It seems that lately, in the highly technological world we live in, more and more people are regaining their old vinyl to enjoy them, either for nostalgia, sound quality or simply because they are not stored in the drawer and put to use. These years ago, there are even many artists and musical groups that have also decided to release their new works in vinyl format, as a certain part of the market demands it.
Without going any further, at the time of writing this article I am enjoying a vinyl record dating from 1984, and although it does not have the quality of a current audio CD, that nostalgia takes us a couple of decades back, where to find Certain imperfections to the sound of a vinyl give it the beauty that characterizes them. But it also makes us wonder how can we clean our discs for obtain the highest quality and keep them in the best possible condition. Does that question also arise? Join us and you will discover the best methods to do it.
Of course, the first thing to keep in mind is not to be guided by the cover photo. Never wash a vinyl under running waterUnless you want a nice round paperweight from your favorite group. When cleaning a vinyl, we will have to take into account the level of dirt that the disc has. A vinyl that has been stored in a storage room for 20 years is not the same as a record that we use often.
Carbon fiber brush
The simplest method of cleaning surface dirt and dust is a carbon fiber brush. That the name does not alarm you, well its price ranges between about 10 and 20 euros, without going any further on Amazon you can find one of the Hama brand around 10 euros. Its use is as simple as pass it before and after disc playback, and it is only necessary to be careful with do not apply too much pressure so that the bristles do not penetrate into the furrows and can damage them.
Among its purposes is also that of Eliminate possible static electricity on the vinyl surface, so this will prevent it from attracting more dirt. With this simple tool we will achieve improve the state of conservation of our records and, above all, improve the sound quality.
Velvet brush for cleaning vinyl records
We can say that this solution is a first cousin of the one in the previous section. Basically is based on the same principle, with the only difference being brush material, who it's velvet instead of carbon fiber. It is a softer material, so we have less risk of disc damage. The downside of the velvet brush?
Mainly that attracts more dirt, so from time to time it will need us to clean it with alcoholEg and let it dry. For less than ten euros we have this kit which, in addition to containing the velvet brush, includes a microfiber cloth and a small brush to clean the needle of our turntable.
Vinyl cleaning with products that we have at home
But calm down. If you do not have the two brushes that we have shown you previously, or do not want to buy them, do not worry. There are alternatives to clean the vinyls with products that we have at home, or that in case of not having them, we can buy easily and cheaply. No, we are not talking about putting the records under the tap, but about Simple items such as microfiber cloths, dust cloths or even glasses cleaning wipes. Do you remember when we explained how to clean your mobile screen? Well, many elements are common to cleaning vinyl records.
It is very important avoid using items such as toilet paper or tissues, as they give off residues that can damage the vinyl. We must also take into account when using a microfiber cloth make it a brand new, that we have never used it to clean anything else, and that Let's wash it or use it for other purposes after a couple of uses, and use a new one again. With this we will avoid scratching the disc due to possible particles that have remained as a result of cleaning other elements.
As you have seen, cleaning a vinyl record is a very simple task and that it does not require expensive or difficult-to-find specific elements, and that even It can be done with cleaning elements that we have at home, although a small investment in one of the brushes shown above It will allow us to keep our vinyls in better condition and continue to obtain that sound quality for much longer..
We recommend do not use alcohol, as it contains a series of acids and solvents that are harmful to the material and could render our precious discs useless.