How to Clean Vinyl Records - The Ultimate Guide

When properly looked after, your vinyl record collection will last a lifetime and beyond, and a huge part of this is keeping your vinyl clean. Most importantly of all, clean vinyl records sound amazing, and while some people find comfort and nostalgia in a little surface, we want to keep this to a minimum for the best listening experience.
Follow our ultimate guide on how to clean vinyl records, and you'll be back to spinning glorious tunes before you know it.
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Tools: (AAL = Amazon Affiliate link):
Carbon fiber records brush (AAL): geni.us/audioquest
Pro-Ject VC-E Record Cleaning Machine (AAL): geni.us/projectvce
Spin-Clean Record Washer (ALL): geni.us/spinclean2020
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Full 'How to Clean Vinyl Records Guide':
www.yoursoundmatters.com/clea...
#vinylrecords #recordcleaning #vintagevinyl

[@soundmatters]

Thanks for watching! 🎶🎧 Do drop your comments and questions below. If you'd like to support the channel, check the video description for many DISCOUNT CODES codes to enjoy money off various products and feed your vinyl habit! (I earn a small commission - no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!

[@VinylPro]

agree ! "clean and cleaning" is essential for a record !

[@mjallenuk]

I feel that was a good balance of options and information... cheers!

[@bondgabebond4907]

From another video I found the perfect solution that should cost less than $5. Went to the big box hardware store and bought one of those flat paint brushes with 1/4 inch soft white bristles. I mixed up a solution of water and a little Oxy dish soap. Covered the label, and started cleaning. The bristles will track the groves nicely. I then rinse and spray down each side with distilled water to get rid of the tap water. Slap the disk on a nice soft terrycloth towel, take microfiber cloth and gently wipe up the remaining water. Sadly, record with poor pressings, actual damage will not be improved but the removal the grime, fingerprints and dirt will reveal a better sounding record. But then I pop in a CD and experience no snap, crackle or pops while my record is permanently stuck with them. But the records do sound better with the fine particles removed with a simple $4 paint brush.

[@darsecord]

Excellent video....thanks for the demo and tips.

[@soundmatters]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found it helpful.

[@burtwatson8990]

Good information. What about cleaning of the turntable itself. I know there are a lot of mats available but after cleaning your record you put it back on a dirty table and you're back to square one! Keep the vids coming!

[@dancalmpeaceful3903]

Excellent vid...one of the best.....as you say - it's way better to use something that's been RESEARCHED and TESTED.

[@soundmatters]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@suresma4507]

Excellent tutorial

[@soundmatters]

Great. Glad it helped. Happy spinning

[@iamspyvspy3077]

1. When hand cleaning use 2 mats as you don't want to put your just cleaned side onto a mat that has been in contact with the dirty underside of the record ;) 2. With the Project buy yourself a little spray bottle, it makes applying the fluid much easier. 3. The Projects clean a lot better if you do a couple of good hand scrubs before using doing the motor driven scrub.

[@JERKBEEF-dp1td]

Thanks!!!

[@soundmatters]

Thanks for watching!

[@erikplug4638]

Excellent videos, new subscriber here! I made an investment in a vacuum cleaner, the Okki Nokki and it is the best investment ever. Have had several records that tended to be unplayable with lots of skips and surface noise. Hand cleaning as in your first option did not do much as you still leave dirt left in the grooves while air drying. After cleaning on the Okki they sounded like new records, you would be amazed of the dirt it actually extracts. For all vinyl enthusiasts, a vacuum cleaner should be present. Especially if you also buy records from second hand shops or the like. Most likely you will be giving them there first actual cleaning. Your last option should be avoided by all costs in my opinion, tried that myself but you are more likely to ruin the labels on the record as the fluid drips down once you get the wet side up. If on a budget clean them by hand as in the first option. If you can afford, get a vacuum cleaner.

[@soundmatters]

Hey Erik - sorry it's taken me a while to reply to your comment here. Thanks so much. I'm glad you like the videos. The Okki Nokki is a great investment. Happy spinning!

[@vincentrathbone26]

Any ideas on how to get rid of the dreaded frosting/misting on records that's caused by those aweful thick PVC sleeves.

[@robertgough508]

Thanks very helpful. I avoid alcohol use copletely

[@soundmatters]

Glad it was helpful. No harm in being on the safe side with the alcohol-based cleaners. Happy spinning

[@newdawn_draws]

Great video, just what I needed! How often do you recommend doing this process? Every time you play a record or just when visibly dusty? Thank you.

[@soundmatters]

Great - I'm so glad it was helpful. There isn't a set amount of time. I clean all my record purchases before I play them (even new ones due to the release agent that can sometimes be left on the surface). If you take good care of the record, you shouldn't need to clean them very often. Use a carbon fiber record brush before and after each playback, always store them in a good record sleeve, and you should only need to clean them occasionally. Use your ears, if they sound like they need a clean, by all means, give them a clean. Hope this helps further. Happy spinning. More record tips are available on our website, of course :)

[@newdawn_draws]

@@soundmatters thank you that’s very helpful 😃

[@mandyscherzer2085]

7:55

[@djriddem]

I’ve always washed my records by sinking them in tap water and fairy liquid, only to be told that the minerals are supposed to destroy your vinyl. 😢 Although I have to say, it does a fine job and I always make sure the records are immediately towel dried and years on I haven’t noticed any issues with longevity (I imagine longevity would be worse through not cleaning them at all). Are any of these cleaning techniques able to remove previous tap water deposits or should I be looking to sell all my records shortly??

[@papoosee]

Can you use other record cleaning solutions in the spin clean? For example, can you dilute the G2 or G3 in distilled water or other brands of record cleaning fluid even though they are 'meant for RCM' or manual hand cleaning?

[@soundmatters]

Yea, you could use other cleaning fluids. Though you wouldn't want to dilute the regular GrooveWasher fluids, you'd want to use one of their concentrates (which is what the Spin Clean ships with - a concentrate). There is a G3 concentrate: www.groovewasher.com/collections/record-cleaning-fluids/products/g3-concentrate-8oz-128oz Best to premix at their recommended amounts. You can get 10% off using the code SOUNDMATTERS10 Hope this helps!

[@StonefieldJim4]

I've wrecked two LPs with gritty cloths. I live in a very hard water area, so yep, washing them in a washing machine was a big mistake.

[@fc-8843]

Would it make sense to first spin wash then use the Groovewasher or is that overkill since they pretty much do the same thing? I figure starting with a good dunk couldn't hurt.

[@soundmatters]

It definitely wouldn't hurt if the records are very dirty, but it'll also add a significant amount of time to the process. In many cases, you'll find a quick spruce up with GrooveWasher is enough. But it also depends how many records you're cleaning in one go. The SpinClean is a good way to affordably batch clean records, but I'd say a vacuum cleaning machine is preferable if you can afford one.

[@biketech60]

Not a guide to the Ultimate Cleaning , but a guide to cleaning reasonably well on the cheap . Ultrasonics clean more deeply , but have performance issues and higher cost . None of the commercially available ultrasonic record cleaning machines will get the Ultimate sound from records , although in America there is one custom record cleaning service that does .

[@soundmatters]

Perfect Vinyl Forever I suspect you mean. The Degritter is good

[@donjacobson7329]

I have vinyl 78s from the 1940s that were recorded by my father and other family members during and shortly after WWII in storefront recording studios that were set up by the USO so servicemen could send recordings back home. Some are just spoken word, but some also contain music recordings since my father was a professional singer. Most have become heavily fouled due to poor storage and handling and have extremely poor sound quality. When I found a commercial cleaning solution at Best Buy the package itself said not to use the product on vinyl discs produced before 1950 since they were made in a different process than vinyl produced afterward. I would appreciate any guidance or referral to KZbin clips on how to clean these discs.

[@soundmatters]

Hi Don. Thanks for your message. Firstly, that's an amazing collection to have -- what a nice treasure trove of history! In relation to cleaning Shellac records (78s), the reason you can't use the fluid from Best Buy is likely due to it containing alcohol as part of the ingredients. Alcohol will melt shellac records, so it's imperative that any record cleaning fluid you choose does not contain any alcohol... Record Doctor has an alcohol-free cleaning fluid that ships with their vacuum record cleaning machine (Amazon Affiliate link: amzn.to/3Ibjo8z) I believe they sell the fluid separately too, so you could try that. If you did choose to use the machine as well, then just be aware that there is a higher risk of breaking shellac records as they are very brittle. I'd be very gentle and slow, or if you're worried at all.... clean entirely by hand instead. Hope this helps!

[@tylerd8711]

Agua desmineralizada y listo!

[@eduardozelada717]

Alcohol isopropílico?🤔

[@tylerd8711]

@@eduardozelada717 personalmente no hago esa famosa fórmula. Solo aplico abundante agua desmineralizada y luego seco bien. Finalmente, le doy una pasada completa al disco y a veces queda la aguja llena de pelusas (dependiendo de cuán sucio estaba). Luego, a disfrutar!

[@gregm7976]

I have this same fiber brush and I've noticed that after cleaning and looking at my vinyl under a bright light, there are little brush fibers that a left behind on my record.

[@soundmatters]

Do you mean the carbon fiber brush? The Audio Quest one?

[@gregm7976]

@@soundmatters Yes. I have the same carbon fiber brush and it sheds. I didn't notice until I put my vinyl under bright light and noticed little bristle hairs that were left on the surface of my record after cleaning.

[@soundmatters]

@@gregm7976 It certainly shouldn't be doing that. I think you might have a faulty one.

[@hongwei4809]

I am getting dust on stylus even after cleaning with groovewasher. How long is your drying time per side?

[@soundmatters]

This is common when you've got a very dirty record with stubborn dust that's been beaten into the record by playing it dirty. Repeat the cleaning process a few times and you should see the dust eventually go. Some records are harder to clean than others. You might want to consider the two step G3 fluid for very dirty records. Also, using a record cleaning machine will help as it sucks the contaminated fluid off the record surface making it easier to remove that with a microfiber towel alone. In my experience, you can absolutely clean a record effectively by hand, but you need to keep the pad clean and relatively dry so that it can effectively soak up the contaminated fluid. Ultimately, for very dirty records, having a record cleaning machine, or an ultrasonic does make life much easier. Even with a record cleaning machine, I've found some records need a couple or more cleans to completely stop the dust or gunk build up on your stylus. Lastly, leaving the record cleaning fluid on the surface for a little longer before mopping it up can help. Hope this helps. Any further questions, just let me know. Marc

[@hongwei4809]

@@soundmatters Hey Marc cheers and thank you for the reply! unfortunately I'm having problems with brand new records rather than very dirty, used ones. I will try to repeat the cleaning process again if possible! is letting the record dry for 1 minute sufficent? (as seen in groovywasher's YT)

[@vice4134]

Those fancy equipments are waste of money!!! I wash my vinyl records by hand with suction cups and paint pad. Works like charm & cleans very well.

[@TheGamingWattsit]

Can you use any record cleaning solution with the vacuum?

[@soundmatters]

Hey. Yes, so long as it's safe on your records. I'd advise staying away from high isopropyl alcohol-based cleaning fluids though. I use GrooveWasher with this machine.

[@TheGamingWattsit]

Sound Matters thanks

[@Fonkemman]

Hmm my carbon fiber brush made may brand new pristine record full of its bristles 😢. And I can see it because it is a colored vinyl. Now how do I remove them?

[@soundmatters]

That's odd!? What brush did you use? Sounds like a fault to me.

[@thepanamahat]

Want to buy the Mondo kit, is it available in Europe ?

[@soundmatters]

Juno records stock some of their products in the U.K. I can check with them about EU though. I’ll ask for you. You can buy direct from their site, but, of course, that comes with shipping and duty. I’ll come back to you shortly…

[@thepanamahat]

@@soundmatters Hey, thanks for your help, I've ordered them from Juno. 🙂

[@soundmatters]

@@thepanamahat - Great! hope it serves you well

[@jamesphillips7100]

So yours wobbles like mine then 🤣, I made an exhaust to stop the wet air going back on to the record from underneath, I know they started including that clear disc to put underneath but I found liquid could fill of the edges of the record and get trapped.

[@soundmatters]

I noticed the odd wobble and actually managed to fix it. There's a good chance your platter is installed upside down. There's an in-set screw hole that is meant to stop this, but it often gets missed by whoever is putting them together. Let me know if you want more info on this. 5-minute job - sorted.

[@jamesphillips7100]

@@soundmatters yeah if you don’t mind that would be great 👍 edit:actually I’ve just taken the platter off and the spindle itself is wobbling

[@soundmatters]

@@jamesphillips7100 ah, damn. Sounds like a different problem. I’ll bet it’s fixable; might be worth a quick email to the manufacturer. I’ll see if I can get some advice from them

[@Twoface698]

When I am using a carbon fibre brush on my record it leaves little microscratches. Nothing major, but visible under strong light. Is this normal? I’m very gentle and have tested two different brushes

[@latetotheparty7551]

Sorry for responding to your old comment but I noticed the same and it hasn't affect playback. That being said, I opt for a natural, long fiber brush for gathering surface dust and a record roller for removal. Said roller can be rinsed off and dried so it's reusable. I've had mine for just over a year.

[@Twoface698]

@@latetotheparty7551 thanks for the suggestions!

[@latetotheparty7551]

@@Twoface698 Of course! I'm quite surprised you got a notification or a reply but am glad you did. How's your vinyl journey been since?

[@Twoface698]

@@latetotheparty7551 I just accepted the fact that the might be microscratches and just been very delicate with the brush. But got a velvet pad brush and cleaning spray to wash the records with. That really was a great investment :D How are you doing?

[@latetotheparty7551]

@@Twoface698 Same. I don't see them anymore since changing up my main brush and wet cleaning ever record that I get now. I'm slowing down but getting more precise with my choices. Way behind on my Unplayed bin but that's a good problem to have.

[@madmetalofsixties2315]

Hy, no way at all. 😁

[@PilgrimFL]

"Let's get straight into it" followed by 40 seconds of useless intro video.

[@brianp1230]

This is an advertisement

[@ICU81269]

This video does not show a record being cleaned. My video actually shows a record being cleaned.

[@soundmatters]

Yes it does 😂

[@cameraplus7233]

I'm not sure what you watched, but I watched it being cleaned & it clearly shows an LP being cleaned using several different ways.🤦‍♂️