We often get asked about cleaning vinyl, so we figured we'd throw up a post with some basic directions on how best to care for your favorite records. Dirty records have lousy sound, so it's important to go through this process every so often to make sure that your records are sounding as best they can.
There are plenty of different ways to clean vinyl, and if you simply Google 'cleaning vinyl' you will find a number of different methods. We chose to give you the basic method below, it's really simple, you only need to buy a few different products, and in a few minutes your records will be spinning on your turntables good as new!
1. First off you are going to need some basic cleaning tools, solutions, cleaning pads, brushes and of course your turntable. A basic vinyl record solution can be bought at your local record store, or one can be made by using half parts isopropyl alcohol and distilled water.
2. Now pick up the record, holding it at the edges and labeled areas of course, and put it on your turntable. Make sure that your stylus is clean you do not want any dust particles getting into the grooves of the record once it's nice and clean.
3. If you have an anti-static brush, go ahead and brush the record down, making sure to get rid of any unwanted dust particles on the actual record. After you have done this you can take your record cleaning solution or alcohol-water solution (if you made your own you might want to mix 2 drops of Photo Flo into the solution to cut down on water spots).
4. Rub the solution in with a soft clean towel, we usually buy cloths from the record store, but we have heard a cloth diapers works really well. Now make sure that you are wiping in a circular motion with the grooves, this is really important as you do not want to be wiping against them creating scratches. This is a good time to use the turntable to assist you in spinning the records with the grooves. Remember do not get the label wet when cleaning, it's only paper!
If you have a really dirty record you might want to repeat these steps a few times to get it clean. Good luck and keep those records clean!
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