Whenever I buy records I always clean them before they go on my TT (used & new). My belief is the cleaner the record, the better it sounds, and the longer life I am granting my stylus, which I dropped some money into (but will be replacing this summer). After they have had a good clean through a SpinWash (20 rotations clockwise & 20 counterclockwise) I then dry them via a Record Doctor VI vacuum. That's my tried and tested method. It is completely manual, which does take time. I also always brush them with a carbon fiber record brush before lowering the stylus onto the LP. Every record gets the carbon fiber before it gets played.
IF a record is very dirty I will spray it with a cleaner that is made locally and sold at record shops, and give it several cleans using a MOFI record cleaning brush and then I put it through the SpinWash method. Depending on how dirty, I sometimes repeat that 2 or 3 times. Just last week I bought a few records and one of them was a '70s boogie funk record which was in VG condition but had a ton of fingerprints, probably from DJs. By the time I was done cleaning it was sparkling and sounded great with virtually no noise.
All my records are on shelving units, housed in outer sleeves, and stored upright. What I haven't done, however, is replace every paper inner sleeve with anti-static ones. I own far too many records to do that and as I have taken the steps to clean the LP very well, the inner is less of a worry (I know that some will take exception because I am putting them back in a "dirty" inner sleeve, but that is also why I use the carbon fiber before every play).
I actually enjoy cleaning records. I find there is a meditative calmness to it, and the results are always very satisfying.
Thank you, Michael, for your thorough contribution! I think it's great you've got a tried and tested method as it's ingrained in your routine, in a way, which is one of the points I was trying to make. If you can do it almost automatically, and you see such great results, then who could ask for anything more?
I highly recommend anti-static inner sleeves, not only in terms of keeping records clean, but also because they go a long way in preventing paper scuffs. I realise the prospect of replacing every single record in your collection must be daunting, so here's an idea: buy a pack of, say, 100 anti-static inner sleeves and keep it close to your records. When you spin a record, before you put it back into its sleeve, take an anti-static inner sleeve from the pack. In other words, do it progressively. Hope this helps!
Great idea and plan, Andy....the one-at-a-time, as-you-play inner sleeve replacement! For collectors who have (or, like me, used to have) inner sleeves worth saving and collecting, due to unique printing, etc, what would one do? Kind of slip the original one carefully in with the newly-swaddled record in its new sleeve? Thanks!
Thank you, Brad! I tend to get some very thin anti-static inner sleeves which I put inside the record inner sleeve, so that the record is double protected. If the original inner sleeve contains anything along the lines of anti-static (and I am generous with the definition….. basically anything that is not paper lol), then I don’t bother with an extra anti-static inner sleeve (better save them for those cases when you really need them!)
Never thought of that....putting record in anti-static sleeve, and all of it back into the original paper (all I dealt with '60s thru '70s) sleeve! I always figured if I put the record in a lined sleeve (which I did occasionally...especially if it was a rare record, coupled with blank, standard-issue original paper inner sleeve), I'd now have a second sleeve (the original paper), and whadoIdowiddit kinda thing? But, to be able to still use the old paper to, now, house protectively-sleeved disc, great! Now, if I only had records!!!😢
Wow, those are pretty cool! I don't recall those rounded-bottom inner sleeves. We had square paper sleeves that were lined with plastic, which made things more bulky inside the cardboard jacket! I see, now, how this could all fit inside the original, standard paper sleeve! Wunderbar!
Ideally, I would love to have anti-static inners, but every time I have thought about it I get overwhelmed by the volume I'd need to buy and the job of pulling every record out and putting them in new inner sleeves. I know my records would benefit from it, but I'm 2/3 of the way there with my cleaning ritual & outer sleeves. 😊
Thank you, Bob, for your contribution. There were certainly a lot of different hacks and methods back in the day, but I find they were mostly used in professional settings (e.g. DJ, radio, public broadcast and the like).
I'm sure you remember, Bob, the hand-held black brushes with bristles that looked like velcro, and looked like they'd do nothing but scratch into smithereens the surface! We sold those, late-'70s, at our record store!
I had a static-free grey cloth (I've told Andy about this) Dad gave me growing up. I'd give it a run across the side before playing it, or 😱 gently pass it over the record as it was turning on the table!
I figured, with 20,000 LPs and 78s, Dad would be my record-care go-to guy!!! And, he was!
Yeah, it's not practical to clean records your obsessively - like you say Andres, a quick clean with an anti-static brush before you play tends to do the job 95% of the time. I did go on a mission a couple of years ago to clean up a load of my vinyl with a record-cleaning solution, and then put them in new anti-static inners. I noticed the difference in playback on a lot of these (especially the ones I'd previously used for DJing, which had more fingerprints and general crap on them). The anti-static inners are a good investment - especially if the OG inner is just paper or card, as there's much less risk of scuffing, and the records just seem to stay a bit cleaner every time you get them out.
And yes, I also clean any new second-hand arrivals to get the best out of them - you don't know where they've been or how they've been treated!
Thanks, Rich! Yes, I agree 100%. I think some folks seem to be under the impression we should treat all records the same way, but there's a huge difference between a record that has been God knows where for however many years versus a record you've been storing properly for a while. The point you make about DJing is a great example of a category of records that will necessarily need more TLC than others.
Back in the 70s there were a number of cleaning devices and solutions marketed to the aspiring audiophile crowd. I never saw the real audiophiles use anything more than a cloth or brush for the dust
Thank you, Ken! Yes, what you say coincides with most accounts I’ve read. Interesting how nowadays, with the vinyl revival, there’s a lot more talk about cleaning even at beginner level.
I bought a brand new sealed LP from HMV the other day and the audible hiss was significant from the get-go, even though I used a brush on it before playing. I was told that plastic sleeves can cause a lot of static so I'm more careful with taking new LPs out of the sleeves before playing them. The noise on the aforementioned LP is reducing over time.
Sometimes there’s a static build up that takes a couple of plays to die out, especially with some new LPs. I’ve noticed it as well, also from HMV funnily enough
Whenever I buy records I always clean them before they go on my TT (used & new). My belief is the cleaner the record, the better it sounds, and the longer life I am granting my stylus, which I dropped some money into (but will be replacing this summer). After they have had a good clean through a SpinWash (20 rotations clockwise & 20 counterclockwise) I then dry them via a Record Doctor VI vacuum. That's my tried and tested method. It is completely manual, which does take time. I also always brush them with a carbon fiber record brush before lowering the stylus onto the LP. Every record gets the carbon fiber before it gets played.
IF a record is very dirty I will spray it with a cleaner that is made locally and sold at record shops, and give it several cleans using a MOFI record cleaning brush and then I put it through the SpinWash method. Depending on how dirty, I sometimes repeat that 2 or 3 times. Just last week I bought a few records and one of them was a '70s boogie funk record which was in VG condition but had a ton of fingerprints, probably from DJs. By the time I was done cleaning it was sparkling and sounded great with virtually no noise.
All my records are on shelving units, housed in outer sleeves, and stored upright. What I haven't done, however, is replace every paper inner sleeve with anti-static ones. I own far too many records to do that and as I have taken the steps to clean the LP very well, the inner is less of a worry (I know that some will take exception because I am putting them back in a "dirty" inner sleeve, but that is also why I use the carbon fiber before every play).
I actually enjoy cleaning records. I find there is a meditative calmness to it, and the results are always very satisfying.
Thank you, Michael, for your thorough contribution! I think it's great you've got a tried and tested method as it's ingrained in your routine, in a way, which is one of the points I was trying to make. If you can do it almost automatically, and you see such great results, then who could ask for anything more?
I highly recommend anti-static inner sleeves, not only in terms of keeping records clean, but also because they go a long way in preventing paper scuffs. I realise the prospect of replacing every single record in your collection must be daunting, so here's an idea: buy a pack of, say, 100 anti-static inner sleeves and keep it close to your records. When you spin a record, before you put it back into its sleeve, take an anti-static inner sleeve from the pack. In other words, do it progressively. Hope this helps!
Great idea and plan, Andy....the one-at-a-time, as-you-play inner sleeve replacement! For collectors who have (or, like me, used to have) inner sleeves worth saving and collecting, due to unique printing, etc, what would one do? Kind of slip the original one carefully in with the newly-swaddled record in its new sleeve? Thanks!
Thank you, Brad! I tend to get some very thin anti-static inner sleeves which I put inside the record inner sleeve, so that the record is double protected. If the original inner sleeve contains anything along the lines of anti-static (and I am generous with the definition….. basically anything that is not paper lol), then I don’t bother with an extra anti-static inner sleeve (better save them for those cases when you really need them!)
Never thought of that....putting record in anti-static sleeve, and all of it back into the original paper (all I dealt with '60s thru '70s) sleeve! I always figured if I put the record in a lined sleeve (which I did occasionally...especially if it was a rare record, coupled with blank, standard-issue original paper inner sleeve), I'd now have a second sleeve (the original paper), and whadoIdowiddit kinda thing? But, to be able to still use the old paper to, now, house protectively-sleeved disc, great! Now, if I only had records!!!😢
Especially these ones are great for that PERFETSELL 50 Pieces Record... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BWD93W5R?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Well… you can always start rebuilding your collection… at least partially, of course!
Wow, those are pretty cool! I don't recall those rounded-bottom inner sleeves. We had square paper sleeves that were lined with plastic, which made things more bulky inside the cardboard jacket! I see, now, how this could all fit inside the original, standard paper sleeve! Wunderbar!
(rounded-bottom................giggle🤗)
Ideally, I would love to have anti-static inners, but every time I have thought about it I get overwhelmed by the volume I'd need to buy and the job of pulling every record out and putting them in new inner sleeves. I know my records would benefit from it, but I'm 2/3 of the way there with my cleaning ritual & outer sleeves. 😊
There were so many cheats back in the day.
Zero stat gun
A drop of dish soap and lukewarm ionized water
Old concert t-shirt lightly sprayed with end dust
We were much more diligent with traditional methods at the radio station.
And yes, I am old enough to have been there in the heyday of Ktel records.
Thank you, Bob, for your contribution. There were certainly a lot of different hacks and methods back in the day, but I find they were mostly used in professional settings (e.g. DJ, radio, public broadcast and the like).
I'm sure you remember, Bob, the hand-held black brushes with bristles that looked like velcro, and looked like they'd do nothing but scratch into smithereens the surface! We sold those, late-'70s, at our record store!
I had a static-free grey cloth (I've told Andy about this) Dad gave me growing up. I'd give it a run across the side before playing it, or 😱 gently pass it over the record as it was turning on the table!
I figured, with 20,000 LPs and 78s, Dad would be my record-care go-to guy!!! And, he was!
Yeah, it's not practical to clean records your obsessively - like you say Andres, a quick clean with an anti-static brush before you play tends to do the job 95% of the time. I did go on a mission a couple of years ago to clean up a load of my vinyl with a record-cleaning solution, and then put them in new anti-static inners. I noticed the difference in playback on a lot of these (especially the ones I'd previously used for DJing, which had more fingerprints and general crap on them). The anti-static inners are a good investment - especially if the OG inner is just paper or card, as there's much less risk of scuffing, and the records just seem to stay a bit cleaner every time you get them out.
And yes, I also clean any new second-hand arrivals to get the best out of them - you don't know where they've been or how they've been treated!
I would second that: anti-static liners are usually pretty inexpensive, but can make a big difference.
Thanks, Kev! Absolutely: such a seemingly small detail that can make such a huge difference.
Thanks, Rich! Yes, I agree 100%. I think some folks seem to be under the impression we should treat all records the same way, but there's a huge difference between a record that has been God knows where for however many years versus a record you've been storing properly for a while. The point you make about DJing is a great example of a category of records that will necessarily need more TLC than others.
Back in the 70s there were a number of cleaning devices and solutions marketed to the aspiring audiophile crowd. I never saw the real audiophiles use anything more than a cloth or brush for the dust
Thank you, Ken! Yes, what you say coincides with most accounts I’ve read. Interesting how nowadays, with the vinyl revival, there’s a lot more talk about cleaning even at beginner level.
double tap on all this! curious, what type of solution do you use to clean it?
Thanks! My turntable, you mean? Wet wipes and cloth. Old fashioned style 🤣 works a treat, though!
I bought a brand new sealed LP from HMV the other day and the audible hiss was significant from the get-go, even though I used a brush on it before playing. I was told that plastic sleeves can cause a lot of static so I'm more careful with taking new LPs out of the sleeves before playing them. The noise on the aforementioned LP is reducing over time.
Sometimes there’s a static build up that takes a couple of plays to die out, especially with some new LPs. I’ve noticed it as well, also from HMV funnily enough
Me fabriqué un estuche con materiales reciclados y estoy muy orgullosa que ahí se mantienen limpitos mis -menos de veinte- vinilitos
Genial! Buenísimo que lo hayas fabricado... quiero foto!