your most expensive vinyl records are kept in the best possible condition. Now I'm not sure if there is an absolute best way to clean vinyl records, but I do know through my years of experience what is GOOD and BAD when it comes to maintenance of your vinyl record collection. Below I've listed some of the most common methods used for cleaning vinyl records:
1) Lighter fluid and a micro-fiber cloth ~ bad!
2) Rubbing alcohol soaked in a cotton rag ~ bad!
3) Plain soap and water with a brush or cloth ~ not so bad!
Now for the hardcore audiophile characters of the world, there are products like The Disc Doctor's Miracle Record Cleaner which boasts as being a safe and effective one-time cleaning solution. I've yet to try any packaged product like this and I don't know how I feel about the whole "one-time" statement that some of these solutions offer. More established collectors tend to lean towards a vacuum record cleaner like Nitty Gritty's machine called the Record Doctor, which retails around $199 USD.
If you don't have the $200 to fork out for another machine to collect dust in your studio, there are alternative solutions such as Last or Discwasher D4 (now distributed by RCA), both of them come with an applicator brush to my knowledge which is a nice bonus. The advantage to using a commercial cleaner specifically designed for cleaning vinyl LP records is that the solution has been tested and approved, and is usually created by a record collector or enthusiast of some degree. The downside to purchasing a commercial record cleaning product is that if you have a fairly large collection of wax, how long is a little 750ml bottle really going to last? Yet another bump in the road.
Time for the truth...
There are plenty of household items that will work just fine for cleaning your new and rare vinyl records, and the best part of all, most of them can be bought at your nearest dollar store or Walmart. One factor that I will stress though is DO NOT USE TAP WATER when you clean vinyl LP records! Tap water contains all sorts of chemicals that will harm the finish and coating of your vinyl records, and once damaged, the odds of that record being restored to its original condition is not likely. Stick to distilled water and you will be just fine!
First, invest in a high quality record cleaning brush made of carbon fiber. Lay the record down on a soft surface like a towel and make sure the surface is flat and secured. Before you begin cleaning wash your hands thoroughly as the oils in your skin can damage the record as well. Also make sure that the label portion of the record is sealed off using tape and wax paper or saran wrap. If you happen to get the label wet while cleaning, be sure to blot it dry immediately and try to avoid rubbing it as you might bleed some of the ink and ruin the label.
Second, mix your solution in a clean bowl. Now your solution can be one of two mixtures: 90% isopropyl alcohol or higher (not rubbing alcohol) or any dish washing liquid that is moisturizer-free such as Dawn or Joy. I prefer the soap and water method over the isopropyl. Mix your dish soap in the bowl with a reasonable amount of distilled water but don't get it too bubbly! Take your carbon fiber brush and dip the tips into the solution. Next take the brush and place it on the record, and begin following the grooves against the direction that it plays. Make one solid, smooth pass around the record and then remove any dirt or dust from the brush and repeat. Clean in single rounds until the surface is spotless and shiny. It's important to clean the brush after each round as you don't want to be redistributing the guck when you should be removing it. Once both sides are finished take a micro-fiber cloth and lightly pat the record dry. You can rub it dry in the same motion, but you want to avoid rubbing to hard.
Once dry if you want to be a complete fiend you can take a separate brush and make a few passes with the isopropyl alcohol, which should dry by itself almost instantly. This will insure any last particles are caught and removed. When you're finished cleaning each vinyl, place it into a new paper or anti-static plastic inner sleeve and make sure you store your records vertically rather than laying down. It would suck if you spent all that time cleaning the record and then lay it down on it's back so it gets warped! What a waste of time that would be! If you have a plastic outer sleeve, make sure you place it back in there prior to it hitting the shelf again.
Thats all she wrote folks! I know some people might perform the cleaning ritual in their own way, but my method has always been slow, simple, and steady wins the race; and gets the best results in the end! I hope I have been of some help regarding the topic of cleaning vinyl LP records.
Long live vinyl!
MrBlue
www.mrbluereviews.com
www.myspace.com/basementtheory