How To CLEAN & RESTORE Vintage Vinyl Albums | Discs & Covers

One method I actually use first to remove stickers is a heat gun with adjustable temperature. You have to be careful with laminated covers. There are heat guns with adjustable temperature starting at 50°/60°C.

Of course, the vinyl should be removed from the sleeve first!

For removing sticky labels I've had a lot of success heating the label with a hair drier which melts the glue. Remove the vinyl from the sleeve first, of course!!

magic!

Even your cleaning video is super interesting and full of history. Many thanks Andrew!

Is there an effective way to remove yellow water/humidity stains from non glossy lp covers?

I discovered that you can remove minor surface crackle, ticks, and even possibly a skip by playing the record at 78 RPM using a Crosley Cruiser record player. The speed and the weight of the tone arm cleans the grooves out quite nicely. Even brand new records seem to have crackle these days, even after using a Spin Clean on them. Of course, using a good stylus is important. I have never seen any evidence that by using this process, it had caused damage to the record. I've had great success with this! I picked up my Crosley used for $15.00 US.

I just want know how do you use the lighter fluid to get the stikers off.Thank you

I hear Alexis Korner in your voice

I've just stumbled upon your video's and find them extremely informative and well presented. The background information you give on everything is fascinating and very helpful. I've got rid of all my PVC covers thanks to you, and bought PVC free ones. Excellent channel which i will recommend to friends, I'm subscribed now. Many Thanks.

Pure isopropanol is not available, I think he means 99%

Loved this and saved it, I will be going ‘back’ through my collection and cleaning up those rear edges!

Cleaning records with the knosti machine or throw away sponge using dish soap or washingmachine soap for wool. After cleaning they are getting a shower. Let them drip and dry them with soft toiletpaper. Last thing i do is using an anti static brush before i play them. Result is good.

By the way, i read in an old Dutch magazine an item about cleaning, the man cleaned them a couple of times and noticed a positive effect. Another thing is the grease or oil in the groove after pressing the record, it seems the oil comes from within the vinyl but i think that once liquid layer becomes a bit thicker after decades and adds some unwanted noise to the record, am i right? Hadn't played my records for decades but in my memory they sounded cleaner in the old days.
Pity i wasn't as careful like my brother who's records are still in a great condition....

I wash mine in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly and finish with a touch of WD40 and rinse again. Dry with the wet paper towel I used to initially wash the record and polish with a soft lint free cloth. The WD40 takes away all and I mean all of the static.

Vinyl is plastic so when I come home with a bunch of bargain bin finds, I use warm water and Dawn dish soap and gently scrub with a soft cloth. Then run them under water, avoiding the paper label. Does no harm and always surprised how much old surface dirt comes off. The machines are a joke! You need some elbow grease sometimes.

What would you recommend to use on mold spots on a non-laminated album jacket?

I Just clean it with cocoa soap bar since end seventies...

Lp cleaning machines are expensive, but as you indicated, I bought my NittyGritty vacuum machine in the early '90s and it still works great. I also use an enzyme based fluid. Love your vids!

Every record I buy, new or used, goes thru a SpinClean before I first play it. This works great a removing clicks and pops, even on new vinyl. For the harder cases I have an ultrasonic cleaner, which I built myself (there are many discussions online as to how to do this.) Then every disc goes into a MoFi antistatic sleeve, and the playing surfaces never get touched by the hand of man.

I think the video is a little dismissive of the wood glue method. With some care and attention (and practice on junk records) it works wonderfully.

Are there any videos of Cecil Watts original Parastat machine in action? I have been unable to find one

Interesting video. I use a spray and velvet brush and is good for my needs.I avoid anything with bristles as I have found over the years that too my bristles come off and end up being undidected on the black vinyl service of my records. Only noticed this when I used the brush on one of my white vinyl records.

Titebond II wood glue works wonders. Don't believe me? Try it. It gets a much deeper clean than anything else including ultrasonic. A professional level DIY vacuum setup should cost you less than $40 USD.

i use BENZINE[the leather cleaner one] to take away labels from the front and back and the label and it works with a bit of cotton wool which you put on the label for about 5min and then the label comes off easily.

great vid - thank you

I'm glad I subscribed to your channel and even more glad to have come across this video. Thanks for all the cleaning tips and advice. I am now hoping to find some method (perhaps you have one?) of fixing my vinyl of Abbey Road which was left sitting in the sun in its cover at some stage. I heard about the panes of glass method but I suspect it would be defeated because the record rim is slightly raised and anyway, warping implies stretching of the plastic to some extent. I can afford to try and restore this particular album because it is the only damaged one in my collection and I do have the CD. But it would be nice to get the vinyl working again if it can be done.

I've spent many decades minutiously cleaning my vinyl collection and record jackets to keep them museum quality. I'm now 87 and have 3 weeks to live and my physician has asked me if I lead a productive life. sigh....

I recently got a HumminGuru, my first ultrasonic machine. I paid $479.00 and after 100+ records I'm very happy with it. It is compact, easy to use and I have had great results, and yes, even with my older Beatles records. I bought the HumminGuru brand surfactant to go into the distilled water (two drops per 400ml of water). I previously used the Spin-Clean. Great video!

I bought a 2012 pressing of 'Ziggy Stardust' by David Bowie, and it had an ugly sticker right on the paper of the cover even though it was shrink-wrapped new. This video popped into my head, and sure enough, lighter fluid did the trick. You're a saint, Andrew.

Very fine ideas for covers. Records clean best in a ultrasonic. With care.

Cool video! Thanks!
I powerwash my records!😆😜✌

How do you clean a Rolling Stones record?

I find it interesting that what i do is basically a home made 1st gen EMITEX cloth, the thing that’s interesting to me is that i learned that from my mom, who learned learned it from her uncle so the advice I’ve been given probably does date to the 60’s!

Maybe off topic, but is there a way to get mold off of albums? I have an HMV Yellow Submarine box, and it has some mold on the box and the paper inserts.

Hello Andrew, I must admit I never knew anything about the history of record cleaning. I have been lucky as far as finding original 60s Beatles LPs in mint to mint minus shape. Six are UK originals, the rest are a mix of first pressings from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Denmark. As such, I have had little problems with grimy Beatles records, but thave with a lot of other records. For records with a lot of bildup, crud, film, and even drops of paint, I do use glue. I prefer white glue, like Elmer's or school glue. It works just as well as wood glue , and is easier to remove. But glue should only be reserved for records with a lot of junk on them. Something crate diggers often come across in the wild. To easily remove the glue, get enough in the trail off vinyl, to form tabs you can easily pull and peel.

Here in the US we never saw EMI or Philips products before the advent of the internet.

I have a large record collection. Roughly half of which is classical. Like jazz, this can get you into the area of early LPs, from the late 1940s, and early 1950s. If you collect early LPs like this, you will often find these are on noisy vinyl, even if they look mint minus. For such records, a good modern cleaning machine is essential. The machine I use is a VPI 16.5. These can be bought on ebay for a few hundred dollars each.

The only reason I use lighter fluid, is to remove stubborn stickers, especially from covers that are not laminated. The fluid I use is original Ronsonol. The stuff used for butane lighters does not work as well.

Vinegar will remove mold, however, afterwards you should rinse off the vinegar with distilled water. Never use tap water as it often has lime in it

How you restore any Beatles album I’d break it!

I have used wood glue with excellent results on used LPs that showed no scratches but had 50 years of gunk in the grooves. By using an old turntable and slowly applying the glue while the turntable is spinning and then using a thin piece of cardboard to spread the glue over the vinyl. About 24 hours later it removes very easily and my lps have played almost like new. AND there’s no risk of damage.
As a serious collector, I would never suggest a method that could harm your precious vinyl.

I have a velvet cleaner that you hold over the rotating record to gather the dust. It fits in it's own little velvet-lined case. Probably bought it sometime in the 70's. Didn't know Sgt. Pepper record was that valuable. Mine (US) still has the original inserts. All my Beatles album were loved and played often back in the day.

You are great . Thanks for all

Does this work for other bands too

I clean my records with a damp microfiber cloth. Water with a spot of alcohol. Regular wipe downs get them to the point where they generally stay clean. I had a record that skipped on one song due to inbeded fleck, which I put a spot of acetone (not even a drop) which loosened the dirt, now the song plays through. Covers I don't really bother with, I find a new outer sleeve improves a tired looking cover.

(Update) switched from 70% to 91% and it's soo effective and easy. I have made 4 LP'S NM in about an hour or so! As My British Classical collection grows, I am getting more content! I'd say if you have a Lazy weekend and have some dirty flipbacks in your record shelf, id say follow this process! P.S. One of The LP's are 4 numbers away from the catalog number of With the Beatles! My Irish album; PMC 1210 With the Beatles PMC 1206! Thanks very much! Cheers!

Wood glue does work but DO NOT USE CHEAP WOOD GLUE … evostick and gorilla works and comes off in one peace … get a cheap badly looked after record and try it

you restored the shit outta them records yo

Thats the thing about buying old records, i kinda like buying old banged up records with peoples names on them and stuff. It shows that they were loved and played and enjoyed. But on the other hand i do love a pristine condition vintage vinyl.

I was also wondering of theres a safe way to re attach peeling flipbacks, it looks like a sore thumb compared to the parts that were white after I cleaned them. P.S. I don't think i'm gonna have much luck with the peeling laminate on the front. Poor -5 -5 Rubber Soul :(

The Spin Cleaner is an amazing piece of kit. I'd recommend it wholeheartedly.

I remember using a basic svelte cloth from the local av store, then I graduated to their spray which after a while started to leave wet stains over the vinyl. One day I went to a record store and the woman behind the counter told me to use gin when cleaning the records. I started to and what a difference. My mom has a record she really played down and claimed it was worn, first I washed it in the gin, then I played it with the gin on the record (I only used a BSR ceramic cartridge at the time or a cartridge where the needle was bent downward towards record because of how much gin was used), the record cleaned up beautifully making most of the years of playing go away virtually sounded like it was only a couple years old instead of 30+ well used.