Can I clean my records with soap and water?
You could, but we don’t recommend it. The mineral deposits and impurities that domestic tapwater leave behind are a potential threat to delicate vinyl grooves. Household cleaning products, such as washing up liquid, should be avoided as they are not necessarily safe for use on delicate vinyl records. Wherever water is applied, always opt for distilled water.
Can you clean vinyl records with Windex?
Household cleaning products (such as Windex or other cleaning brands) should be avoided. To understand why Windex is such a bad idea on vinyl, we need only look at the ingredients, which are less than natural. Best to stick to substances purpose-mixed by folks who know that they’re doing.
Is it safe to clean vinyl records with alcohol?
There is much debate around this topic, and the answer depends greatly upon who you ask. In general, the conscientious throughout the industry is to proceed with caution. Some evidence appears to support the notion that pure alcohol can damage the record grooves. Specifically, isopropyl alcohol can allegedly remove plasticizers from the vinyl and make the groove brittle.
The jury might remain open on this topic, but overall, we advise readers to steer clear of any record cleaning solution that contains a large amount of isopropyl alcohol.
