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How do I clean my vinyl records? We get asked this all the time, and it's something that we do everyday - in the office and at home! Follow this step-by-step guide to clean your records.
It is important to keep your records clean for both audio quality and longevity
Vinyl records are delicate and any debris, marks or fingerprints could impact how it plays. By cleaning the record you're ensuring the sound quality is as good as possible.
Use a carbon fibre brush to remove any surface dust or debris
Place the record on a micro-fibre cloth and brush away any dust or debris with the carbon fibre brush. This is to remove anything that may scratch the record during the cleaning process. You should wipe in a circular motion around the record.
It’s best to use a proper record cleaning solution, DO NOT use household cleaners, wiping gently around in a circular motion
Spray the cleaning solution once or twice on to the record and with a micro-fibre cloth wipe the fluid around the record in a circular motion. Do this until all of the solution has been effectively removed.
For a deeper clean you can use a cleaning machine.
The most effective way to clean a record is to use a cleaning machine. In house we use a HumminGuru ultrasonic cleaner that we use on records that are more stubbornly dirty, although it offers a deeper clean it is not a miracle worker and does not repair scratches and deep scuffs.
Use quality inner and outer sleeves to protect against scuffs, dust and ageing
Once you've cleaned the record you should put it in a new anti-static inner sleeve. This will protect the record and ensure you won't need to clean it again in a hurry.
This will also help to preserve original inner sleeves and jackets.
We also get asked how to store records, although no setup is the same they should all follow the same practice. Follow our guide to safely store your records.
Once your records are cleaned and sleeved it’s important to store them correctly.
Safely storing your records is as important as cleaning them. Vinyl records and their sleeves are delicate and need to be stored carefully to protect them.
Be sure to keep them upright, best not to stack them flat
They should be stored upright, not packed in too tightly together, but also not too loosely as they can fall over or on to each other resulting in creasing.
And keep them away from heat sources and out of direct sunlight
Heat sources like radiators can warp your record, and sunlight can make your sleeves fade and become less vibrant overtime. If you keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources they'll be looking pristine for years to come!