As many of you know, I am a massive fan of the sound and experience of vinyl records. To me nothing sounds better than a good warm vinyl record for music, and I want you to have that experience too. So often on social media I see people posting about how they just bought a vinyl record and it sounds awful. There is so much noise and distortion when listening to the album. Most of the time it is because they put that record on the turntable right out of the box. I’m guilty of doing that as well when it’s an album I’ve been waiting to get for some time, but I know what to expect when I do this. It is crucial that you have a way to clean your records before casting them aside. I highly recommend cleaning them even before you put them on the turntable for the very first time. Not only will that ensure the best listening experience, but your stylus will stay clean of dirt and debris if you clean the record first.
Here are some cleaning tips and suggestions I have for you to help make your vinyl listening experience the best it can be outside of upgrading audio gear.
Invest in a nice record cleaner. This will improve your records’ playability tenfold. Here are some options that are available from inexpensive to investment:
- Microfiber cloth with a spray bottle of water. This isn’t the preferred option by any means, but it will help. Simple distilled water and a nice microfiber cloth can get dust and dirt off the surface of the album and improve your sound. Personally, this is the least desirable option, and I would investigate one of the other options listed below.
- Spin Cleaner. There are various options here available on the market and the investment isn’t going to break the bank. I started with this method myself and it became a fun exercise when I had a stack of records to clean. I’d put on some music and just go to work. Below are a few options to look at for this. With this method I would also suggest a good way to dry the albums after they have been bathed. Again, two Microfiber clothes will work, but I personally like to air dry my albums. For this I use a simple dish rack that you can get at your local Target or Walmart. It’s cheap and works great.
- The Spin Clean – This is a fantastic machine, but it can be at the high end price wise for the type of unit. It comes with a small bottle of their own cleaning solution (I still use this) and a microfiber cloth. Price: $79.99 More Info Here
- Big Fudge Cleaning Machine – This is pretty much the same as a spin clean, but from another manufacturer and a few bucks less when on sale. It comes with a bottle of solution, a microfiber cloth, a record brush (I recommend using one before playing your record), a drying rack, and stylus gel to get dirt and dust off the stylus (be careful with these as some don’t work that well). Price: $69.99 on sale $84.99 msrp. More Info Here
- Studebaker Cleaning System – Same concept as the previous two, but at a lower price point. It comes with a bottle of solution and some soft pads for drying the albums. Price: $49.80 More Info Here
- Ultra-sonic Cleaners. Now we are getting into the good stuff. This is what I currently use to clean my records, and while the spin clean does a fantastic job, the ultra-sonic cleaner takes it to another level. By shooting water at the records using ultra-sonic waves, it can get deep into the grooves and remove hidden dirt and grime that may be buried. While not a miracle worker, the ultra-sonic method can make records that have lots of noise sound better than ever. It may not get rid of everything, but it will improve the sound. Here are some options for ultra-sonic cleaners.
- I’ll call this the Frankenstein method. Officially it isn’t a record cleaner, but with some attachments it can be used perfectly to clean your albums. First, you need a 6.5L tank. This will be deep enough and wide enough to accommodate your records. Next you need a spinner to rotate the records as it cleans. That’s it. The biggest downside of this option is that it is loud and the sound it makes isn’t very pleasant, so make sure you have a place where you can put it to clean and close the door to dampen the sound. There are plenty of options out there that come prepackaged with the tank and spinner. Here is one I recommend. Price: $125-$200 More Info Here
- The HumminGuru. The HumminGuru has been around for a short time, but it has made some noise in the vinyl community. This unit will not only clean your album but also dry it in one cycle. That’s pretty darn cool if you ask me. The biggest drawback to HumminGuru is that you can only clean one album at a time. This is great if you just bought a record and need to clean it, but if you need to clean ten, twenty, hundreds, or thousands of records it is going to take a long time to do. At about ten to twenty minutes a record, it isn’t a logical first step into ultra-sonic cleaning. That said, if you aren’t new to the world of ultra-sonic cleaning and want to take the next step, this is a good unit to look at. Price: $599.99 More Info Here
- Vacuum cleaners. Now we get into the more expensive area as we look at vacuum cleaners. These units combine a cleaning and drying sequence in a nice easy and quick process. Simply put your record on, apply the included solution, use a brush to spread the solution on the album then hit go. The unit will clean and then vacuum the album. Flip and do the other side. I personally have never used one of these units before, but I know many people who love them and swear by them. One of our local record shops uses this method to clean every used album that comes in to the store. Here are some options:
- Pro-Ject VC-S3 – This is a very popular model that comes with a motor and vacuum button so you can clean and then dry. It comes with the cleaning solution, a brush to apply it to the record, and a few replacement parts for the unit. Price: $799.00 More Info Here
- The Record Doctor VI – The Record Doctor has been around for over 20 years now and was the name in vacuum cleaning units. Similar to the Pro-Ject unit, it uses a solution that is brushed onto the record, then you flip the record over and vacuum the solution off. It’s more work, but the same result in the end. It comes with the solution and brush. Price: $350.00 More Info Here
- The Vinyl Vac – Okay, this isn’t really a cleaning machine, but it works great for drying records if you don’t want to air dry and use a microfiber cloth. The downside to this unit is you need a Lazy Susan or old turntable that you can use to manually spin the record as you vacuum, and you need a separate mini vacuum to attach it too. I used this method with my Spin Clean unit and found it to be very helpful. It comes with a cleaning brush (for the Vinyl Vac itself) and replacement parts. Price: $30 More Info Here
Now that we have covered cleaning options for your records, there are some other cleaning tips. Invest in a carbon fiber anti-static brush. There are numerous options available for this. I recommend using it on your records before you drop the needle each spin. This will remove the unwanted static, and any debris on the album before your needle touches it. I’ll leave some links below of items I have used and recommend.
Boundless Audio Record Cleaner Brush
Hudson HiFi Vinyl Record Brush
Audio-Technica AT6011 Anti-Static Record Brush
Big Fudge Vinyl 2-in-1 Wooden Record Cleaning Brush
Big Fudge Vinyl Record Cleaning Kit 4-in-1
Next, I recommend a stylus brush but be very careful. Always brush the stylus from back to front and NEVER the opposite direction. This gently removes any dust, dirt, and debris from the stylus itself. Some people recommend a cleaning solution to dab on to the brush before using it, but others say not to. The choice is up to you on that one. Personally, I will use the solution if the debris is stubborn and won’t come off with just the brush, but most of the time I will use a dry brush to get the residue off my needle. There are also other options such as gel cleaners, and an ultra-sonic stylus cleaner. I have used them all and still go back to the brush, but all of them work well. For me, I just don’t like the idea of a sticky surface tugging on my stylus to clean it. Check out the links below for some recommended products.
Boundless Audio Stylus Cleaner Brush
Turntable Stylus Cleaning Brush
2PCS Record Player Needle Cleaning Brush
Hudson HiFi Stylus Cleaner Gel
Hudson HiFi Turntable Ultra Sonic Styles Cleaner
MOPIANO Record Stylus Cleaning Kit
Vinyl Styl Record Cleaning Fluid
Cleaning your albums is essential if you want to have the best listening experience from your vinyl records. I hope the tips and suggestions I have offered are not just helpful but inspire you to get more joy out of your record collection now and in the future. I’d love to hear what you do to clean your albums, and if you don’t currently which option you think is the best for you. You can’t go wrong with any of the options I have laid out in this article as they will all help make your albums sound better than they did coming out of the package. And yes, I do recommend cleaning not just used albums but new albums. There is a lot of residues left behind by those pressing plants that you just don’t see right away. Happy cleaning everyone, and thanks for reading.