How to Clean Vinyl Records

Posted on July 28th, 2009 by Carmelia

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Vinyl records may be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean you should let them go to waste. Keeping your vinyl records clean will ensure that they will last a little while longer and that a good sound quality is maintained. Here’s how to clean vinyl records.

Materials

Basin
Mild dish soap
Special record cleaning brush or pad, made from carbon fiber
Warm water
Washcloths
A sink with a faucet
Rubber gloves (if you are cleaning more than one record)

Procedure

Get the basin and fill it up with three to four inches’ of warm water. Put a small amount of mild dish soap in the water and stir it in until you get sudsy water.
Holding the vinyl record like a CD (only by the edges without touching the grooves) and put it in the basin. Get the surface of the record wet, with the exception of the label, which should remain dry.
Get your specialized vinyl record cleaner and get it wet. Keep the vinyl record steady one one hand and brush the surface of the record in a circular motion, five times clockwise and another five times counterclockwise. You can do more if the record is very dirty. Flip it over and do the same for the other side. Remember, you have to keep the label part dry while doing this.
Once you’ve brushed both sides of the record, run some cold tap water and rinse the surfaces without getting the label wet.
Use a washcloth and use them to get the record’s surfaces dry. Get another set of washcloths and sandwich the record between them, to ensure that the label is dry as well.
Put the record on top of its cardboard sleeve, and let air dry.
Routinely clean your vinyl records using the specialized record brushes.
Keep your vinyl records clean by keeping them in their cardboard containers. If the original sleeves are no longer usable, you can buy plastic or paper ones in specialty stores.