How To Properly Clean A Vinyl Record

We've talked a lot about getting the most from your vinyl collection by edifice a solid hi-fi system. We recently posted a complete guide to ownership the all-time turntable or tape player. But, for optimal audio, keeping your records clean is just every bit important as having good equipment. The purpose of this mail service is to teach you how to clean vinyl records to go the best sound from them.

You know those pops and clicks that many people associate with vinyl records? Unless your record is scratched or scuffed, the culprit is the dirt and dust that has collected in the grooves of your records. Get rid of the dirt in the grooves, become rid of the pops and clicks.

So, how exercise yous make clean a vinyl record? Here are three methods for cleaning vinyl records:

Make clean Vinyl Records With A Vacuum Cleaner

Possibly the best manner to deep make clean your vinyl records is with a vacuum-powered vinyl record cleaner. The benefits of a vacuum cleaner made specifically for cleaning vinyl records is that it sucks up the dirt and grit that has settled into the grooves of the vinyl while simultaneously minimizing pressure and physical contact with the fragile record itself.

We're NOT recommending using a normal vacuum cleaner on your records. There are many vacuum machines on the market that are made to clean vinyl records but y'all'll get the near bang for your buck from the Record Dr. V Record Cleaning Auto.

There are fancier models out there – including the Pro-Ject Vinyl Cleaner VC-E – but they're more than twice the price just offer the same results.

Clean Your Vinyl Records With A Record Washer

If you don't want to shell out for a vacuum cleaner for your records, y'all can get with a less fancy record washer.

We like the starter kit from Spin Make clean. It'due south a manual organisation composed of brushes and rollers that uses an accompanying solution to make clean your records. You just insert the record into the cleaner, rotate it past manus a few revolutions, and you're done.

It does involve a piddling more pressure on your records so it's not quite as optimal as the vacuum based systems merely it's more than sufficient for most collectors. It's also a adept solution for someone who wants to deep make clean very muddied vinyl records.

Clean Your Vinyl Records By Hand

The best way to clean vinyl records without a fancy washer or vaccum? You easily clean your records by hand with but a brush, some cleaning solution, and a microfiber cloth. It is easy also. There are actually just  four steps on how to cheaply and easily make clean vinyl records, DIY way:

• Brush The Record
• Wash The Tape
• Dry The Record
• Repeat Until Clean

DIY record cleaning is really as piece of cake as that! Hither'due south more:

Brush The Tape

Y'all'll need a record castor. Nosotros use (and recommend) the Mobile Fidelity Record Cleaning Brush but there are enough of expert options. For example, nosotros also take and often use the AudioQuest Record Clean Brush. You don't need both but with exceptionally dusty records nosotros'll sometimes give both a shot before moving on to washing a record.

Begin by gently brushing the surface of the record in a circular motion (e'er follow the grooves) with the brush. Don't use besides much pressure here – you lot're goal is to pick up larger dust and dirt on the record but you don't want to impairment the grooves.

Honestly, I recommend doing this step every time you lot play a record. I don't wash my records often but I do lightly brush them before most plays. Nevertheless, if you bought a record used, the record has been in storage for a long fourth dimension, or it just looks visibly soiled and brushing is not cut information technology – y'all'll want to move on to the next steps for a deeper cleaning.

Wash The Record

Although some people use a combination of water and dish lather, we don't recommend it. Instead, we recommend using a cleaning solution designed for utilize on vinyl records. Nonetheless, non all record cleaning solutions are created equal. In particular, we recommend avoiding any that contain isopropyl alcohol. While it will clean the muck off your record, many people study that over time it'll besides damage the protective blanket on your vinyl. If you are going to use a solution with isopropyl alcohol – use is sparingly.

So what is the all-time vinyl tape cleaning solution? The archivists at The Library of Congress use a combination of a mild surfactant called Tergitol with deionized water. If information technology's good enough for them, it's good enough for u.s.. We recall this is the best vinyl record cleaning solution. You tin pick up a Tergitol-based concentrate from Amazon. You only need to add a couple drops to your water. You can pick upward the deionized water from Amazon too. Lightly spray the disc with the Tergitol solution and allow sit for almost 4-5 minutes. Then using a record castor like the ones nosotros described above, lightly wipe the discs in the direction of the grooves to clean upward the soapy mixture.

Repeat this procedure one more time using only the deionized h2o (so no Tergitol) to make clean off whatsoever remaining soapy residue.

Dry The Record

There is no play a trick on every bit to how you make clean vinyl records with microfiber cloth. Using a soft microfiber cloth just gently pat the record dry. You may desire to allow the record dry for up to 30 minutes before returning it to it's sleeve to make sure it'southward completely dry. Backlog moisture tin can cause the sleeve to mold and impairment the tape.

If you lot really want to protect your investment, place the newly cleaned records in fresh archival inner record sleeves similar these ones from Mobile Fidelity.

Source: https://www.turntablekitchen.com/2021/08/how-to-clean-vinyl-records/

Posted by: millernable1969.blogspot.com

Share this post