How TO Clean Vinyl Records

Your record collection is a member of your family and, for the most part, has been in your life longer than your husband and/or wife(s).  You keep them out of harms way, order them, reorder them, then catalog them. So what is the best way to care for them?

Remember that commercial “When EF Hutton speaks, people listen”?  When someone asks us at the counter “How do I clean my records?” The shop usually goes silent and we explain to grab a soft, clean towel, a soft toothbrush, warm water, and mild dish soap. Be careful not to get water on the label, as some labels’ coloring runs when water touches them. VeeJay is notorious for this, but many others stain to one extent or another. Using a spray bottle, get  the vinyl wet, then soap it with the toothbrush, rinse rinse rinse rinse (seriously 3 times), and dry with the towel.

Most are OK with this brief lesson but there’s always that one guy in the back flipping through the Frank Zappa section, mumbling to himself and shaking his head, saying “You don’t want to do that, you’re just pushing the dirt deeper into the grooves…”

Since the invention of the internet, thanks Al!, a simple Google search will bring about complicated articles and videos about record vacuums, no rinse record fluid, even soaking your babies in wood glue to clean them.

We must admit, we feel kinda dumb doing it the old way. Watch the video below for a somewhat complicated but thorough explanation of not only cleaning your vinyl but also how to remove pen marks and stains from your record jackets.

How do you clean your records? let us know below.