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NEED HELP with older LP Jacket odor...

I have recently had the good fortune of having a great Uncle of mine pass on his collection of vinyl to me as he is moving into a nursing home. It appears to be approximately 500-700 albums and from what I saw dating from the mid to late 30s to the mid to late 60s perhaps early 70s. The vinyl appears to be in decent shape in most cases, however there is a definate "odor"... mostly due to the age I would think.

I have already taken the step to order new inner sleeves and 5 mil outer plastic sleeves. I have heard a couple of opinions on "cleaning" the LP jackets. One was to spray lysol on a cloth and with the damp cloth to wipe the jacket. Another was to put a few jackets in a paper bag and seal it with potpourri in it. Yet another was to spray it with "Oust" spray to neutralize the odor.

I would love to hear what others have done to help remedy this solution, if there is anything at all to be done. I would also like this to not harm the jacket as well of course.

Thank you for any advice.
audiofankj
8 responses Add your response
vvrinc
323 posts
 
Musicians have never been known to look after their toilette.

On a nice sunny day, put a box of them (loosely packed) outside in the shade. This has worked for my Baba-Yaga-smelling LPs. Usually, it only takes about 12 hrs. I can't explain to you why it works, though, other than fresh air has "mystical qualities" as does, of course, electricity.

If the above fails to suppress the odoriferous vinyl, I second the nose-plugs recommendation (or just let your nose-hairs grow to inordinate lengths.)

Or better yet; I happen to have a very insensitive sense of smell, send them to me and I'll watch over them for you.
lugnut
1,190 posts
 
Ozone treatment will work. These box air filter systems may be rentable in some areas. You may also try an automobile detail shop as they sometimes own them for removing smoke odors from cars. You will need to have some space between the albums or rotate them while being exposed to the ozone. A couple of days exposure should do the trick.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
CSI: Audio?
justlisten's avatar
justlisten
489 posts
 
id 2nd the Febreeze suggestion....
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
If above methods wouldn't help try some nose plugs...
Not shure of brand but often being used in examining dead bodies.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Try some Fabreeze. That stuff is awesome. Just a little spritz on each side should do the trick.
pbb
1,140 posts
 
Ozone treatment if available.
earnestmoney
34 posts
 
A friend's home was destoyed by fire. His 4000-plus record album collection survived the fire, but the smoke damage had his albums stinking for several months.

He replaced all the outer sleeves as you plan to do. He stored them in his garage with Downey dryer sheets placed between the albums (approximately one sheet per every foot of albums). The smell of smoke eventually subsided after a few months.

If you feel it is necessary to wipe down all your album jackets, I recommend using white terry cloth very lightly moistened with common isopropyl rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will dry in moments without penetrating and damaging the artwork on the highly porous paper cardboard jackets. I just tried it and it works great.

If your albums smell a bit musty like mildew, I think wiping down the jackets with alcohol is the best solution.

Regards,
Dan Lay
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