Vinyl Care 101 - How to Clean Your Records, Handle, and Store Them

For those new to vinyl, we explain best practices for handling, cleaning and storing your vinyl records.

Supplies:

[moxie]

why do i keep getting into hobbies that require not touching the surface of anything

[Inflake]

I accidentally went into this hobby after buying vinyls after vinyls and realising I’ve spent way more than I had expected to. Such an expensive hobby but so worth the money!

[Jacksirrom]

Seriously - if you don't know jack shit about records - this is all pretty much good advice. Might be a little cheezy, but generally good practices displayed here.

[popcornsamurai]

"over the counter" because you need a prescription for the good stuff.

[bradleiby]

who complains about the "acting" on a video like this? Thanks for the good info!

[fascistparty]

Thank you. Was just given an old record player from the 70s worth over $1500 as a gift. Suddenly I'm motivated to keep my records in good condition now!

[MadamNomad]

My son (13) asked for Records and a player for Christmas! This video was perfect for our whole family so not only him but all of us know how to correctly care for his growing collection!

[AmirahMayTV]

“Never stack your records”, *looks at records and realizes that they are stacked* 😬

[kilgoretrout]

I usually don't listen to what record nerds say, but this guy was very chill and good looking, so I listened to him.

[franceswolff]

"come out of the record store" more like come out of my dads closet with 90 records from the 60s and 70s

[fortherecord]

Good video. Great tips... acting, not so much ;) The only thing I'd suggest is to AVOID paper sleeves. Replace them with proper anti-static sleeves. Those rough paper ones scrape/scuff the record a bit every time you put it in or take it out.

[alaric]

For easier handling of your records, I recommend white archival gloves. They are cheap and allow handling of your records without imparting much if any dirt and other grime.

[LiamDrives]

Sweet video. Just got my first turntable, this video cleared up a lot of my concerns!

[Zen]

Very cool video!
Things you maybe forgot to mention: use a clean slipmats as it also collects dust over the years. I am not a big fan of the carbon fibre brush/wiping method as it also pushes stuff deeper into the groove. Sometimes just blowing helps (do not spit!). Also some record stores now offer you a professonal cleaning with a expensive machine for just one dollar, maybe consider that when digging the rare records ;) AND use please inner sleeves with plastic afterwards. The do not become sandpaper like the paper inner sleeves. And it does not make sense to put your records back into the old dusty sleeve after cleaning right? ;)

Thanks!

[karenfromfinasse]

Any advice for cleaning my parent's records that have been improperly stored, collecting dust in the garage for 30+ years?

[Jodii]

Thank you thank you thank you. I recently purchased a turntable and just have been so wary and nervous to use it mainly because I just want to take good care of it but I just didn't know how. This video was really helpful. I don't know much about turntables or vinyls, so I guess anything informative or helpful videos would be great. Thanks guys! :)

[jammadamma]

Good tips. But is this intentionally corny?

[bigpoppa]

The paper sleeve scratches vinyl, I replace them.

[caelanwilliamson]

Thanks! Just started to listen to my dads old records that haven't been played for over 20 years, and boy they are all dirty. Ima going to start cleaning them and trying to fix some of the scratches so I can enjoy them just as he did. Thanks for the links to the products and happy listening!

[georgeanastasopoulos]

Great, brief, but very informative, and useful video! Thumb up, and thank you. I have been listening to vinyl records for a long time, and also from experience I'm aware that you have to clean a record; and store records correctly in a vertical position.