Washing a dirty LP record using soap and water - cheap and safe method!
Published 2013-05-19
All Comments (21)
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That's the cleanest sink I've ever seen in my life. It looks brand new.
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Back in the late 70's, an audiophile at Pacific Stereo in Milwaukee WI told me to gently wash my LP's like this. I've been cleaning my 1700 LP's like this for over 40 years and haven't lost a patient yet...
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i agree with everyone below you dont need some ridiculously expensive machine to clean a record just good old soap and water
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WARNING! Yes this almost always works great (been doing it for 20 years) however BE CAREFUL with the labels! Most are basically water proof, but some flat/matte/stamped etc labels can get ruined/smeared. I try to avoid submerging entire disc. Also 78s are not vinyl and break easily especially if you use warm water!
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I used this method today to clean an lp by the band Chicago. Had a skip in it. After cleaning and drying, the skip is gone and the record plays perfectly, Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for sharing this! I am going through my late uncle’s collection, and I’m finding a lot of water damage, dirt, mold, etc. I am using this method in the records themselves (with great success) and using disposable bleach wipes on the covers/sleeves that can be salvaged. So thankful to be able to keep his collection of about 125 records alive and making music!
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Worked great! I took 50 year old Christmas records I found at the thrift store, grimy, dirty, and it looked like there were even scratches on these 0.99 cent vinyls, nothing to lose, washed them with dish soap, and a wash cloth...worked perfectly! I was amazed! Thanks again!
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Just did this to some of my really old Cher/Beatles etc albums..and they sound brand new again! No static or pops!! Thank you so much!
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This is the way I have been cleaning my records for decades and it works fine. People have a tendency to overcomplicate things when it comes to vinyl these days; for many years, this is how almost everyone cleaned their records (if they did it at all). It was only later that expensive machines and unnecessary techniques like wood glue started popping up. Thanks for showing others how to do it in this video.
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Cleaning mine like this for 30 odd years, works fine, cheap and easy.
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I've been doing this for over 40 years now, works perfect. Been collecting since i was 12.
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Dude I thought you said “clean your sink”. Not “buy a new one”
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Do not run them through the dishwasher. They come out like plastic meatballs. This guys method works fine.
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Excellent! This is pretty much how I clean all my records.One thing I discovered though is that some older albums have dye in the labels that will run when exposed to water. For these you really have to be extra careful not to get the labels wet.
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Yep, I've been doing this since the 80s! Works a treat. I clean it as you do (only with cold water) but then I rinse it under a strong running tap to 'dig out' all the murk and suck out any residual rubbish and water using a record cleaning machine. Dries in seconds. And LP is like better than new again.
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FFS .all you idiots who say this doesn't work ...have you tried it?? it DOES work... i have just done a load of mine and after drying completely play brilliantly .. records have been around since 1948..how do you think they were cleaned then?Auto cleaner from Amazon? errm no i dont think so...
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Well I just washed an LP which was full of static, and every track had jumps on it. I used luke warm water, in the kitchen sink. Used a brand new bath sponge. Bog standard water from the top. Rinsed it with water. Allowed to dry off naturally in the plate rack. No noticeable static. And as yet, ZERO jumps. That was on a 30 year old album...
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I've been working with a guy who was a photographer for my local newspaper in the 60s on a documentary kind of project, and occasionally we talk about random hobby stuff, including record collecting. He helped me clean a few of my records with this technique!
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I have never seen so many snobs when it comes to vinyls. Some of us do not have a record store within 100 miles, I do have a water softner, and have been doing it the same way since I was a kid (40+ years). Still playing my same records. Its plastic, its tougher than we think. Keep clean with a good stylus.
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I usually use a washing machine and dryer. The fabric softener gets rid of the static and gives the music a warmer sound.
