The key to maintaining your vinyl collection is keeping the records clean. Whether you have new or used vinyl records, keeping them dust free will not only maintain their warm and lush sound, but will help keep your turntable in good condition as well. The dust collected in the grooves is the main reason for the clicks and pop sounds when you play the records. Holding the records in an improper way also contributes to adding dust and oil on the grooves. By cleaning the vinyl records, you will get rid of most of these. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through some of the ways to clean vinyl records.
What to avoid while cleaning your records
While it may seem to be an easy task to clean your vinyl records, if you do not take proper care then you may end up damaging your vinyl record. Cleaning the records with tap water and dish soap is a big no no as it will damage your record rending it unplayable. The tap water contains impurities which will damage the grooves. Another thing to avoid is alcohol based cleaners, especially ones containing isopropyl alcohol. While it may clean the surface, it may damage the coating on top of the vinyl record. Vacuum cleaners may suck the dirt off the surface but the intense pressure may end up damaging the record. Lastly, avoid using the kitchen spray cleaners as they will destroy your vinyl records.
How to clean your vinyl records
Now that we know which products to avoid for cleaning the records, here are the steps to follow to keep your records in good shape.
Remove dust and static using anti-static brush
The very first step to clean your vinyl record is to remove off as much dust and static as possible. While this will take care of most of the surface dust, it will not remove the dust deep inside the grooves. To remove the surface dust and static, use an anti-static record cleaning brush. The brush has soft bristles which pick the dust and drains static electricity which attracts dust. To use the brush, play the vinyl record on the player and place the brush at 90 degrees to the record. While the record is playing, move the brush away from the center to the outer edge. Make sure not to jam the brush down into the grooves or else it will damage the grooves. Also, do not touch the bristles to clean as it will transfer the oil and dust from fingers to the record.
Clean vinyl records using a cleaning solution
Once the anti-static brush clears out most of the surface dust, if the record still has dust in the grooves then deep cleaning is required. Using a record cleaning solution, the record is given a good bath making the grooves thoroughly clean.
There are two ways to use the record cleaning solution. Using the spray bottle, the solution could be sprayed onto the record and then cleaned using a microfiber cloth. Care needs to be taken to ensure the cloth is clean and does not transfer dust onto the record. While cleaning by hand, proper handling of the record is important to avoid getting fingerprints and dust onto the grooves. Another option is to use a cleaning solution like a bathtub where the record is “dipped” into the solution and moved around. The cleaning solution is mixed with distilled water and the record is spun around a couple of times in each direction. After that it needs to be dried using microfiber cloth.
Clean vinyl records using a vacuum cleaner
If you have a smaller collection of records, manually cleaning with hand or using the cleaning solution works fine. But as your collection grows, cleaning every vinyl record can quickly become time consuming. For cleaning large quantities of records, a record vacuum cleaner will come handy. Record vacuum cleaners such as Okki Nokki cleans the surface by pulling the dust off the surface. For cleaning, spray the vinyl cleaner liquid on the record and just put it on the vacuum cleaner and play the disc. The record cleaner will pull the dust and dirt of the disc making it clean. Though the vacuum cleaner is fast and convenient, it is pretty expensive.
Cleaning the stylus
We looked at ways to clean the records using a brush, cleaning liquid and vacuum cleaner. In order to have good sound quality, the stylus needs to be cleaned as well. If the records aren’t cleaned, the dirt from the grooves get stuck into the stylus and over a period of time the quality of sound deteriorates. Keeping the stylus clean is equally important. There are cleaning brushes which are available to clean the stylus along with cleaning fluid.
To keep the dust off, it is recommended to regularly clean the vinyl records. Some also recommend cleaning the record before spinning them the very first time as well. The pressing plants where the records are made aren’t the cleanest of places and dust can settle on the discs.
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Recommended Vinyl Record and Stylus Cleaners
Zerostat 3 Milty Anti-static Gun
AudioQuest Anti-Static Record Cleaner Brush
Boundless Stylus Cleaner Brush
Spin Clean Record Washer MKII Deluxe Kit
Okki Nokki Record Cleaner
