What is the first thing you do when you unwrap a new vinyl record?

At first unwrap and removal from the sleeve, I hold it to the light to check for warping. I give it a sniff to become familiar. I find side one, and place it onto the spindle facing up. I place the centerweight over the spindle. Then I verify that the tonearm rest is in the up position before unlocking, With some years of practiced motion, I aim the stylus at the initial silent grooves, and slowly lower the diamond to meet the vinyl. Indeed, for the first time, with a new LP.

_________________________

I'd be curious about the numbers of the vinyl fans collections. I have somewhere around 700 LPs. Unindexed, and sometimes second copies from my brother's and my wife's albums, now all residing in the house. I buy maybe two albums per month from browsing the used bins along with the new pressings, maybe more lately with a new turntable. I do not clean before playing when new out of the bag, but then, I don't own a formal record cleaner. I feel my collection is too modest to justify a record cleaner?

@zarf 

I probably only have a tenth of your collection, but then I switched to CDs almost as soon as they came out. Before then I mostly borrowed classical records from my local public library - a free service even in uncouth Australia.  And I recorded all my Dad's records to cassette when I went back to the UK for a visit.

My interest in records was rekindled when I discovered the prices being asked for 1960-era Garrard 301 turntables.  My Dad gave me his at the same time I went CD and I had hardly used it since. Now the rest of my system is much better than it was then, and I have tried to give the 301 a reasonable shot - new main bearing, idler, micro-line cartridge and plinth internals. I am blown away by how good some pressings sound!

I've got an ultrasonic cleaner coming from China - it cost less than the best pressing of Kind of Blue!