Tell me your best method for cleaning LPs & 78s!

[PrettySquareGal]

Please share with me how you clean your LPs and 78s including any brands of cleaners or kits you recommend. Thanks!

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Klear Screen

I use Klear Screen. I picked this stuff up a few years ago to clean LCD screens, but I have found that it works really well for just about everything. I have used it on LPs by simply spraying the liquid directly on the surface and gently wiping it off with their lint-free Klear Kloths. Works great for CDs and DVDs as well.

 

[vitanola]

I use Klear Screen. I picked this stuff up a few years ago to clean LCD screens, but I have found that it works really well for just about everything. I have used it on LPs by simply spraying the liquid directly on the surface and gently wiping it off with their lint-free Klear Kloths. Works great for CDs and DVDs as well.

I wouldn't use Kleer Screen on 78's, as it contains alcohol, a solvent of shellac, the principal constituent of most 78's.

 

[LizzieMaine]

For 78s I use a simple soap-and-water solution applied lightly with a soft paint pad -- don't scour, just a wipe, followed by a rinse. Don't ever play 78s wet -- wait for them to fully dry first!

 

[W4ASZ]

For 78s I use a simple soap-and-water solution applied lightly with a soft paint pad -- don't scour, just a wipe, followed by a rinse. Don't ever play 78s wet -- wait for them to fully dry first!

That is what I was always told.

 

[RetroToday]

I put about ten 78s at a time into a sink full of luke warm water with a healthy amount of dish soap mixed in and let them soak about three minutes.
I leave them in absolutely no more time than that, mainly because I don't want to risk labels peeling off.

While the record is submerged I use a soft bristled toothbrush to clean the surface, lightly circling the record with the grooves.

If I get a pile of really musty records (that are worth the effort) I will add a couple drops of tea tree oil to the sink of water to somewhat disinfect the surface of the record. Give them a good rinse and finally place them into dish drying racks over a towel on the counter, letting them completely drip dry for a few hours.

Much of the dirt and oil accumulated over the years is eliminated. The difference in audio quality before and after a cleaning can be incredible. *Not in all cases, of course. I use this same cleaning technique for LPs, with less use of a toothbrush.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

I wouldn't use Kleer Screen on 78's, as it contains alcohol, a solvent of shellac, the principal constituent of most 78's.

I can't say if Klear Screen would be good or bad for 78's, but they specifically state that it is alcohol and ammonia free. which is why I recommended it.

 

[vitanola]

I put about ten 78s at a time into a sink full of luke warm water with a healthy amount of dish soap mixed in and let them soak about three minutes.
I leave them in absolutely no more time than that, mainly because I don't want to risk labels peeling off.

While the record is submerged I use a soft bristled toothbrush to clean the surface, lightly circling the record with the grooves.

If I get a pile of really musty records (that are worth the effort) I will add a couple drops of tea tree oil to the sink of water to somewhat disinfect the surface of the record. Give them a good rinse and finally place them into dish drying racks over a towel on the counter, letting them completely drip dry for a few hours.

Much of the dirt and oil accumulated over the years is eliminated. The difference in audio quality before and after a cleaning can be incredible. *Not in all cases, of course. I use this same cleaning technique for LPs, with less use of a toothbrush.

Don't do this with Blue label, Flag label, Notes or banner label Columbia discs. Columbia used wood flour as a filler rather than the china clay used by the Victor. A Columbia disc of this vintage can entirely use its quiet surface after exposure to water. PLEASE don't expose these pre-1924 Columbia discs to any considerable amount of water.

The same is true of many Blue Zonophone pressings, and some Carl Lindstrom discs of 'teens vintage, on labels such as Odeon, Beka, Rena, and Parlophone.

 

[RetroToday]

Don't do this with Blue label, Flag label, Notes or banner label Columbia discs. Columbia used wood flour as a filler rather than the china clay used by the Victor. A Columbia disc of this vintage can entirely use its quiet surface after exposure to water. PLEASE don't expose these pre-1924 Columbia discs to any considerable amount of water.

The same is true of many Blue Zonophone pressings, and some Carl Lindstrom discs of 'teens vintage, on labels such as Odeon, Beka, Rena, and Parlophone.

Thanks vitanola, I haven't washed any Columbia pre-1924 records with the method I mentioned above. I should have written more about records to take a more careful approach with.

It's also a "no-no" to wash many of the early coloured label 78 records of any sort, just because the label graphics use dyes that are water soluble.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's also important to keep water far away from Edison Diamond Discs -- it'll cause the core of the record to swell up and fracture the surface. It *is* OK to use alcohol, however, on the surface of Diamond Discs -- it's a patented compound called "Condensite" which is not made from shellac.