There has been much debate around the best way you should keep your vinyl records clean:
- Using a carbon fibre record brush in my opinion just keeps moving the majority of dust around the actual record.
- Some people just aim to keep the stylus clean but there is a huge risk of damage while cleaning.
- Manually applying any wet solutions, can also be at risk of damaging your cartridge/stylus, if the record is not 100% dry before playing. The issue is you cannot see with the naked eye into the grooves, where the stylus tracks.
Our preferred method is to use a professional record cleaning machine, ideally a wet & dry vacuum system, here are the reasons why:
- Key aim here is to fully flood the record grooves with a good record cleaning solution.
- Start record cleaning machine motor clockwise
- Then using a (pre-wetted) soft goat hair brush evenly distribute the cleaning solution around the record, ideally both clockwise then anti-clockwise.
- Tun on the record cleaning machine powerful vacuum system and use vacuum arm to remove all dirt and cleaning solution until the record side is 100% dry (both clockwise and anti clockwise)
- Repeat for side B then recommend placing the cleaned record in a new anti static record sleeve.
We use the excellent Okki Nokki One in the showroom and is available to buy here at Vinyl Groove Audio.
We also offer a record cleaning service too here. We only charge £2.00 per cleaned record and 12 records cleaned for the price of 10 (£20.00).
So if you have any records that are in a serious need of a deep clean, why not contact us to book them in?
Ongoing Offer
If you are interested in the service but still a little unsure, we will clean one of your records (free of charge), so you can take it back home and listen to the difference a professional clean can really make!
