Keeping your vinyl collection in a pristine condition can be quite a challenge. This is because vinyl is an extremely delicate commodity and can get damaged very easily—tics and pops can develop from grime and dust, scraping sound can occur when the stylus is dirty or settings for tone arm are incorrect, and wrapping can destroy your much-loved records if you stack them on top of each other.
That said, there’re many easy and practically ways to minimize damage to your LPs so that they last a long, a really long time.
In this post, we have listed a few most important ones.
Have a look.
Handling
How you handle your records affects their longevity a great deal. Touch them with oily hands and dust and mold can develop fairly quickly on the surface of the records, affecting the sound quality or, worse, making them completely unplayable.
The best way to handle them is to always touch them with clean, dry hands and to touch only their outer edge or the paper label.
Never stack them
The fastest way to kill your records is by stacking one at the top of another. If you don’t want such a fate to befall on your adored collection, store them vertically and not too tightly. You can further minimize the chances of damage by placing dividers between the LPs every 6 inches. If you’ve a big collection, make sure shelving is sturdy enough to hold the entire collection.
Containers
If you’re shopping for a container, the only thing you need to remember is to not buy one with diagonal posts in its corners. They can make your LPs bow over a period of time. Except that, anything well-built and sturdy will do just fine.
Inner Sleeves
Paper inner sleeves don’t do much to protect your vinyl. Also when you slide an LP into and out of a paper sleeve, it could get scratched or collect paper dust. Precisely for this reason, it’s much better to use high-density poly inner record sleeves.
Temperature
This tip is more for vinyl lovers who’re willing to go an extra mile to keep their collection in prime condition. Experts recommend that storage space should be kept at a temperature above 65° Fahrenheit, with the relative humidity between 45% and 50%.
As a bare minimum—and this is something everyone can do—store your records at a place that’s out of sunlight or any other intense light.
Cleaning
Make sure you clean the LPs before playback, as well as before putting them back into their sleeves. A number of products are available for this purpose, including, but not limited to, spin systems, brushes, and wet solutions.
If even after best care, some of your records get damaged and become unplayable over time, don’t lose heart. Give them to us (of course, we’ll pay you!) and we’ll turn them into beautiful gift items.
For a free consultation and quote, call us at 678-787-1497