Sunday, June 5, 2011

Vinyl Records Cleaning

By Jake Sommerfield


When you have vinyl records at home, they will be old classics which are probably dear to you. A lot of the music on vinyl records is currently accessible of CDs but for a lot of people, there is nothing to beat the charm of listening to great old music in its original form. However, vinyl records are much more fragile that CDs and need to be carefully looked after and cleaned regularly to help keep them in good condition. Playing a dirty record can both damage the record as well as the stylus of your record player.

* Dust off the records prior to and after each use. Make sure you use a soft cloth to gently wipe the surface. If you have a large collection to maintain its worthwhile buying a carbon fiber record cleaning brush available from music stores or retailers that sell old records. Always wipe the record in a circular motion along the grooves. Do not rub too hard - you can harm and even break the record. Don't blow on the record - the moisture inside your breath may get trapped in the grooves and collect dirt.

* To clean really dirty records, the very best choice would be to use a specialty record domestic cleaning spray or solution. Nevertheless, even these may affect the record if used too frequently so clean only when you must. Individual brands have their very own usage instructions that ought to be followed meticulously.

* If document cleansing solutions and sprays aren't available, you can make the solution your self. Using a clean plastic or glass bowl make a solution of 80% distilled water and 20% isopropyl alcohol. Use only distilled H2O because tap water contains minerals that can affect the record surface. And use only isopropyl alcohol as any other form of alcohol will be too strong and could wreck the record.

* First wipe the dirt off the surface as mentioned above.

* Dip a bit of clear soft lint free cloth in the solution so that it turns into damp but not dripping wet. Use this cloth to wipe the record surface in a circular motion along the grooves. Rub any stained areas gently to loosen the dirt.

* Make certain no moisture comes into contact with the labels. This might loosen the glue and cause the label to fall off.

* As soon as both sides of the record are clean, wipe them dry with a clean soft cloth and then place it on a soft cloth to air dry completely.Keep in mind to constantly handle a record only by the sides and never touch the record surface.






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