Vinyl Record Care 101

Caring for your record collection to make sure that it provides you many hours of enjoyment really fall into two basic categories: Record Handling/Storage and Record/Wax Cleaning. With proper care your investment in music and yourself will last a lifetime. Upper Left Records breaks down Vinyl Record Care 101 here in this post and we have simplified the process to what we think is the most critical aspects to care for your vinyl record collection. Of course, as with anything how far down this rabbit hole you want to go one can totally geek out on this subject. We are taking a more practical approach to caring for your records.

Let’s get started, virtual school is in session.

First, a little nugget of info on records. Every record only has one groove, it makes sense, but to some this may be an ah ha moment. If one were to use a hardcore microscope and magnify into the groove you would see that it has pits & ridges.The stylus (aka needle) moves up and down in the groove over these pits and ridges to create sound. The biggest enemy to a record is dust. 

RECORD HANDLING & STORAGE

• The film of wax and crud on your hands can be damaging to your vinyl record collection. It is important that when you are handling an LP/EP record that you handle it from the edge of the record. You can also use the center label as a place to rest your finger, just as long as you are not touching the groove. This can be a little tricky at first when you are trying to release a record from the inner sleeve of it’s jacket. With a little practice you’ll be an old hat at this in no time. 

• Storing your records, never stack your records and lay them flat. This is one of the worst things you can do to store your collection of music. The reason behind this is that if you store your records flat, the weight of the stack may warp your records. One sure fire sign that records have been stacked is the ‘wax ring’ or the visual circle on the outer jacket of your record.

• It is best to store your records vertically and to not over pack the shelf with records. You want the records on the shelf to have a little play so that you can easily thumb through and find the album you want to play. The other reason is that an over packed shelf may also lead to warped records.

• Outer plastic sleeves are a great way to protect the album jacket and the record itself. We at Upper Left Records believe this is important and that is why with each record purchase we include one with every record already sleeved for you.

RECORD CLEANING
Ok, so you’re handling your records correctly and making sure that gunk from your hands is not getting into the groove of the records. Yet, you still hear that popping sound when the stylus is playing a record. That definitely means you have dust. Have no fear, your record is not ruined, you just need to give that album a little extra love.

Anti-Static Record Brush: 
These brushes have two rows of carbon fiber bristles that delicately remove the harmful dust from the surface of your records. They are very easy to use, require a light pressure to do their job and I almost religiously use one every time I’m playing a record. Each time I flip to the second side, I reuse the brush as well. They are not expensive usually around $15 and will do a great job removing the dust.

Record Cleaning Solution and an Anti-Static Cloth:
When you need to give your record a little bit deeper of a cleaning than just using a record brush — this is a great solution. Simply spritz a little record fluid onto the anti-static cloth and then with a very light pressure, hold the cloth in one spot and allow for the record to spin underneath the cloth. If I have a record that needs a little bit more cleaning, I will use the record brush first and then follow up with my anti-static cloth & cleaning fluid for a second round of a deeper cleaning. If there is an album that I haven’t played in a while, I will use both of the techniques prior to dropping the stylus and playing the album.

If you have a record that is persistent in it’s popping and you’ve tried both of these steps to remove that pesky dust you may need to do an even deeper clean. For that, I’d suggest heading on over to YouTube and doing a search, there is a lot of information available on how best to give your records a bath. With proper handling and consistent cleaning of your records it will lead to both an increase in the longevity of your vinyl, and your stylus. The big benefit though, is that you will have an improved quality of your sound fidelity.