How To Care For Your Vinyl Records

So you just finished shopping at your favorite record store in Amarillo, Texas :) How do you care for and protect your new vinyl records?

Lets start with the basics...

Storage

It goes without saying that heat is your enemy with vinyl records. Just to be safe we recommend never letting your vinyl reach temperatures of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. Vinyl will begin to warp and melt in the triple digits. For long-term storage, if you are hot, they are hot and if you are cold, they are cold.

Also, store records standing on end at without too much lean, never store them flat or stacked. Even though we may take photos of stacked records, this is only for artistic reasons and should never be tried at home. Also, the inner sleeves are there for a reason, use those and keep your vinyl in the least dusty room of your house or apartment. We know that Amarillo is dusty, that's why we said "least."

Handling

Touch them by the edges only! The natural oils and dirt on even the cleanest hands will attract more dirt and grime so only touch vinyl by the edge.

Cleaning

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, your vinyl records will still get dirty. We recommend using a carbon fiber brush like this one for regular cleaning. Of course, we clean all used vinyl that we sell at our store but you may find that your records have a few too many pops and cracking and need a serious cleaning. We use and recommend The Spin Clean Record Washer. It's simple to use and works great.

The Stylus (The Needle)

The stylus on your turntable (we don't call it a needle, okay - call it a stylus and you won't be made fun of by your fellow audiophiles), could be damaging your sweet vinyl collection. It should be cleaned regularly (depending on how often you listen to your vinyl collection) with a carbon fiber stylus brush like this one.

We recommend a new stylus about every 6 months. If you buy a used turntable we recommend replacing the stylus before use as a precaution.

If you follow these tips you should be able to enjoy your vinyl record collection for a very long time to come.