Vinyl Record Restoration and Repair
For many years, my record albums and equipment have been stored in the basement and attic. Some of the albums are in near-perfect condition, while others are almost completely destroyed. For over 30 years, many of my albums were stored in plastic sleeves and milk crates, which helped preserve them. Unfortunately, the records stored in cardboard boxes did not fare as well, especially if they were in contact with the floor. I think the heat and moisture in the basement and attic were just too much for the cardboard boxes to handle.
Triage
I have been selecting the records I want to listen to and separating them into loose vinyl records and empty album covers and record sleeves. Many of the jackets and sleeves have mildew damage sometimes transferred onto the vinyl.
I created a cleaning station for my records by laying a dish towel flat on the floor. I use GrooveWasher G2 Record Cleaning Fluid spray bottle an wipe with a Microfiber Cleaning Cloth with good results. Now they are ready for the turntable on which I give them a final brush with Vinyl Cleaner Record Brush. Afterwards I store the clean records in a new 3-ply design record sleeve with anti-static outer layers and rice paper inside. I am amazed at how well the records cleaned up. I cleaned a stack of records that were covered in dirt and grime. They were so filthy that I thought they were beyond repair. But after cleaning, they looked and sounded nearly new.
Click here for my step by step vinyl record cleaning approach!
Was It All Worth It?
After years of listening to highly processed CDs and MP3s, I’ve come to appreciate the distinct, ethereal sound of vinyl records. The analog sound vibrations from the studio are transferred nearly directly to the grooves on the record, resulting in an almost natural sound, especially for acoustic instruments such as percussion, strings, and brass.
Listening to an album from start to finish is a different experience from that of any other type of recording medium. After cleaning the vinyl, the listener makes a commitment to listen to an entire side of it from start to finish. This is the opposite of being able to pick and choose tracks to listen to from music streaming services.
When playing my old record collection, I found that some of them were almost jarring with pops and clicks as well as background noise. I figured some of my records had seen better days, but I was pretty surprised at how many actually sounded clean and quiet. So I’m looking forward to listening to some more records.