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Cleaning old record collection.. advise please

Hi folks,

Been wanting to get back into listening to my albulms for some time. I have 1200+ that have been in storage for 20 years or so. Most of the record jackets were protected with a plastic sleeve. At one point in time, some were subjected to some mildew and mold. I don't think it really got to the vinal as much as it did to the covers.
The covers were all wiped down and have been stored properly since. The few records that had some mildew on them, can they be salvaged? The bulk of the collection should be fine.
What would you all suggest???
tod914
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Tod914, the challenge with mildew is that it actually destroys the vinyl over time. So, for those few records, you won't know until you actually try cleaning them up and playing them.

Definitely use one of the LP cleaning fluids like Disc Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner, RRL, or Audio Intelligent. A vacuum cleaning machine like the VPI 16.5 or 17 will definitely make the process easier, but it's not a requirement. The cleaning fluid will be the key to cleaning your LPs, not the machine. You can do a very effective manual cleaning job with Disc Doctor, some soft cloths and a dish drying rack.

Good luck, hope you can get back to enjoying your vinyl!
tod914 OP
16 posts
 
Steve, I guess I'll clean a few (good and bad) and see if I can audition them someplace to verify the condition prior to making a commitment to a turntable and phonostage. I wasnt sure what impact mildew had. Didn't find anything when I did search.

Thanks for the reply
tod914 OP
16 posts
 
oops and Rushton
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Tod,

I concur with the recommendations above, except that the otherwise superb RRL fluids will not remove mildew and mold spores. For that an enzyme-based solution needs to be added to the cleaning regimen.

My preference is Buggtussel's Vinyl-Zyme. Using it is SOP for every used record I clean.

Good luck,
Doug
rgordonpf
82 posts
 
Any of the enzyme record cleaning solutions (Buggtussel, AVIS, etc.) will take care of the mold. The LPs should be okay afer the good cleaning.

The AVIS fluids are a three step process: enzyme, cleaner, and distilled water rinse. Because you have a mold problem I would recommend it over the RLL fluids, which also do an excellent job, but do not contain enzymes.
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