What’s your favorite way to clean a vinyl record?

YoRab7

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Just starting a thread to discuss the best way people have found to clean and maintain their vinyl record collection. I’ve had a lot of success with buying something called a groovemaster labelsaver, paint edger pad, and a solution of isopropyl alcohol mixed with distilled water.

What’s worked for you?
 
paint it with pva wood glue, let it dry then peel it off,

clean vinyl pva - YouTube

I have actually tried this once on a minging old single. It left the record looking quite dull although, to be fair it did play a lot better than it did previously.

I have one of those vertical 'bath' things with the goat-hair brushes (can't remember what it's called, but Ronco used to flog them in the 70s) and it actually works very well. But, like the glue thing, it's a bit of a fiddle & I'll only use it if I have a batch to do.
If I just want to clean one record, I just lie it flat on a towel by the kitchen sink & sponge it carefully with warm water & fairy liquid, making sure to give it a good rinse afterwards. Like the 'bath', it leaves them nice and shiny too. I know they say not to get the label wet but as long as it's dried fairly quickly it doesn't seem to do any harm.
 
Wood glue is an excellent method if you use enough of the right kind of glue... gotta go with Titebond 2. A gallon of that stuff will run you about $20 at Lowe’s. I then purchased a slicon spatula at the dollar store which I use to spread glue. What I find is key is using a little more glue on your inner and outer most grooves (the intro and just before the outro tracks) and then just squeezing it out while the record spins. Use the spatula to ensure you have an even spread, let dry overnight, and peel off your glue in the morning, using your fingernail or a toothpick to start on the outer edge, work by peeling inward. Excellent vid I found on YouTube, detailing the start of process
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Cheers! Cleaning a wretchedly dirty 45 with titebond 2 and hearing the result made me a believer
 
What a load of crap, glue for cleaning vinyl?
Some folks will believe anything so long as it's backed up by a youtube video.

Lukewarm, slightly soaped water and a soft cloth worked pre-internet days
 
80% distilled water
20% Isopropyl alcohol
A fraction of a smear of detergent (or a few drips of photographic wetting agent)

I have one of those squishy keyboard cleaning things that I use like the PVA glue method too
I think I got it from fasttech but making your own DiY slime doesn't look too difficult :)
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What a load of crap, glue for cleaning vinyl?
Some folks will believe anything so long as it's backed up by a youtube video.

Well, I've never tried it myself, but if you check out the hi-fi forums you'll find that it seems to be a tried and tested method.

Personally, I'd cart them all down to the tip and get a decent streaming/cd-ripping source for my music.

If I want Snap, Crackle, and Pop I'll pour myself a bowl of Rice Krispies.
 
What a load of crap, glue for cleaning vinyl?
Some folks will believe anything so long as it's backed up by a youtube video.

Lukewarm, slightly soaped water and a soft cloth worked pre-internet days
80% distilled water
20% Isopropyl alcohol
A fraction of a smear of detergent (or a few drips of photographic wetting agent)

I have one of those squishy keyboard cleaning things that I use like the PVA glue method too
I think I got it from fasttech but making your own DiY slime doesn't look too difficult :)
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


That’s the magic formula, good info as to the ratio’s. Thanks for the post!
 
@nara, ripping CD's is OK if you choose the least lossy way, but streaming services? Seriously, they're soooo compressed it's just not enjoyable to listen to. Personally I find most digital formats 'tiring' to listen to for any length of time. Even when it's music I like, my ears still feel a 'whew' when it stops, and the more compressed it is the worse it gets.
320kbps MP3's "sound" fine to my tired old ears but they still have that tiring effect, yet I could listen to scratchy old vinyl all day - and sometimes do! I have two systems, the better of the two is the setup in my workshop!
 
@nara, ripping CD's is OK if you choose the least lossy way, but streaming services? Seriously, they're soooo compressed it's just not enjoyable to listen to. Personally I find most digital formats 'tiring' to listen to for any length of time. Even when it's music I like, my ears still feel a 'whew' when it stops, and the more compressed it is the worse it gets.
320kbps MP3's "sound" fine to my tired old ears but they still have that tiring effect, yet I could listen to scratchy old vinyl all day - and sometimes do! I have two systems, the better of the two is the setup in my workshop!

You can get a phono preamp and use software to rip vinyl to the computer. I’ve known people that digitalize their records into MP3.
 
Easily done, but that just introduces digital artefacts which kinda defeats the point of having vinyl. Unless it's for archiving or saving to CD to play in the car etc...

You can get a phono preamp and use software to rip vinyl to the computer. I’ve known people that digitalize their records into MP3.
 
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