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Cleaning Vinyl Records


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 297 Posts
August 23, 2010

Cleaning a Vinyl RecordTo clean the grooves of old records, Dip a shaving brush in a mixture of equal parts distilled water and triple distilled vodka. Brush the mixture into the grooves of the record and dry with a tack cloth.

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By Monica from Cortez, CO

 
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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 109 Feedbacks
August 19, 2011

For records that are in really bad shape, you can use dish soap and a cotton cloth. Pour some soap on the record and run the cloth around the record with the grooves.

 
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August 19, 2011

I wash each vinyl record with Dawn and a soft sponge, then let it dry in the dish rack. After they have dried, I apply a thin coating of fabric softener and let it dry.

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This reduces the static a lot.

 
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December 27, 2007

Does anyone know a good safe way to clean old vinyl/LP albums? Professional cleaner is very expensive and I have about 300 plus albums I need to clean before putting them on my new record player.

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 213 Posts
December 27, 20070 found this helpful

I know you can use Pledge to clean CD's & Pledge also gets rid of many skips on CD's... I doubt it'll work on Vinyl though.... Why not call your local "Vintage Record Store"?... I'm sure they don't spend a fortune to clean all of their albums!... I've always just used a piece of 100% cotton flannel... (like you'd make a baby blanket from)... You can buy a soft piece for about a buck or two at any fabric store... as a second idea, an old 100% T-shirt.

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I did a little Google search for "cleaning vinyl albums" & found that most people recommend mixing a bit of Isopropyl or Denatured Alcohol with distilled water. They also say to NEVER use dish soap because this is supposed to be bad for the vinyl. Then again, some say, IF the record is Filthy, you have no choice... Here are several ideas:

MORE INFORMATION:
www.ehow.com/tips_1625.html

reviews.ebay.com/Cleaning-vinyl-records_W0QQugidZ10000000002119447

 

Bronze Request Medal for All Time! 66 Requests
December 27, 20070 found this helpful

My dad was a record collector and he washed his in warm(not hot) soapy water. He used a few drops of liquid dish detergent,washed with a soft dish cloth, rinsed thoroughly,wiped with a soft dish towel, then let them air dry completely.

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Some say dish soap is bad for records but it didn't hurt his, they played beautifully. In fact, if your records are really dirty(like sticky feeling) nothing but dish soap will clean them.

 
By Kay (Guest Post)
December 28, 20070 found this helpful

Try Freecycle (join the group through Yahoo) and ask if anyone has any "leftovers" of the cleaning liquid you are looking for....you would be surprised how many people have half used bottles of "things" that they don't know what to do with. The only cost to you, is collecting the items. Worth a try, there might be something in your area. Happy New Year everyone, cheers Katie from Australia

 
By Fran (Guest Post)
December 29, 20070 found this helpful

Hi! Usually I can't answer anything on this type of sites, but I'm proud to say that as a teenager (growing up in the 70's) record albums were all we had. To clean them, just use plain alcohol and a soft cloth. It works wonders, even if some of the albums are scratched! Good luck.

 
December 29, 20070 found this helpful

just use a little soap and water its safe i also thought maybe glass cleaner you get from the eye doctor might work for that to

 
By Christine IN (Guest Post)
January 25, 20080 found this helpful

I would like to know where you got a record player?

 
By Kevin (Guest Post)
February 24, 20090 found this helpful

How do you separate album covers that had gotten wet and are now stuck together. Need assistance.

 
March 23, 20100 found this helpful

Do not use any kitchen or bathroom products to clean your records ever! That means Windex, soap, kitchen dish liquid, paper towels, etc etc. This stuff is a record killer. Windex can make a record look clean but give it the "Crackles".

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To clean a record you need nothing but distilled water and a fruit cleaning brush. Though a fruit cleaning brush can be used because the bristles won't hurt the record, I highly recommend getting a real record cleaning brush that can be used in water. Try www.Needledoctor.com.

Now soak the record in distilled water (get at any drugstore) and clean with brush. Then use a dish drying rack to net dry. I do not recommended using any kind of alcohol, but if you do, mix it 15% alcohol to 85% distilled water. Good luck

 
March 23, 20100 found this helpful

Do not use any kitchen or bathroom products to clean your records ever! That means Windex, soap, kitchen dish liquid, paper towels, etc etc. This stuff is a record killer. Windex can make a record look clean but give it the "Crackles".

Advertisement

To clean a record you need nothing but distilled water and a fruit cleaning brush. Though a fruit cleaning brush can be used because the bristles won't hurt the record, I highly recommend getting a real record cleaning brush that can be used in water. Try www.Needledoctor.com.

Now soak the record in distilled water (at any drugstore) and clean with brush. Then use a dish drying rack to let dry. I don not recommended using l alcohol, but if you do, mix it 15% alcohol to 85% distilled water. Good luck

 
March 23, 20100 found this helpful

Do not use any kitchen or bathroom products to clean your records ever! That means Windex, soap, kitchen dish liquid, paper towels, etc etc. This stuff is a record killer. Windex can make a record look clean but give it the "Crackles".

To clean a record you need nothing but distilled water and a fruit cleaning brush. Though a fruit cleaning brush can be used because the bristles won't hurt the record, I highly recommend getting a real record cleaning brush that can be used in water. Try www.Needledoctor.com.

Now soak the record in distilled water (buy at any drugstore) and clean with brush. Then use a dish drying rack to let dry. I don not recommended using l alcohol, but if you do, mix it 15% alcohol to 85% distilled water. Good luck

 
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May 26, 2012

A couple of years ago, there was a fire at a friend's house where I was temporarily storing my vinyl collection while moving into my new apartment. The fire was caused by someone leaving a candle burning on top of the storage containers the LPs were in. Long story short, I lost about 40 LPs, another 40 had some minor warps due to the heat, and there were many that ended up with candle wax on them. How do I remove the candle wax safely?

By Konan C

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