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Vinyl Lovers Food 4 Thought

Stories StuffYouShouldKnow

So, a month or two back the hot water heater in my basement went, and by went i mean it burst open and flooded our basement with a foot of water before I was able to get home and shut it off. Of the MANY things we lost in the flood was the unfortunate location of one of my record bags being left on the floor.  Above is the collage of most of the records that I painfully was able to save the warped LP jackets after drying and flattening.  The records in my record bag were in there from a recent gig for a charity event this fall hence the "classic" selection.  The hundreds of others were safely on an elevated shelf avoiding the flood.

Dozens of records not shown that had older jackets were lost completely.  All the liner notes and record sleeves were trashed and a massive assembly line operation was setup in my kitchen to wash the records, dry, and put into new sleeves.

So, how did i clean the precious records?

The ingredients: Distilled water, isopropyl alcohol, and a couple drops of laundry detergent free and clear of fragrance or dyes. It’s important to use distilled water because it doesn’t contain any natural minerals that could be harmful to the vinyl. It’s also recommended to use at least 90% isopropyl alcohol. When making the mixture, I used a ratio of 6 parts water to 1 part alcohol, with the exact measurements below:
12 oz distilled water
2 oz alcohol
2 drops free and clear laundry detergent

Add the ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well. To clean the vinyl, spray the fluid on the record, avoiding the label. Use a microfiber cloth to gently wipe the vinyl in a circular motion. Flip it over and repeat.



So, all i can say is keep your collectibles elevated in the basement, you never know when your house/life turns into a water park!



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