Cleaning Records | What I’ve learned…
There are MANY ways to clean a record. Some work great (kinda) and some just make them look good but don’t really get rid of the snap, crackle, and pops you’re trying so hard to get rid of. There are a few main ways to clean a record. I’ll try and cover them here so you have a good idea of the approach you want to take and what I’ve found that works better than other ways.
Here is what I’ve found are the 4 best ways to clean records. They can be all used together to get your records super clean but I always wonder if you don’t finish with the best method last, will you be introducing static and pops to your record. We’ll find out!
But, first, drop that new used record on your record player, give it a quick clean with your brush and give it a listen. Does you record have lots of pops and annoying noises? Does it skip? Or, does it sound just fine. If it’s fine, then you’re good to move onto the next record. So, slip it into your new rice paper anti-static record sleeve, put a new Vinyl Outer sleeve on it and go onto the next one. If not, then you should move onto step 2 which usually means you’re going to use some sort of liquid to clean your record.
Here are the methods I’ve used extensively to get a record clean:
- Brush style record cleaning kit
- Microfiber cloth and record cleaning fluid
- Record vacuum. Yes… you can vacuum your records!
- Record washer… yep! I’ve got one of these as well
- And go all out and get a ultrasonic cleaner to clean your records. This works really well!
Microfiber Cloth and Cleaning Fluid:
Using a microfiber cloth and cleaning fluid works pretty well if your records are not really dirty deep down in the grooves. If you’ve purchased a record from the 70’s or 80’s from a used record store, there is a very high chance that the record has lots of smoke embedded in the grooves. This method will help but you may have to jump straight to the ultrasonic cleaner to get that vinyl clean but let’s try this first.
I use an old direct drive turntable that I bought at a sale for $10. I put the record on that turntable and turn it on. While spinning, I spray One Solution Record Cleaning fluid on it and use a brush to spread it out. Then I wait for a few minutes and wipe off the record with my Vinyl Cleaning Microfiber cloths and then put it in my drying rack. Once dry, I give it a listen. Did it get better? If not, then you may need to repeat the process with a mixture of Simple Green and Distilled Water.
Moving on to the Vinyl Vac
I purchased the Vinyl Vac a few months ago and have cleaned many records with it. It works better than the usual Microfiber cloth and cleaning fluid but it’s not fool proof. It’s loud but fast and kinda fun to do. It’s pretty simple actually, Just do the same process as above (spray the record and use a brush to spread out the liquid). I usually let it sit for 5 minutes and then I hook the Vinyl Vac up to my old small Wet-Dry vacuum and turn on the cleaning turntable and suck the liquid off. I then use the microfiber cloth to get most of the liquid off and set it on the rack to dry.
