Re: Moldy-oldies!

[Brian Poust <brianep@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Glynis Ward wrote:
>>I was taught by a major record collector that dish detergent is OK, as long
as it's mild and mixed right into water (a dab'll do ya!).<<

I don't disagree with this and have used this method on *REALLY* crusty and
nasty records.  However, for the average used record that comes into my
house, I use the below method, which I did hundreds of times every day when
I worked at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe.  

Dug this up from the archives:

Subject: Re: The Stench of Used Records 
     From: Brian Poust <brianep@mindspring.com> 
     Date: Thu, 02 Oct 1997 06:59:36 -0400 

Ah, a twist on last years how to clean vinyl thread!   

It's fairly easy to rid yourself of that pesky mildew smell associated with
the long forgotten basement albums.  First, throw away the inner sleeve if
it's there--it's a lost cause, and you can always replace it.  Next, clean
the album (I'm pasting in my post on this from last year).   Forewarning:
Prepare to sneeze during this next part.  

Now here's the fun part many people overlook. The LP cover.  Take a dry
cotton cloth and give a good once over to the outside of the cover.  You'll
be amazed at what you get off.  Depending on what the cover is made of
(e.g. whether it's laminated or not, sturdy or not, etc) you can
*sometimes* get away with using a small amount of evenly distributed
dampness on the cloth to pull away extra grime.  Now, hold the cover flat
to you with the opening facing one side, the bottom against your chest and
the top in your hand.  If you then push the cover open, you'll most likely
see a fair amount of white residue inside.  There's the mildew you're
*really* smelling.  Turn the cloth around to a clean side, stick it in the
cover and wipe it away.  It will come off very easily.  Wipe out both inner
sides well and you're done.  Here again, you can get away with a small
amount of dampness to the cloth, but not wet.  You especially don't want
any significant amount of dampness left inside the LP cover.  

That's basically it.  Use a new poly bag around the LP cover, but yeah, you
can let it air out for a while too and you'll be much more pleased with
your new old record.  Oh, wash your hands when you're done :^)

Now here's the majority of the post I sent out on cleaning records last year.

I always use a mixture of *distilled* water and isopropyl (and don't
substitute everclear either) at a ratio to about 8:1.  I keep the mixture in
a spray bottle (check the garden department of Wal Mart) and use soft cotton
cloth to lightly wipe the records. 

The reason for the alcohol is a) to help evaporate the water quicker and b)
it does help loosen dirt a bit better.  Distilled water is used because tap
water sucks and contains too many particles/dirt already.

-- Only apply pressure on stubborn fried chicken finger prints and
especially messy areas, and then let drops of the solution sit on the
record.
-- Unless you get the cloth very dirty, only wash it with fabric softener,
and no detergent.  You can use a small amount of detergent every few
washes though.  Old T Shirts aren't recomended.  Buy a yard of cotten
cloth from the fabric store.  Your records deserve the extra expense.
-- Always wipe the record lightly (let the weight of the cloth do the real
work) with the grooves of the record.  Wiping across the grooves risks
scratches and will only grind the dirt in further.
-- Leave one side of the record dry for wiping off excess solution, dirt and
preventing water streaks on the record.  Do as much as you can with as
few rotations around the record as possible.  Go around the record a few
times, then flip the cloth to the dry side to finish.
-- Don't let the cloth get too wet, as you'll put dirt back down, and the
cloth won't be very absorbant.  Save wetter areas for dirtier records.
If you cut the cloth to a good size, you can fold it over itself and
use multiple sides of the same cloth.  I always used a cloth about
the size of an LP and folded it over about 4 times.
-- Don't use your fingernails if at all possible.
-- For sticky areas (gross!) use a very very small, tiny amount of lighter
fluid.  Again, not on 78's, as they aren't made of the same material.
 
For 78's use mildly soapy water, but not so soapy that it is sudsy!  Soak
the record (and not the inner label, which means, hold it!) for a few
seconds and gently wipe clean.

That should about cover it.

Brian Poust