Cleaning Vinyl Records

To ensure the best sound and least amount of wear on your records, it is essential that they are kept clean. My rule of thumb is to never play an album until it has been sufficiently cleaned.

Here is my tried and true method for liberating a record from all the dirt, dust, mold and fingerprints it may have acquired over the years - all without special fluid. I’ll show you my method that utilizes soap, water and a record brush.

I’ve tried a few different methods over the years, including the traditional fluid and bush method and vacuuming the surface (with a gentle brush), but that would still leave dirt behind.

Then I tried the soap and water method. I finally got ALL the dirt and grime of every record I tried, on the first cleaning too. One record was completely which with mold/mildew. After cleaning, the record is visually perfect and plays well with barely any pops/clicks!

For records with only light amounts of dust, I would recommend just brushing them off with a carbon fiber brush before playback. As any record collector knows, only about 10% of used records actually come in that condition. For the other 90%, wash them off.

Remember, the best cleaning in the world just removes all the dust and dirt. Some records will have scratches and groove wear. No amount of cleaning will fix this. So after cleaning, some record may sound “perfect” and others maybe not so much.

Step 1: Gather the items

You'll need the following:
-A Basin of some kind
-Dish soap (any kind will work)
-A record cleaning brush/pad (Discwasher style)
-A few washcloths
-A source of warm water
-A sink with faucet
-Records to wash
-A clean surface to put the records on (their cardboard sleeves)
-Two hands
-Rubber gloves (if your going to be doing a number of records at a time)
-Towels to dry off the records

Comments

[Bricology]

It's definitely a bad idea to get the labels wet! They are, after all, just paper and paper + water = mess. So, be careful to only immerse or run water over the vinyl, *not* the labels!

Also, under "Drying", you wrote "With one had, hold the record, and with the other, dry it off." It's a good idea to hold the cloth so that it moves along the grooves, tracking with them, rather than scrubbing against them. The cloths should definitely be either all-cotton or microfiber; many other synthetic fibers can abrade the record surface.

Finally, it's a good idea to use rubbing alcohol and cotton pads to wipe down the record after you've washed, rinsed and dried it. Alcohol mixes with any water that remains and helps it evaporate away, and it breaks down any remaining oils. Again -- always move anything over the surface of the record *with* the grooves, not against them.

[kstlfido]

Good info and worth a try. But if you find you need deeper cleaning abilities, using nonionic, ethylene oxide condensate surfactants such as Tergitol 15‑S‑3 and 15‑S‑9 with distilled water would be better. Also, these will leave virtually no residue.

More info at-
http://www.vinylengine.com/care-and-handling-recorded-sound-materials.shtml

[Devataa]

What about acetone, 70%? or 50%? to clean records.

[kstlfido]

I would be cautious putting something as harsh as acetone- it might very well dissolve the vinyl... But I am not a chemist.

[kbrinkley-pearce]

Any tips to getting sellotape off vinyl, my husband had a record that was framed, has take it out, but it was secured by double sided tape, any good advice???

[OrlandoArtist]

I used lighter fluid, the kind used for zippo lighters to get sticker "dots" off. I can't say I've tried it on the vinyl itself, but if on the label, works perfectly. Used book stores use lighter fluid to clean book covers. Evaporates faster than rubbing alcohol. Highly recommend. When you find the right products, I don't know, you get giddy about cleaning stuff.

[LaserDave]

One of the most overlooked items that every household has, is PERFECT for removing sticky adhesives from tape, labels, dirt from dust, fingerprints, drink spills etc. It is a cleaner for nearly anything you want removed, it is made from fish oils and is really inexpensive. What is it you might ask? WD-40.

I have cleaned many, many, many records with WD-40 (I have thousands), I've removed the little sticky "dots" that some DJ's use on the vinyl prior to my getting them, it works like a charm.

To remove most kinds of dirt from a non-porous surface, simply spray enough WD-40 onto the offending matter to saturate it, then let it soak for 10 minutes or more. Wipe it off and the gunk will come with it. For stubborn material like double-sided (foam) tape, several applications will be needed to get it all off. Don't forget, it will work best if you remove as much of the material you can before you soak it. Labels that have a shiny surface are tough, you need to peel off as much of the label as you can, otherwise the WD will not penetrate into the sticky part.

If you are worried about the oily residue left behind, you can clean this with Windex or rubbing alcohol, otherwise it will tend to evaporate by itself. I have found that simply wiping the vinyl record with a soft dry cloth will remove most of the WD-40, but I've never had any problems by leaving it dry by itself.

WD-40 is my first choice for cleaning almost anything. Hope this helps!

[jwinkler71]

While WD-40 is certainly popular with people, I have used both this and lighter fluid and I think lighter fluid is superior. Lighter fluid seems to work faster in many cases and doesn't leave that nasty residue behind.

[farmboy79]

You have a tough one and Goo Gone might work but has pretty powerful solvents in it (xylene if I remember correctly). I would try vegetable oil or oil squeezed from an orange or lemon peel, but just on the sticky and try to roll/peel up the residue with a Q-Tip then carefully clean the remainder with Goo Gone and a soft cloth. I admit this is a guess, I have never needed to attempt what you are trying to do. I would not let vinyl soak in Goo Gone.

[jill84]

Has anyone tried LOC? It is great for getting sticky things off and is very gentle.

[bfk]

Goo Gone and a soft cloth or paper towel.

[Mitch Lee]

CLEANING VINYL RECORDS

I have been cleaning vinyl records for over 30 years and have tried every crazy technique known to audiophiles at one time or another. Most involved lots of money and risk and many do not make a measurable improvement in the surface noise of the vinyl. I have settled on a system much like this article with a few significant differences. First, I begin by washing my hands in a roughly 3% to 10% solution of cheap "lemon" dish detergent. Then I wet the records EVENLY in water that is about at hot as my hands can take under a running faucet; I never immerse the records. Then I clean the records in the same detergent solution WITH MY HANDS. I do this mostly by feel. I rub in both directions. I make sure the detergent makes suds. I feel for irregularities or embedded particles in the grooves. I never use my nails of anything other than my pristine finger tips. I rinse under the faucet when the disc feels done. I NEVER let any detergent dry on the vinyl. I never let the records cool or heat unevenly. I never rub the label at all but only press it dry with a new clean towel. I never let any detergent remain on the disc or let any water dry on the disc. I always dry with a newly cleaned towel dried without fabric softeners! I try to keep any loosened dyes from the label off of the vinyl by rinsing the detergent off away from the center, etc etc etc I never buy detergent with hand softeners or pumice or other miracle additives. BUY CHEAP. Dish detergent is not made to clean records and there is always a risk of damage. I have cleaned several thousand records this way and have measured and heard increased surface noise on less than half a dozen. Most sound marginally better. A few sound spectacular, but no heavily played disc will ever sound great again unless one switches to a stylus that rides the groove differently than the one that did the damage! Keep this one thing in mind: There are risks to cleaning records, but there is no risk at all to playing them dirty; playing a dirty record WILL DAMAGE IT FULL STOP!

If you try this use a few records you do not care about first. Give them a good listen afterward. I sometimes even use the statistics function in Sound Forge on a silent section of the disc to measure surface noise before and after cleaning. Also, if you are leaving any oil from your body on the vinyl then you are not cleaning carefully enough. The tissue in your finger tips must be very clean for this to work right. I MEAN CLEAN DOWN INTO THE SKIN! Finally, the discs are yours and so is the risk. Be careful.

[ArvidRF]

Hello Mitch, you said in your article you have used many methods of cleaning records, have you used a spin clean and if so, did you like it. Also, have you ever used Shaklee Basic H cleaner, it's a concentrate that I mix with distilled water. Thank you for your advise. Arvid

[Everard Foxwell-Clitheroe]

Ok, I use this method myself & there is some good advice here but a precautionary word of advice. A lot of washing up liquids contain salt which is corrosive as do normal hair & body shampoos & other detergents. A far better cleaning medium which does not contain salt is either Eufora or Pureology, a hair shampoo which is used in salons for ladies who go in for Brazilian waxing. These shampoos are nearly completely petro-chemical free & are of course PH neutral. If its good enough for a lady's sensitive bits it should be fine on records! Also for the macho types who can't bring themselves to buy pum pum wash, the stuff that is used to shampoo cars & motorbikes also does not contain salt. Mer is a good one & its chemical make up is listed on their website.

[bmatthews3]

Don't use tap water... that's just dumb when distilled water is so cheap and readily available. And the posters who want to clean a record just to digitalize it I have to ask why you would want to ruin a perfectly good analog recording by reducing it to 0 and 1s?

[Prometheus]

I disapprove of this method.....the simple method is to wipe with a rubbing-alcohol soaked cotton rag once every 5 years when stored properly. Protecting the label that is "burned into" the surface is with a brush-on lacquer, but do not get this in the grooves under any circumstances. Brush a generous bath of rubbing alcohol backwards from the normal rotation with a cosmetic brush of human hair or softer, air-dry in a vertical position, and then place into an approved packaging, such as a paper envelope or paperboard sleeve. Once dried, it is recommended that the LP be placed in a sleeve of HDPE or PETE plastic wrap to avoid fibers from a paper sleeve that may become electrostatically-attracted to the clean vinyl surface, as well as the abrasion from removing it from the sleeve. Always play LP's under the dust-shield provided by most players. Anytime you clean an LP, you reduce it's quality, so be sure you have to clean it as least as possible.

[mattdp]

With all due respect, I honestly think your method is a little extreme. I've heard other places that alcohol is bad for your records (wears off the "antistick" coating on top of the vinyl). I put plastic wrap on a 45 one time, and now the surface looks all weird. The way I do it, soap and water cleaning is a once in a lifetime, "get all the grime off" cleaning. After that, just brush things off with a carbon fiber brush. It works great for me. As for sleeves, I'm more a fan of plastic or wax paper. Any time you clean an LP, you reduce it's quality: Um...a carbon fiber brush is going to ruin the sound on my LP??? The question is, does it make an audible difference? Can you measure the results (eg, digitize a record, wash it 20 times, then compare the results (look at the waveforms side by side). Btw, any time you play an LP, you reduce it's quality. That's a fact.

[Mitch Lee]

I have measured LP noise before and after cleaning. Honestly, in most cases there is no measurable difference in the background noise except the one time I let alcohol dry on the vinyl. That increased the background noise with a kind of crackling in a plateau from about 8K to 12K according to DC7's continuous noise filter. Using a washing method with dish detergent and tap water the surface noise has never changed unless the record was very dirty without groove damage. Then it improves, but that is an unlikely combination-- What DOES change is that the number of pops and clicks decreases, sometimes dramatically! I cannot speak to "long term" damage except to say that I have records I contaminated with cheap lemon detergent and tap water 20 years ago that still sound fine to me. (I had no test equipment then other than my ears.) I used Sony Sound Forge and Diamond-Cut's DC7 and DC8 to measure the noise. Shure V15III, Acutex 315 and Ortofon OM30-- Technics SL-Q3-- The bottom line is that most surface noise seems to be groove wall damage that can't be cleaned by any method and, perhaps, very small deposits that increase the irregularity of the groove wall's surface. Perhaps I am replacing one set of small deposits with another when I wash records, but I really do not think that is the case. It seems more reasonable that in most cases such small deposits are negligible and the real issue is the big chunks of trash that roll around in the grooves until they get caught, pressed or bonded into the groove by the stylus heat. Then one has big pops and clicks and even skips that get worse with each play as well as a worn stylus. Wash, baby, wash! Of course, if anyone without a vested interest in their own Magic Groove Cleaner has graphics of the noise profile of long term damage to vinyl from brief exposure to cheap lemon detergent and tap water, then my records and I will be very grateful.

[mattdp]

Thank you so much for this information!

Some surface noise has been "worn" onto the record, but it is mostly a product of the stylus playing the record (relates to friction between the two). I had and Audio Technica AT-3600 elliptical stylus which yielded noticeable surface noise on most every record. I upgraded to an Audio Technica AT-440MLa micro-line contact model. Surface noise went down to nearly inaudible levels. I've heard air-bearing linear tracking tonearms and such will further reduce surface noise levels. Some records have surface noise, while others have essentially none.

With the alcohol, I think you messed with this thin layer of "non-stick" coating on top of the vinyl and may be peeling/deforming it by playing it. Just a guess...

One must also realize that not all pressings are perfect. Recycled vinyl used in the 70s has some degree of impurities in the record already, which often lead to high surface noise levels and pops/clicks even on the first play. (Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs countered the trend by introducing original master, half-speed mastered virgin vinyl pressings)

Every once in a great while, the cutting head isn't hot enough, resulting in friction noise on the original lacquer.

Another side note: you were talking about stuff getting bonded into the groove wall: I've never tried this, but I've heard tale that coating a record with PVC-based wood glue (like Elmer's), then removing the wood glue skin works wonders. I have to wonder it that doesn't remove that partially bonded stuff.

[Mitch Lee]

That all makes practical sense to me. I'll just add a brief not and then a music sermon. The first is that I have never encountered any audio disc 78, 45 or 33 without noticeable groove noise. Not even the various "superdiscs" from Decca and Nautilus, et al-- Not even with players that cost thousands of dollars-- The only exceptions to this that I can think of are the dbx encoded vinyl discs. Playing them through a dbx decoder pushes the surface noise is so far down in the mix that one is more likely to hear tape and mixer artifacts, instead. Here's the sermon: But, you know, over the years I have changed my expectations when listening to recordings. What matters to me is the performance and the beauty of the entire experience of listening to the LP. Fidelity, as such, is no longer an end in itself. As an example, I have 3 copies of George Szell conducting Dvorak's New World Symphony. Two original EPIC discs from the early 1960, one stereo and one mono. I also have a CBS Great Performances reissue on LP and another on CD. The LP reissue has much less surface noise, IM distortion and far fewer vinyl artifacts, but I almost never listen to it.. The CD is even cleaner, but sadly it sits neglected, as well. The old EPIC stereo LP is simply more enjoyable because the tonal balance and dynamics, especially in the basses and low brass, brings out the power and drama of the music. I even prefer the CD I made from the LP to the CD CBS made from the master tapes. The original engineers had it right. The point of my sermon is that this is why I fuss around with cleaning with old LPs. It is not primarily because of their "fidelity" or lack of it. It is because so much really great music is still best served by them and the goal of all the fussing is a beautiful listening experience. Personally, I really dislike big pops and clicks, so for me the risks of carefully washing vinyl are overshadowed by the more beautiful listening it has provided me.

[pcastle-1]

Vinyl records are very special to my family. We have an extensive collection of vinyl records in our home, and my father is basically a Nazi about keeping them clean.

[drose-2]

Great article, really informative. WE LOVE VINYL! Cheers David Online Mastering Studio, UK

[onlinemastering]

I liked this, though you do need to be very careful with using a brush as it could cause scratches which will never come out, lol.

Barry

SafeandSound Mastering
mastering

[vinylshellac]

Here is a clip of the sink washer record cleaning company

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1XP9jKUGkk&feature=related

DON'T WASH YOUR RECORDS IN THE SINK.

Seriously, bad advise. You'd have to be really newbie or uninformed or just plain dumb to put your vinyl records in a sink. C'mon people.

Censorship is for the weak minded. GOT IT.

[vinylshellac]

Do not clean your records this way. This web page is giving newbie, unprofessional advise. You'll ruin your records cleaning them as suggested in this help web page.

You people really don't know how to clean records?

here ya go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMtE0I9d_m0&feature=related

[vinylshellac]

(removed by author or community request)

[NachoMahma]

.  I've used this method on many occasions to clean very dirty LPs - it works well and does not ruin records.
.  Exactly how is this bad for vinyl records? There might be some leaching of plasticizers, but it would be very little and this is not a method that is recommended for everyday cleaning. What is a better method?

[lemonie]

Don't use CAPS like that.

If this is that wrong you should show people the right way.

"I don't know who built this web site" will probably be answered for you here:
http://www.instructables.com/about/

L

[Goodhart]

To show people the "right way" they'd have to know the "right way" and it is apparent that this one may not know "the right way" or they'd share it.....at least you'd think they would.

[mattdp]

I have records that, after cleaning, play perfectly with no pops and clicks and after owning them for years and a number of plays, they are still in that condition. If this method damaged my records in any noticeable way, I wouldn't be using it and I certainly wouldn't be promoting it.

I will update the instructible on this issue, but I should mention that distilled and/or filtered water would be a better option than city tap water, due to lack or chlorine and such (I have clean well water).

In my experience, the traditional fluid and brush method didn't get all the dirt off. This method gets all the dirt off every time, same with the fingerprints. I got the basic method from an audiophile site, btw.

I only recommend this for dirt/mold/fingerprint caked records. After the initial wash, a dry carbon-fibre brushing should be all that's necessary to keep them clean, if stored and handled properly.

I advocate using soft towels, not rags. They may leave some lint, but that's nothing a quick brushing can't fix.

If I am indeed overlooking something, please point it out. I would be happy to investigate and/or change the instructable.

[DJZerokewl]

We made a very simple tutorial on the best method we have found for deep cleaning vinyl record. This process involves no scrubbing of any kind and using works with one application. The YouTube link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z61k5UAWev8

[Phosphorus]

i tried once with one old and scratched record this method, but i coundn't remove all glue from it

[DJZerokewl]

Did you use wood glue? I use Titebond wood glue. It is available for purchase at most hardware/DIY stores. Titebond removes in one piece every time. I have found that other types of glue do not come off in the same fashion. The only other problem I can foresee is that you might not be using enough of the glue. It may be spread too thin. I hope this helps. =)

[mattdp]

I've never tried this method, but I read up on it and supposedly you have to use a specific type (like Elmer's or Titebond) that are chemically similar to the vinyl itself.

[Phosphorus]

i know wood glue isn't the best idea to clean a record, but in spain it's impossible to buy any Titebond glue. it leaves the disc really clean, but in some grooves it is neccesary to clean it by hand, spreading wood glue through the disc… thanks for your help anyway ;)

[DJZerokewl]

That might be a problem getting a hold of that particular brand out there. I know there is a brand that a few friends use in the U.K. It is much lighter in color and almost transparent when it is removed. I am pretty sure wood glue is fairly common in most countries. I am not saying to only use Titebond, that is only the brand I have chosen. I am simply saying to only use wood glue, as opposed to hobby glue or other types of glue. The truth is that cleaning with warm water may warp the record with even mild amounts of heat and anyone with a slight background in chemistry knows that vinyl breaks down rapidly with the use of solvents (e.g. Goo-B-Gone, Alcohol, Ethyl-based, etc.). So there is all of that and that the facts that using any scrubbing action from hand washing may scratch and damage the record if any foreign elements become involved (dust, dirt, debris in the grooves, etc.). The method I have outlined is just a method I found to be the best for skipping all of the hazards I have just outlined. It is true that for dirty, nasty records, you may have to use this method more than once, but I think that could be said for any method. Anyhow... hope you find something that works best for you. =D

[groovy]

You are on the right track here but one thing i would replace is the use of tap water with distilled water .Chlorine is a very harsh chemical and will surely damage your vinyl in the long run. Even tap water without chlorine will leave all sorts of deposits that cannot be seen with the naked eye on a vinyl record.Just trying to help improve a bit on your idea (ible)...
cheers, Groovy........................................

[Phosphorus]

your turntable looks gorgeous, can you tell me which one is it?

[mattdp]

That was an old Realistic (Radio Shack) LAB 300, a $3.99 find at Goodwill. A belt drive with a suspended subchasis. The suspension actually made it more sensitive to vibrations, so I locked it down. Table always played slow (no adjustment control) and rubber motor suspension parts were dried up so the motor hum was noticeable. The platter was pretty heavy and the arm was decent. The cartridge is an Audio Technica AT-3600. I replaced that with a Pioneer PL-518 Direct Drive ($14.99 at Goodwill) and an Audio Technica AT-440MLa cartridge. The combination has dead accurate speed, very little motor hum and a strobe.

[livesteamfan]

I have an old disco album that I bought for a dollar and it has something on it. I'm not too sure but by the shape I would say it had a piece of scotch tape on it at one point in time. It's not only in and on the grooves, it's above them as well. Whatever it is, it's hard and it doesn't disolve in warm, soapy water.