Unless you buy They are brand new, and in many cases your vinyl records are probably filthy. The new record is static and attracts dust. Old records sit in boxes in the basement of other people. Take it from those who have purchased, sold, discovered, cleaned and restored dusty, oily gems. Your record probably needs a good bath.
Below is everything you need to know about keeping (and maintaining) wax fresh. Interested in other audio tips? Be sure to check out our list of the best turntables and a guide on how to upgrade your home audio for free or inexpensive purposes.
Updated March 2025: Added information about ultrasound cleaning, updated formats, and checked links and prices.
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Why does wiping not work?
A quick Amazon search shows you a lot of products aimed at cleaning vinyl records. Typically, some form of wiping devices, such as sprays and cloths or pads, are used to clean the surface. However, the vinyl grooves are very small and the fabric fibers may not reach the inside. You may clean the liquid in the grooves, but it's pretty difficult to get it back. This means that traditional wipe-off or spin-and-clean style devices mostly spread dirt into the grooves.
It is where vacuum suction or ultrasonic cleaner comes in. This is from the project ($450) Using a large plate and a vacuum system, a motor that rotates the records in two directions is used to physically inhale the troublesome cleaning fluid from the groove. Ultrasonic cleaners use high-frequency sounds to essentially shake dirt out of the grooves. Both work very well, ensuring that dirt, dust and dirt actually come out of the small grooves on your record.
Trade tools
If you are going to the suction route, you can purchase an all-in-one record cleaner like the one created by Project above. These great attachments ($30) In the case of a vacuum in a small store.
After that, what you need is Cleaning Solution ($35)a Cheap paint brush ($7), a Vacuum ($50)and turn the records when vacuuming the solution from the groove with an old record player or spindle. Find the old one at the thrift store. All you need is a physically spinning table, not playing music. I used this system to clean records and surprised the unfriendly old records in minutes with a shiny, clean masterpiece.
If you want to clean your records ultrasound (it's great for people with large collections, as you can clean multiple discs at once) Such a middle class generic model ($425). (The premium model runs about twice as much driving, but does the exact same thing.) Ultrasonic cleaners vibrate the cleaning fluid around the recording at very high frequencies. Once it's cleaned, place it on the included drying rack.
