There is nothing worse than all those click and hiss noises interrupting the pleasure of listening to your limited edition vinyl! By keeping your vinyl record clean, you will keep them sounding great for times to come.

What is more important than cleaning your record is doing it correctly. The first thing you need know about vinyls is that if you play them when they are dirty you will damage them and affect the sound quality – this is a no, no! For the love of records, keep those things of beauty clean.

There are tons of ways to clean your records. There is truly no way to ‘purify’ your record getting it back to its original self, but there are plenty ways that you can remove the dirt collected on it and gleam up that sound.

Quick Tips To Cleaning Your Vinyl Records

The world of “the best way to clean your vinyl” is hard to navigate through. If you are new to this, here are a couple of places to start:

• Get your hands on a carbon fibre brush. Clean before and after you play your favourite and to ensure that your record stays clean and sounding excellent. Remember that you are meant to use this gently over your record and should not be used in the grooves of the record.
• Always play it safe and don’t do something that you are worried might damage your record.
• There is no way to return your vinyl to its virgin state.
• Use distilled water or deionised water when cleaning to avoid contaminants that are generally found in tap water. These impurities could further damage your record.
• Always ensure that you remove all of the dust that has collected on the surface of your vinyl record before you do a deep clean.
• A vinyl cleaner or professional record cleaning system are the way to go if you are looking for ultimate clean.
• New doesn’t mean clean. Always give your vinyls a good clean before you play them.
• A turntable or stylus that is damage will lead to your record being damage – avoid these at all costs.

The best way to clean a vinyl is to make sure it doesn’t get dirty in the first place – keep your filthy paws to yourself. Your fingers contain acids and oils that could affect the surface of the record.

For your new records, it is essential to clean before and after play to prolong their lifespan with a carbon fibre brush. If you don’t have this tool you can use a cloth that you use for your glasses or cell phone screen – remember to be gentle! New records come coated with a mold release compound that should be cleaned off to get the ultimate quality of sound from your record.

Damaged records, sadly can’t be restored to their glory through rigorous cleaning. Unfortunately, once your record is damaged there is little you can do about it. But keeping them cleaned and stored correctly can prevent further damage.

How to Cheaply Clean Your Prized Vinyl Record

Okay, okay we are getting to it!

You will need dish soap, a bowl, warm distilled water or deionised water, a lint free soft cloth a carbon fibre brush.

• Remove the debris and dust that has been collecting on your record with a carbon fibre brush or cloth
• Prepare the soap and water cleaning solution. Keep the water lukewarm as hot water could damage your record. Mix in a tiny amount of soap and mix (try not to use any at all).
• It is essential that the cloth you use is soft and absorbent. Wet the cloth with your solution and use your index finger to gently rub the cloth over the vinyl in a circular motion along the groves.
• Now repeat in the opposite direction.
• Now rinse with distilled water just to make sure there is no soap residue left behind.

Now you are ready to reap the acoustic rewards of marinating your vinyl collection!

Liked the article? Why not head over to our blog spot and find more handy uses for distilled and deionised water.