Care

How to clean vinyl records without damaging them

A dry brush before every play, a proper wet clean when a record needs it, and the household shortcuts to skip.

Most noise people blame on "old vinyl" is really dirt: dust, skin oil, mould release from the pressing plant and decades of cigarette smoke sitting in the groove. The stylus drags all of it along, which you hear as crackle and which slowly wears the groove walls. Cleaning is the cheapest upgrade a record collection can get.

Every play: a quick dry brush

A carbon-fibre brush takes care of loose surface dust and static. With the record spinning on the platter, rest the bristles lightly on the surface for a couple of turns, then slowly sweep the brush off towards the edge so the dust leaves with it. Don't press down, because pressure just packs dust into the groove.

Dry brushing doesn't remove anything stuck to the vinyl, such as fingerprints, sticky grime or mould. For that you need a wet clean.

When a record needs a wet clean

Wet clean a record when you first bring it home, when it looks hazy or greasy under a light, or when it crackles even after brushing. You'll need:

• Distilled or deionised water. Tap water leaves minerals behind in the groove.
• A record-cleaning fluid, or distilled water with a tiny amount of a surfactant made for record cleaning. The surfactant is what lets water get into the groove and lift oily dirt.
• A soft applicator: a velvet or microfibre record pad, or a goat-hair brush.
• Clean microfibre cloths and somewhere dust-free for the record to dry.

Step by step

1. Dry brush first, so you aren't turning loose grit into mud.
2. Lay the record on a clean, soft surface, or use a label protector if you have one. Try to keep the paper label dry, because wet labels wrinkle, stain and can peel.
3. Apply a little fluid and work it around the record in the direction of the grooves, never across them. Use light pressure and let the fluid do the work.
4. Rinse with distilled water the same way, so cleaning residue doesn't stay in the groove.
5. Dry with a fresh microfibre cloth, following the grooves again, or stand the record in a drying rack until it's completely dry.
6. Put it in a new, clean inner sleeve. An old paper sleeve full of dust will undo the work on the first slide-in.

Machines

Record-cleaning machines do the same job with less effort and more consistency. Vacuum machines scrub, then suck the dirty fluid out of the groove. Ultrasonic machines use sound waves in a water bath to shake dirt loose from deep in the groove, and they're especially good on heavily used records. Before a record is listed, Music Ed Cafe cleans it with an ultrasonic cleaner and a Spin Doctor.

What to avoid

• Household cleaners, glass sprays, fragranced dish soaps and anything with lotion or colour added. They leave residue behind, and some can harm the vinyl.
• Strong solvents. Acetone and similar chemicals can permanently damage vinyl.
• Alcohol-based fluids on shellac 78s. Shellac is a different material from vinyl, and alcohol can dissolve it.
• Scrubbing across the grooves, paper towels or tissues. They scratch the surface and leave fibres behind.
• Heat. Never dry a record with a hair dryer or in the sun, because vinyl warps easily.

Don't forget the stylus

A dirty stylus makes a clean record sound dirty, and it pushes grime back into the groove. Brush the stylus gently from back to front, the same direction the record travels, using a small stylus brush. Never brush it side to side. Check it every few records.