Cleaning Records
Ridding Yourself of Dust
When it comes to vinyl records, dust is certainly not your friend. Before playing a record, it’s important that you remove surface dust.
The best way to remove dust is with a carbon-fibre brush. You will find these at most record stores.
With your record on a turntable and the platter spinning:
- Get the brush and sit it perpendicular to the grooves
- After a few revolutions most dust should be gone
- Once clean, rotate the brush towards you and pull it off the record
The Cleaning Products
Beyond dust, there may be further grime trapped in the record grooves. The best way to remove this is with a non-abrasive cleaning solution.
There are many commercial products that will do the job. You’ll find these at most record stores. Household products such as a light dish-washing detergent and water solution will also work but are not preferred.
DO NOT use an alcohol based cleaner as these can damage some records.
Removing Grime by Hand
Before beginning, make sure you have a micro-fibre cloth as these won’t scratch your records.
Following these steps:
- Take your record and place it on a soft, flat surface
- Apply cleaning solution to the cloth
- Rub your record with the cloth along the grooves
- After a few revolutions, wipe off any remaining solution
The Wood Glue Method
If traditional techniques still haven’t got the record clean then another popular, although not recommended technique is to use wood glue. A more ‘vinyl friendly’ product, Record Revirginizer is available and will do the same job.
The technique works by applying a layer of wood glue to your record and leaving it to dry. Once the now dry layer is peeled off, it should take the deepest grime with it.
You can learn more about the technique by watching this video.
