The biggest takeaway here should be that when it comes to storing your records, make sure that you avoid exposing them to heat - especially for long periods of time. I've been buying vinyl since the 70's. Aside from storing records properly as noted in this video, my best piece of advice is simple: always be sure to put your LP's away as soon as you are done playing them.
I don’t know I found a box of records stored in an attic in Florida for 20 years … except for the covers have it been chewed on by attic rats all the records with a little cleaning played awesome …
Yeah .. records are tough. They. Withstand DJs In clubs abusing them ...just clean with warm water and fairy liquid and clean sponge..pat dry with kitchen roll..and wave in air to air dry...my vinyls are immaculate and I've recorded off for a reissue project that was then pressed to vinyl .. perfect.
And don't use PVC There's a reason modern inner and outer protective sleeves are made of HDPE. Because Polyurethane doesn't stick to cardboard, yellow, or de-gas into records.
There's a huge difference between PVC sleeves and modern polyethylene and polypropylene sleeves, which are completely safe and can protect collections.
Polyolefins (aka polyethylene and polypropylene) are plasticizer free. PVC is naturally hard and brittle so plasticizers are used to convert it into something flexible.
Thanks for the clarification. A quick check confirms my covers are Made from High-Density Polypropylene. However I will be checking to see what my local record shop uses for the albums they sell, all of which came In a sleeve.
Just out of curiosity, what is the ideal room temperature for records (from to)? This is also important for books. PS: Watch out for small yellow-like spots or stains. These often indicate booklice and/or mites. The stains are excretions from these pests. If not careful, they can work their way through a whole collection leaving their stains. I've had to get rid of many LPs and well over a hundred books because of mites.
That was shocking. You would never expect an outer pvc sleeve to affect the record through the sleeve. I used them for decades, but never encountered any problems. Just goes to show, don't take anything for granted! 😊
It's called de-gassing. It's a chemical reaction that happens between those old PVC sleeves and the LP since both are made from the same kind of plastic and I imagine the paper and cardboard is porous enough the reaction happens right through it.
@@saftfan I started collecting records over 40 years ago, but it was never brought to my attention - not until I saw this video and, at around the same time, a thread at Discogs. What I don't get is why they're still the norm. The mind boggles.
As soon as I watched this I went through my entire collection and found three of these (mostly on EPS and 45s). I immediately tossed them. Thanks for the information! This was really well done and more people should know about this. I have come across a few of these "sticky" covers while digging through bargain bins and I never knew why it was happening. I will tell others about this for sure!
Hi Andrew, I, probably along with countless others purchased these pvc covers thinking you were protecting you record collection. I purchased the majority of mine in the 1980's. Fortunately I did away with these when I couldn't fit the records snuggly on a new bookcase. Unbeknown to me, doing that has saved my collection from damage. Your video has ultimately saved many vinyl record collectors from doing harm to their records
Funnily enough it was the extra space they took up that added to my dislike of them. I thought records stacked vertically closely together would do a fair enough job of protecting the sleeves, which of course it did. Also the room I keep them in has the radiator resolutely locked into the off position and the open ends of the bookcases they're in face away from the window (I use two Ikea Billy's arranged in an L-shape in one corner of the room, with the one parallel to the window with its back to the window, so the two together form a shadowed little alcove with no heat or direct sunlight).
Something else to add… Acouple of years ago I bought 200 PVC covers to protect my albums but in just weeks I noticed they had become extremely static-y and the pops and crackles (on previously quiet running records) was so prominent they were unlistenable. I immediately removed all the sleeves and recleaned the records. Now, learning about this reaction I’m even more glad I discarded those dastardly things. I live in a warm dry climate. Thanks!
I'm 59 and collected vinyl in the 70s and 80s. Sold most but now have returned to vinyl. In my older collecting days, I had no notion that people put their records into extra poly covers. I only noticed this trend when starting to buy second-hand records through online suppliers recently. However, everyone commenting below seems to be using them! Is this a specialized 'collectors' thing? I just bought LPs to listen to the music and still do. Always stored them upright and away from heat as recommended. People seem to be fixated on protecting the outer sleeves. I've got LPs that are 40 years old and the outer covers are in very good condition without the use of PVC or any other outer sleeves.
In my fifty years record collecting experience, I have found the issues that you pointed out to be caused by the quality of the PVC covers, storage and room temperature. I have PVC covers from `Our Price` records store 1980s and no issues at all. The PVC demonstrated in your video are the close fitting & softer covers that I notice had issue and use to throw away when a record came with them on.
I went through my parents' record collection a year or two ago and replaced the old PVC outers that were on some of the albums and 45s with heavy polythene outers. Without exception, all of the PVC outers were yellowed, brittle and had a wrinkled outline of the records within the jackets. Several were also stuck to the jackets and required some gentle encouragment to separate. Quite a few of the 45s had suffered from audible misting, but the albums thankfully seem to have fared better. I'm just glad I had heard of this phenomenon and was able to rectify it before any further damage could be done. Worryingly, I've recently had a couple of new records shipped to me ready-packaged in PVC outers, which I immediately chucked in the bin (the sleeves that is, not the records!).
OMG. Thank you so much!!! I’m a relatively new collector and have been putting all my records in these PVC outer sleeves! You just saved my whole collection. I’m so thankful right now! Within the next year I’ll be shipping overseas via sea and who knows what temperatures fluctuations they may experience. I though I was giving them the best chance - man was I wrong! Thank you 🙏
Thanks for the info. I checked mine and they’re polythene (phew!). I only recently decided to put my albums in sleeves, as the area I now live is a place where silverfish like to live, and they love coming into houses to eat paper and card. I found one who had decided that the cover of my Pipes of Peace album looked tasty, but it didn’t survive to sample it. It was my wake up call to protect my albums. Something I have always done is kept shrink-wrap on albums, which I suppose could be a protection for people who have pvc sleeves.
@@ParlogramThe PVC plasticizer off-gases not only when too hot, but theoretically even at any temperature above absolute zero (0K); however heat strongly acellerates it (and warps your records). Plasticizer oil (formerly phthalate) rather smells a bit like earwax; the "fresh paint"/household glue smell are additional solvents from production (well known from cheap new beachballs and airmats). The best protection foil would be PET (aka Mylar or Polyester) which contains no plasticizer and is quite UV resistant. I saw a TV docu that they even resarch on making records from PET (recycled bottles) instead of PVC now due to environmental concerns.
Thanks, Andrew! I recently bought polythene sleeves without knowing the damage PVC would do to the records. Now I know and will stay away from PVC and heat. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us.
I think I'd cut off these PVC covers that are sticking to the sleeves rather than sliding my hand between the cover and sleeve and hoping not to damage the edges of the sleeve. You're throwing the PVC cover out anyway and can more carefully remove it by cutting it. Same goes for blank paper inner sleeves. I replace all of them with mofi style inners, so tear off the paper inner sleeve, to minimize paper scuffing of the record.
Polythene (polyethelene) plastic is fine. PVC is based on vinyl which is like a crystal. A plasticizer is used to soften it but evaporates over time leaving it brittle like 60's car seats.
@@KevinHallSurfing Thanks Kevin. Yes - the old style soft lined inner bags are fine - never ever PVC. PVC outer covers were indeed used in some record shops just to protect empty sleeves handled by the public. I don't recall them being supplied to the customer. At W G Windows, you could take the sleeve to the counter. The sleeve would then go back into the 'rack' and you'd be handed an unmolested product from correct storage. If it was the last pressing in stock, the assistant would remove the protective cover and insert the correctly stored disc.
Yes, I agree. I have a site on Facebook dedicated to ultrasonic record cleaning. I always advise to get rid of paper inner sleeves and replace with poly lined sleeves or a least use poly record bags if you have sleeves with artwork or those brutal hard cardboard sleeves that came with some records in the 70's and 1980's. The paper or card fibres alone can get deep into the records grooves. Paper sleeves can attract mold as well.
In the comic book collectors sphere it is handeld in a similar way. I think there is no comic book bag in PVC availible anymore, because it was widely spread that PVC is not good for comic book storage. Almost every comic book bag is made of PP (Polypropylen). For extra long time storage there is a special polyethylen. It is called Mylar.
PET foil (aka Mylar, polyester) is AFAIK even better (and withstands UV) and hence is used by museums. This is not PP but the same stuff plastic bottles are made of.
Hi, Andrew! Leaving in a hot and humid city like I do, using any outer plastic bag is not always the best way to protect your records as they create a nice condition for mold growing. Those yellow or brownish round stains that appear on cover, inner seelves and records themselves are the result of using them. So, I´ve been taking out the outer plastic bags from most of my records. Also, after reading about plastic migration on the Record Collector magazine many years ago, I immediately got rid of of some french pvc sleeves I was using in some of my 45s. Best, Nelio.
Currently using my recording studio to digitise all my old records, noticed this fogging on a lot of them and wondered what it was..... I've just removed and disposed of every plastic cover from every record. Don't care what type they were. Thank you for making this video.
How are you storing the actual vinyl then? Are you using polyethylene sleeves for them or keeping in original paper sleeves. Oh yeah, some new vonyl now comes with polyethylene inner sleeves, so what about that? Hahahhahsh
As a teenager in 1980. I bought 2 dozen of these plastic trace paper-like audiophile grade inner sleeves for my favorite most cherished records. I would say these sleeves worked quite well up to about 5 years ago, when I suddenly noticed some of them starting to crack and break up at the slightest bend literally crumbling to dust. luckily it did little damage to the records themselves. but I did replace all my original 1980's inner sleeves. Something to consider when using some plastic inner sleeves their shelf life may be limited to a few decades.
Very interesting about how the plastic affects the record. I live in a humid climate so know to take plastic off everything or else it traps humidity and therefore mould. I store my records without plastic and a ‘damp rid’ container to trap moisture.
I work in a charity shop and have the job of cleaning records, cd's and dvd's. By far the worst for mould are the cd's, little dots of it and worse on the label side in most cases for some odd reason.
Thank you for this video. The same phenomenon has damaged much of my CD collection. To save on storage space, I removed my CDs from their original containers and put them in bramd-new photo album-type CD holders that you can put on a bookshelf. The smell of brand-new plastic was unmistakable, but I didn't know any better then. In just a few months, the smooth and transparent playing surfaces of my CDs became mottled. The damage replicates the dimple patterns of the plastic sleeves. Some of the CDs are still playable, but annoying drop-outs tend to.occur. The rest are completely unplayable. Let this video be a warning to CD owners, too. Thanks again.
Haven't experienced that with any of those cd holders, if you mean those zippered binder type CD wallets then I used those and never had that problem. I've experienced CD rot where the film decays due to humidity breaching the plastic casing of the CD. I have about half a dozen CDs like that, out of about 1,000.
I knew about this before and have sometimes checked and changed, though never systematically. Just checked now and found three, so you've rescued a 1st press Public Enemy on Def Jam, John Lennon Mind Games, and a Deerhunter record (oddly this came in a PVC jacket in 2013). PVC sleeves now banished and records saved from gassy plastic doom!
Actually...records were fine but Deerhunter came with a free cd of album which was in a miniature PVC sleeve. CD surface is trashed! Now I have to check all of those included cds!
Thanks for posting. Great video. Some of the mid 1960s pressings from Decca UK and EMI UK used a PVC lined paper inner sleeve. Even without heat under normal storage conditions, I lost a few of these titles due to PVC plasticizer migration from the inner sleeve onto the record itself. Polyethylene inner and outer sleeves are the best to use. PE is much more inert than PVC.
I think that you will find it is damp that is a significant factor......and as most flats and houses have damp atmospheres, anything left untouched for any significant time, will be affected.
There was a time when some albums were manufactured with a plastic inner sleeve that looked like a safe polybag but was not. It caused this very same problem on both sides of an album. Needless to say the few that I came across in my collection were replaced before irreparable damage could be done. This video will certainly help in avoiding these issues.
What a useful video, Andrew! I never realised how damaging PVC covers were until now. I removed the covers from my vinyl albums some years ago so that they fitted on the shelves better but still have vinyl singles in what I now suspect may be the dreaded PVC covers! Thanks for another great presentation and your description of the properties of PVC and polythene!
Excellent stuff. I never new about the difference between PVC and polythene. Will definitely be removing all my PVC covers. Will check the albums as I do so. In fact as you mentioned it does beg the question about polythene as well as when storing records vertically the polythene tends to gets rucked up when replacing it back amongst all the other albums. Oh, to have such first world problems.
Thanks so much for the video. I binned all my PVC sleeves after you mentioned the fogging issue in a previous video. On the subject of warping, in my experience, new, sealed pressings are frequently warped or dished, to the point where I'm reluctant to buy new. There has to be an issue with quality control in the pressing plants.
Whenever I've seen videos showcasing the "brilliant work" that "artisan pressing plants" are doing these days, they take you through the process and the end product, to my eyes, looks awful. Always badly warped and trimmed. "...and now they just go to the packing machine..."
Thanks for sharing this video. Excellent scientific breakdown of what can go awry in the storage department and proving too that there is always something new to learn! I often wondered what caused that mottling effect and now a few more of us know! I think it's worth reiterating that so long as ambient temperatures can be regulated at all times there's no need to panic. Especially for those like me with a full set of PVC-protected records but not the wherewithal to replace them at this time.
This would explain some of my Brother's records having what looked like water spots or water damage to them. I couldnt figure out how the vinyl looked that way yet have a NM cover. Now I know. I am currently in process of replacing all of his PVC covers to a flapped cover I buy from Crystal Clear Bags here in Canada. I also stored mine in PVC covers for the last 40+ years but never in an environment where my records were subjected to any heat in any form. 3 yrs ago I changed all mine to a 2mil resealable polypropylene cover stored at a median temperature of 70 degrees F. Great video!
There are two Elvis EP collections from the UK put out in the 1980's that came in books with PVC pockets inside. I have never seen an unaffected record from either of these 12 disc sets. As you said, companies should know better. Great job. Take care...
Remember how all our family photo albums from the 80's got stuck to the pages. Whole generations and we never thought about it. Basically with L.P's like photographs keep away from heat, excessive moisture and plastic! As a postcard collector (over 3000) I was incredibly worried about how to store them. In th end I put them in Archival-Grade Ultra Clear Polypropylene. Non-PVC premium sleeves and Acid-Free.. Then put that in a tougher Made of heavy- duty Polypropylene. Seems to have worked. I'll be dead before they go anyway. This video is a great informative one. It has also persuaded me to stick with cds.
I'm old time collector.Collecting records from early 70's and all ,almost all of my records are stored in anti static inner and covers in strong pvc sleeves and must say that I have never seen this problem on my records.
I have been using outer sleeves for 50 years and there has never been any issues at all. But I am North America so maybe the sleeves sold here are fine.
@@lstefansPVC plasticizer off-gases not only when too hot, but theoretically even at any temperature above absolute zero (0K); however heat strongly accelerates it (and warps your records).
Love how the vultures start in on you to point out any fault they (in their mind) can come up with. Thank-you for giving sound advice to those that haven't found out the hard way, as most do, I have a friend who though young as we were 55 yrs ago always purchased two of all his albums, one to play one to lock away as I recall he put plastic sleeves on his. I hope he chose the proper products. Knowing Tim he kept up on the info and probably knew this long ago( I should give him a call) but for the rest of us I thank you for the information. Save many a costly and irreplaceable mistake.
Katta Sleeves are amazing, they are glass clear, and for long storage, and anti static or lined or whatever you want in all sizes. Its all fun with no sleeves but once you remove them a lot the cover will worn down plus with those crystal clear katta sleeces your covers look even nicer.
Informative video regarding something I and suspect, many others were not aware of. Brought to mind something I experienced within the last year. I purchased an original 1979 made in Holland "Rarities" with the shrink and "Jem" imports on the cover intact but opened on one side to inspect the record just prior to the seller posting it on Ebay. The record was mint and in it's poly lined inner. When I attempted to remove the shrink from the cover as I always do, the shrink was stuck to part of the front cover and also the back. It was impossible to remove without taking areas of the front cover with it. I ended up leaving the shrink on not wishing to further damage the cover. There was no odor. I had never experienced anything like this before. The record inside was mint clean and still is. I guess I was lucky there. I guess I should store the record away from the cover as well. Thanks, Andrew, once again.
didn't realize this, but glad to know now. still gonna stick with outer sleeves (that are safe) though because I noticed a few times moving some records on my shelf that dust has gotten in between them and/or they had small scratches from rubbing against each other, before I had any kind of outer sleeves. this issue increases tenfold with box sets and slip cases
After seeing this I looked for sleeves on Amazon to replace all mine to make sure none are vinyl, and most of the new sleeves I see, especially the most inexpensive ones, are vinyl!
Hi Andrew, very informative thanks, too late for me though. Although my LPs were generally OK due to the laminated sleeves, my 7inch singles and picture discs are shot. Virtually all of them are marred by the clouding you described. I removed all the PVC from my collection about 4 years ago now and salvaged what I could. Cheers Matt
I have never experienced any cloudy records I found second hand. Thats weird how the pvc migration goes right thru the record sleeve and thru the inner sleeve too. That was real informative, thanks for sharing this info!
Andrew, Many thanks for this latest video as I have had the exact same problem with some of my albums purchased in the 70s as I bought those PVC covers for them at the same time. I recently went through my collection and couldn't work out why some of my albums had a oily sheen over one side. Thanks to your video I am today going through my collection and removing the offending PVC sleeves.
And those crinkly INNER clear sleeves Columbia used in the mid60s. Simon and Garfunkel, Byrds, Tony Bennett and Sinatra mostly used these. They actually stick to and imprint on the vinyl
The limited edition 1996 4AD clear vinyl pressing of "Lovelife" by Lush came packaged in a PVC cover as well as the three 7" singles from the album. Every sealed copy of this album and singles I have seen so far has clouding damage from the PVC gassing.
I separated the colour vinyl Lush 7"s from the PVC covers the moment I bought them. Those covers were just an utter nightmare and ruined some of my 1980s 'clear edged' picture discs.
I use these alternative Sleeves from these Milky and thick Polythene materials. Not only for my 33rpm and 45rpm Vinyls but also for my Laserdiscs. Totally worth getting and basically perfect for double-albums because of the generous space they provide.
Thank you for this hugely informative video. I knew that PVC sucks but I wasn't sure what was the reason of the mottling or cloudiness on a lot of my purely stored records. I have started replacing all of them with new polythelene sleeves but following your reasoned advice I'll probably stop spending on them as well. You've got yourself a new subscriber!
Thanks for this! Happily, the majority of my records are in polyethylene sleeves, and I like them because the covers don't rub together and it makes them easier to get in and out of the shelves. I did have a couple that were PVC - they had been shipped that way - but happily they had polyethylene inner sleeves, and I must have unstuck them from the covers in the past as the covers don't have damage. Never really bought PVC myself as I considered it a waste of money since polyethylene was just fine.
Thanks for publishing this. I used to buy these PVC outer covers to protect my singles in the 1980s, but since most independent record shops closed down, the sleeves became unavailable. Thank God for that. Of the six hundred singles and E.P.s I still have, about fifty of them are still in these sleeves, mainly they are The Beatles singles, the 1980s reissues in the green covers (notice how I avoided saying "green sleeves" there) and their E.P.s. I've now removed them from the offending items but they don't seem to have done any damage. The reissues as picture discs, however, were sold in the PVC covers and have been in direct contact with the discs. No damage is noticeable, but as these were never meant to be played, it is not as worrying. While going through my complete singles collection, now kept in three silver boxes holding approximately 200 each, I noticed that at one time I had bought three unofficial Beatles singles, part of a series called The Beatles 1962 Live Recordings, so presumably they are all taken from the Star Club recordings. On the front of each paper sleeve is the same black-and-white photograph, while the rear of the sleeve contains the same text stating that "This is one of fifteen singles which together comprise a typical show by the group at this pivotal stage sin their career." Can you offer any more information on these?
Just been through my Beatles and related section. I've found many sticky sleeves, no damage to the records as yet. What I did notice is that the sleeves I recall buying in the 70's seem to be in quite good condition. However the ones I recall buying in the 80's include a high proportion with the pvc deteriorating.
Thank you for the new video. After thinking about what could have PVC sleeves in my collection, my mind wandered to my 20th anniversary picture singles WHICH WERE ALL IN PVC SLEEVES! Back when the 20th anniversary series came out, I had missed the first few releases, so I had to order them after the fact. That one was the From Me To You single, which I bought from a shop in the US during the summer. After looking through the whole collection, that one title has a slight amount of offgassing. Thankfully, it is not a large spot and does not make any audible sound during playback. I spent the last few minutes finding some 45 sleeves to transport them into (and will purchase some appropriate ones to house them in for the next 40 years lol). Will be hitting the LP collection tomorrow to see if there are any PVC sleeves there. A great service record video for all of us record lovers. Have a great week, Andrew! (my heart sunk when I looked at the mono Revolver disc)
Very interesting. In the past I have not been impressed by the few PVC covers I have. I was more worried by what I perceived as shrinkage (that rippled effect) and worried it might warp the disc. What you describe I recall seeing on records, that imprint pattern. I thought it might be the inner plastic sleeve, but now I am enlightened. 99% of my LPs are in polythene covers, but many of them are just falling apart now.
I'm so glad your video was recommended. I've only been collecting for a little under a decade now and have never considered what sleeves I should use for storage.
Increíble explicación acerca de la degradación del plástico. Sin embargo pese a que aparentemente las fundas de PVC "protegen" la portada, si hay un poco de humedad, solo harían que se impregne al PVC haciendo imposible su separación y dejando gran parte del arte pegado al PVC. Así que tuviste mucha suerte que eso no pasara. ¡Gran video!
Thanks a million about this info , never ever has crossed my mind that the pvc outer sleeves could cause such damage to the vinyl record , Looking forward to purchase some polyethylene cover sleeves.
Some box sets use a thin white or yellow foam to protect the records from moving about. Over a long time, this foam deteriorates into a powder that can coat the inside of the box. It won't damage the records, and it can be brushed or washed away, but you can avoid this by discarding the foam.
This was in the CD box I have of Yellow Brick Road which I bought in the mid 80's. Worked overseas for many years and when I got back it had broken up and stuck to the disc. Luckily I managed to get it off with damage.
PVC can be quite a dangerous substance, as its outgassing releases bits of microplastics which can then bind to other particulates in the air. Not too easy to recycle either, unfortunately, which causes a big pollution problem. of course, maybe it's not right of me to mention that in the comments of a video about record collecting, as i may give some people nightmares, but there's no need to point worry specifically toward your music collections, as PVC is used in everything and is inescapable.
Hi Andrew. This was a scary to find out after all these years. I've now found some time to bin all my covers, some of which were wrinkling and some were starting to get sticky. The ones on the 45s are the stickiest so thanks very much for the info.
explains very well how to protect your vinyl record treasures and rarities. very useful and helpful. my records have survived all adversities well. i'm so happy about it because i haven't listened to them for over two decades and have left them in their cases, but of course in the luxury inner sleeves. valuable and beautiful things deserve the best possible care. and now a lot of them are more valuable than before.
Super interesting and useful video (as usual)! I did go through my collection after watching your video and none of my standard LPs and 45s were inside PVC sleeves (whew!), but I’m an avid picture disc collector (mainly Marillion) and many of those originally came inside PVC sleeves (some with hype stickers attached to them). I am assuming that picture discs are also susceptible to the damage you described so I changed them all (and kept the ones with hype stickers separate). Thank you so much for helping to preserve our collections!
Thank you for this important video! I immediately checked my copy of "The Wall" and it was affected by the sticker too. I was never aware of the pvc problem. Luckily all my Beatles records are fine because I store them in polythene sleeves. My favorite record store only sells these. I keep all my records in an unheated room protected from sunlight.
Very useful video - I never realised. All my vinyl that I collected in the 80's I suspect are in PVC sleeves as the covers feel completely to the ones I buy today. I am lucky in that there seems to be no damage but new non PVC covers are ordered. I think they were never exposed to heat. My first pressing of the Wall bought in 1980 is in a PVC cover with the PVC sticker but no damage - phew.
I've been a record collector for almost 60 years and buy a lot of second hand records. Fortunately I've only seen this condition a few times and always wondered what caused it. My collection is in a very old house in closed metal and wooden cabinets in the lounge and garage. Due to thick walls these are located in areas that are cool, my main issue is fighting mold which is a mainly a problem on the bottom shelf next to the floor.
Thanks for that. I've just ditched twelve of those PVC outers. Thankfully they haven't damaged the vinyl, even though I live in Australia, a notoriously hot country. I do have a copy of AC/DC's TNT, an Australian only album, and the PVC outer sleeve has made the cardboard sleeve sticky, but the vinyl is ok, which is fortunate, because these albums go for stupid money nowadays.
@@camacarzie12 I imagine some of them since new, because they had record store logos on them. Fortunately none of the records themselves seem to be affected.
Thank You for telling us what that was. I thought it was "Plastic Migration" and was pretty much unavoidable, but now that I know that soft PVC and heat is the culprit I don't have to sniff all the protective covers for plastic aging.
Wow! I just found out that newly covered vinyl interior parts of my classic car is what's causing my windows to get a thick film on the inside. I can't keep them clean! This video demonstrates exactly why and how it's happening.
I began collecting back in 1971 as a ten year old. 've always taken great care of my collection- vinyl & cd- I've never loaned them out to anyone, I've never cleaned them with any chemicals and I've never placed them in any kind of plastic covers. My collection is in great condition. I wince every time I see records that have been "abused"- how on earth do people get them in that state? The very idea of buying 2nd hand vinyl sets my teeth on edge- why should I risk damaging my hi fi equipment? When I see some of the quack and totally bonkers cleaning tips on the internet- using PVA wood glue, placing warped records in a domestic oven... crazy expensive record cleaning machines and gadgets- I wonder how we survived without it all back in the day.
That is interesting, my record collection is for more than 80% bought in the 80's. Back then I bought an inner and outer sleeve together with each record. None of my records have this issue. What I did notice is that many sleeves have become brittle but that is to their own detriment. The paper/carton record sleeves they have been holding are all in very good condition.
A very useful video! Out of complete irony I had exactly the same issue with an original 1960's mono copy of Revolver! One side good, one side bad. Although it wasn't in a PVC sleeve when I bought it, who is to say it wasn't before I came across it!
Thank you so much Andrew for this video this is a really good one I’d like to keep all my vinyl records not just 45s and 33s but 78 in good shapeWhen I went to a garage place yourself that sold some vinyl records I found some records that were scratched someone who is with me told me that some of the records were scratched I don’t buy records that are in bad shape I’d rather buyAnd what I’ve learned is with $.78 they are made out of shellac you have to be very very careful with them you don’t want to clean them using the record cleaning products I’m just learning about it Record cleaning machine that I have and I’ve also learned that if you’re going to clean 78 there’s a different way of cleaning it and you have to be very gentle with them.
This is an extremely helpful video! Luckily, I bought a case of polyethylene sleeves years ago and still only use those. I also sleeve all my albums, by using Mofi rice paper inner sleeves and put the record behind the back of the rear cover and put the polyethylene sleeve over top the mofi sleeve and the record cover. And that’s how I store my albums and it works wonders for me. I urge all collectors to use those mofi sleeve so your fingers never touch the covers!
Thankyou for this info. Just when I'd almost completely encased my entire collection in what I thought were the answer to sleeve wear and degradation. I find out, not only have I wasted my time and money doing so. I've actually endangered the longevity of my vinyl with these agents of doom. Anyone want to buy a 1000 new and partly used PVC record sleeve "protectors".
Some of my records I have kept in pvc covers for many years and there has been no ''pvc migration'' on the vinyl. I keep them away from heat sources of course but I live in Greece, where it gets from hot to very hot, for at least 3 months a year. But this has not affected my recors, pvc covered or not.
@@theo9952 - I've assessed my own situation with records stored in identical conditions. I used PVC sleeves to protect 45 company sleeves. I found a lot of the Pye records suffered from gassing, some very badly. Yet, my collection of Decca singles haven't been affected at all. Could be due to variations in their production materials, but I'm nevertheless replacing the entire collection of PVC sleeves with polythene ones.
Again good and interesting video, so thank you. Heat is the biggest problem. Albums will warp in a heartbeat. Smoking is a big problem. I use to smoke and it's amazing how much of it gets on everything. Changing your needle, an older damaged needle will tear the vinyl up quickly. I suggest changing the outer plastic about 5 years in, and like you said avoid the PVC for storage.
For the last few years I have been ordering my outer and inner sleeves from Vinyl Storage Solutions from Canada. They make good non pvc products. I highly recommend them. The 3mil inner rice paper sleeves are the best I’ve seen.
I will not store my records in anything that does not come from Vinyl Storage Solutions. They are the best on the planet. I also much prefer their firmer and softer 3 mil inner sleeves over MOFI's, the latter of which are way too thin and flimsy.
Yep. I learned about that site from Frank at 33 RPM. Just got in another order a few days ago. I'm about a year into collecting so was happy to learn about CPP early on in my journey so I could pay up front and get those instead of replacing them later down the line. For inner sleeves I have an assortment of VSS, MoFi, MA Recordings, and even some Nagoaka ones. Sleeve City USA has some great ones for double LPs that are very handy (heard about them in a handy YT comment). I look forward to enjoying my music with my niece (if we ever share similar tastes) and future family.
I just started collecting vinyl records about 2 years ago and I feel very lucky that I found all this information before it was too late. Pretty much my entire collection is newer metal records that were still factory sealed, I had no idea that leaving them in shrink wrap could be bad for them as well. It's just so hard to open a sealed record that is limited to 100 copies worldwide, but it beats the alternative. Because even though some are less than 1 year old they're already worth a few hundred dollars. I would've literally cried if they ended up damaged years down the road as my investment would've been for nothing. Thanks for the info!
The shrink wrap on your new record shouldn't be PVC, it's most likely Polyethylene, which doesn't cause the problem. But as other have said, heat is more of the concern.
Annoyingly, some modern releases come with PVC covers straight out of the factory. Usually picture discs or grey-market releases where the record color is a big selling point.
Tremendous video. For a Beatles fan be aware that certain Beatles-related titles came packaged in those horrible PVC sleeves. Paul McCartney’s Fireman Electric Arguments came in a PVC sleeve that leached plasticizer that could damage the vinyl; get rid of them. Another is a Capitol promo white vinyl copy of “Happy Xmas”. This was distributed in a clear PVC cover with a silver sticker on the cover advertising the contents.
Thank you so much for sharing this information I had lost nearly all my older records and I’m trying to re-collect them again and I’m getting a lot of these vinyls with these pvc sleeve protectors and I thought that was great but now thanks to your information I’m getting rid of them and hopefully I’ll be able to take care of these vinyl records for years to come ! Thanks again this really means a lot to me !
Andrew! AAARGH! Thought I was being a "cool" Yank and went to an extreme to purchase those nice, thick, UK PVC sleeves to really protect my precious original Beatles and Stones LP's just as you Brits did. They were costly as well as they had to be transported to the US but my First Press lps were certainly worth covering with the covers from the country where the lp's hailed from. Imagine my disappointment seeing that my desire for these "authentic" covers has cost me dearly as many of my collectible records are now "hazed" on 1 side! Fortunatey for me the hazing does not appear to affect the sound. But it does of course detract from the physical appearance. My Yellow Submarine is hazed on side 2, the instrumental side. I was glad that side was hazed as opposed to the Beatles side being hazed. Upon playing, WOW, the sound is phenominal even though it's hazed! What a recording! I don't care much for the music but the sound is truely amazing. Too bad the recorded Beatles songs don't seem to be as good sounding. Wish they were. But I digress here. Andrew, aside from ditching the PVS sleeve are there any other precautions to take when re-sleeving the records and jackets? Clean the vinyl before re-sleeving? All my lp's were stored in Poly sleeves but should those be thrown out as well? I think I've answered my own question and will get to it immediatley! Let me get started without further ado. THANKS for the video Andrew!
Hi Andrew, just watched your video with shock and horror as all my records LPs and 45s are in pvc covers. One thing I also do is put my records into lined sleeves to protect them. The ones I buy from an advert in record collector have been fine. However, some I have bought from a different (cheaper) company, and the poly lined ones that come with brand new records, have been awful. I noticed by chance that the marks that you spoke about on the records was happening with these cheaper inners,and also little bits of plastic was being left on the vinyl, also no amount of cleaning will remove it.These inner sleeves seem excellent as they have a nice thick feel to the paper and seem like a good thing especially as record companies are using them for new records. I think they are invented by the devil, please avoid at all costs. Now, what do I do about my pvc sleeves? Thank you for an interesting video as always.
You can throw away the PVC sleeves in the recycling containers for plastic materials, like plastic food containers, packaging or plastic toys. Do not throw them in the normal house-rubbish. If there's a place locally who collects all sorts of rubbish that need to be collected somewhere for recycling purposes (batteries, empty or half-empty paint / varnish containers) you can take them there too :)
Hello, I am German and have to say that your videos are magnificent contributions not only concerning its subjects, but language wise too. Not too fast spoken, not too slow, not too complicated and nevertheless on the highest level concerning style, correctness and understandability wise: Pleasure to watch and listen! - By the way got a special White Album in my collection with a unique album cover made by myself in 1980. More a curiosity than a rarity although it is the only copy worldwide!
I went through my collection and removed some PVC covers. One was a vinyl copy of Anthology 1, which was in a sleeve that was noticeably wrinkling. Thankfully I don't seem to have too many, and those I have haven't caused any problems for the records or the sleeves. I do wonder if it's related to living in New Zealand. Our housing stock is notorious for being poorly insulated, and central heating and double glazing are rare things here, so perhaps the PVC never got warm enough to cause any issues.
Thank you for this link. I have changed all my sleeves to polythene sleeves a few years back. 2 of my die-cut Rolling Stones discs had turned brown from being stored in PVC covers. I agree, it's weird some record companies still sell new discs in PVC covers, they should have learned by now.
So glad I watched this and will immediately go through my collection, for me one of the main problems with those hard plastic sleeves can be is catching the vinyl itself as you take it in and out, especially when drunk 🙄😳😁
Which country are you from? This is not a problem if you're not exposed to a lot of heat. Never store you records in an attic or loft in the US for instance. An attic can also get pretty hot in northern countries as well, but rarely in our living room.
@@theblurredcrusade.2557 Heat has never been a problem in Scandinavia, unless you put them out in the sunshine, or store them on a loft in summer heat. In normal circumstances, you'll never run into this problem. Buying used records you need to be careful with. Always inspect carefully and look at the items before you buy.
Good vid. Wow...I had no idea that PVC could do that. Ugh..that poor Sgt. Pepper album....it did not deserve that... No skepticism here, I think your analysis is spot-on. How many people went and checked their Wall albums...
Great video. While I was aware that PVC is a killer, I had no idea what would be the best alternative solution. By the way, I have all my records stored outside the covers, in their inner sleeves, and both covers and inner sleeves side-by-side in a polythene cover. This is to protect the outer covers from ring wear and scuffing.
I have been using heavy, library "pocket" sleeves for many decades; I don't know their material, but have had no clouding issues. This may be because I have stored my vinyl in a cool basement, and in upright positions to guard against pressure. I also have some records that have an inner, plastic-like sleeve that seems like rice paper. These have caused no issue either. Regardless, your video has prompted me to have a closer look when I return home,. Thanks for bring up this topic.
My collection is the same: Library "pocket" sleeves in a cool basement. All seem fine with no sticking or hazing symptoms. I am glad to have seen this video as I was unaware of the outgassing problem. :
I started using vinyls since I was 9 years old, I always knew how to treat vinyls my grandad showed me when I was 6 how to use them and be gentle. I’m 14 now my new vinyls of AC/DC, queen ,killers, rush, Beatles , status quo … are all still in mint condition, not bragging.
I realize it's rampant among younger people, but please stop calling records "vinyls." Collectively the format is known as vinyl. An individual item is not "a vinyl."
Ooh, yeah, my 2014 Mono Sgt Peppers lost its PVC sleeve while watching this video! Stereolab reissues that came in PVC outters will be next! Thanks, Andrew!
Great info about the sleeves. I do not think I have ever seen the PVC sleeve here in California. The sleeves you seem to be talking about look more firm and hard and the ones I have been getting on records for 40 years are soft and flexible. I looked at a package of sleeves I bought recently and they are the good material. I was cringing when you were trying to get those sticky sleeves off of those Beatles records. I almost cried watching when the Revolver had that gunk on the one side and same for The Wall. Oh well I will keep on watching and enjoying your videos. Take care.
I''ve successfully used plastic covers to protect my jackets for over 30 years. None has ever stuck to the jacket or damaged the record in any way. The real problem is the original shrink wrap. Whenever someone says they have a 60's or 70's record that is still in the shrink wrap, I wonder why? Take off the shrink and make sure the record hasn't warped. By the way, keeping a record in original shrink wrap doesn't increase the value...and you'd better check the condition of the record inside.
Thanks for filling in a gap in my knowledge. I collect mainly second hand vintage classical and had always assumed when the inner sleeve was welded to the vinyl this had been caused by damp getting in rather than heat damage. I have had a look through my own collection as I did buy some of the pvc covers around 15 years ago thankfully nothing horrible to report but some are starting to wrinkle so best to replace with,polythene just in case. I am hoping that the outer sleeve of best of Blur double album will stay ok in the long run as it is an integral part of a classic bit of Brit pop sleeve art.
Thank you for this thorough lesson in vinyl storage! I have just one question. What about shrink wrap that it comes in? Sometimes I like to keep that because it might have a sticker saying limited edition or other identification I’d like to preserve. Does that damage my vinyl too?
Shrink wrap is just a temporary protection, too thin to be left. If you want to keep the stickers, you can cut out the piece of plastic where it is or you can also remove them and put them in a silicon paper (the papers where the stickers come) and keep it inside the cover or between the cover and the outer plastic cover.
Over time the shrink wrap can damage your covers and cause them to warp, and bend the edges. I’d only keep it on if you plan to keep the record sealed. Even then, the risk remains. Remember (the very long winded) video above: use polythene outer covers, not pvc ones.
@@vincedoc Thanks! I’m going through all my records (there’s a lot!) since I watched this. I had no idea. I thought I was protecting them but I was doing the opposite!
@@julianmartinez3048 I’ll definitely be cutting them out from now on. The stickers are all part of the package for me. Great I know all this info now though. Thanks!
Almost all stickers on shrink wraps easily can be pulled off if you do it very gently/slowly. They're meant to be. And than be 'resticked' for instance at the (inner side of) the record sleeve or at the inner sleeve, to preserve them. By the way, what a great and very informative Parlogram Auctions post!
ooh dear. I recently "won" a blue vinyl original of The Caretakers' EATEOT stage 5 for £27 . Yes it came in a thick PVC sleeve so I'll make sure I replace the PVC with a better protector sleeve. I'm now going to check all my other records for these sleeves. Excellent video. Thanks matey. x
The biggest takeaway here should be that when it comes to storing your records, make sure that you avoid exposing them to heat - especially for long periods of time. I've been buying vinyl since the 70's. Aside from storing records properly as noted in this video, my best piece of advice is simple: always be sure to put your LP's away as soon as you are done playing them.
I don’t know I found a box of records stored in an attic in Florida for 20 years … except for the covers have it been chewed on by attic rats all the records with a little cleaning played awesome …
Yeah .. records are tough. They. Withstand DJs In clubs abusing them ...just clean with warm water and fairy liquid and clean sponge..pat dry with kitchen roll..and wave in air to air dry...my vinyls are immaculate and I've recorded off for a reissue project that was then pressed to vinyl .. perfect.
And don't use PVC
There's a reason modern inner and outer protective sleeves are made of HDPE. Because Polyurethane doesn't stick to cardboard, yellow, or de-gas into records.
Whenever I receive an LP I throw the PVC sleeve out straight away.
Cheers Gandalf.
There's a huge difference between PVC sleeves and modern polyethylene and polypropylene sleeves, which are completely safe and can protect collections.
Polyolefins (aka polyethylene and polypropylene) are plasticizer free. PVC is naturally hard and brittle so plasticizers are used to convert it into something flexible.
Looosers still listen to these vinyls 😂🤣😂
Thanks for the clarification. A quick check confirms my covers are Made from High-Density Polypropylene. However I will be checking to see what my local record shop uses for the albums they sell, all of which came
In a sleeve.
How do you tell the difference?
How do you know that..see how it is in 30 years
Just out of curiosity, what is the ideal room temperature for records (from to)? This is also important for books.
PS: Watch out for small yellow-like spots or stains. These often indicate booklice and/or mites. The stains are excretions from these pests. If not careful, they can work their way through a whole collection leaving their stains. I've had to get rid of many LPs and well over a hundred books because of mites.
That was shocking. You would never expect an outer pvc sleeve to affect the record through the sleeve. I used them for decades, but never encountered any problems. Just goes to show, don't take anything for granted! 😊
Fifty years no problems at all with PVC covers. I think people room temperature or storage are iffy and causing a chemical reaction.
Or just goes to show you he…might be wrong
It's called de-gassing.
It's a chemical reaction that happens between those old PVC sleeves and the LP since both are made from the same kind of plastic and I imagine the paper and cardboard is porous enough the reaction happens right through it.
But how can this come as a surprise for anyone over 40? This was well known in the 1980's and 90's.
@@saftfan I started collecting records over 40 years ago, but it was never brought to my attention - not until I saw this video and, at around the same time, a thread at Discogs. What I don't get is why they're still the norm. The mind boggles.
As soon as I watched this I went through my entire collection and found three of these (mostly on EPS and 45s). I immediately tossed them. Thanks for the information! This was really well done and more people should know about this. I have come across a few of these "sticky" covers while digging through bargain bins and I never knew why it was happening. I will tell others about this for sure!
Hi Andrew, I, probably along with countless others purchased these pvc covers thinking you were protecting you record collection. I purchased the majority of mine in the 1980's. Fortunately I did away with these when I couldn't fit the records snuggly on a new bookcase. Unbeknown to me, doing that has saved my collection from damage.
Your video has ultimately saved many vinyl record collectors from doing harm to their records
Funnily enough it was the extra space they took up that added to my dislike of them. I thought records stacked vertically closely together would do a fair enough job of protecting the sleeves, which of course it did. Also the room I keep them in has the radiator resolutely locked into the off position and the open ends of the bookcases they're in face away from the window (I use two Ikea Billy's arranged in an L-shape in one corner of the room, with the one parallel to the window with its back to the window, so the two together form a shadowed little alcove with no heat or direct sunlight).
Snuggly is overpacked. this can lead to warping
Something else to add… Acouple of years ago I bought 200 PVC covers to protect my albums but in just weeks I noticed they had become extremely static-y and the pops and crackles (on previously quiet running records) was so prominent they were unlistenable. I immediately removed all the sleeves and recleaned the records. Now, learning about this reaction I’m even more glad I discarded those dastardly things. I live in a warm dry climate. Thanks!
I'm 59 and collected vinyl in the 70s and 80s. Sold most but now have returned to vinyl. In my older collecting days, I had no notion that people put their records into extra poly covers. I only noticed this trend when starting to buy second-hand records through online suppliers recently. However, everyone commenting below seems to be using them! Is this a specialized 'collectors' thing? I just bought LPs to listen to the music and still do. Always stored them upright and away from heat as recommended. People seem to be fixated on protecting the outer sleeves. I've got LPs that are 40 years old and the outer covers are in very good condition without the use of PVC or any other outer sleeves.
In my fifty years record collecting experience, I have found the issues that you pointed out to be caused by the quality of the PVC covers, storage and room temperature. I have PVC covers from `Our Price` records store 1980s and no issues at all. The PVC demonstrated in your video are the close fitting & softer covers that I notice had issue and use to throw away when a record came with them on.
I went through my parents' record collection a year or two ago and replaced the old PVC outers that were on some of the albums and 45s with heavy polythene outers. Without exception, all of the PVC outers were yellowed, brittle and had a wrinkled outline of the records within the jackets. Several were also stuck to the jackets and required some gentle encouragment to separate. Quite a few of the 45s had suffered from audible misting, but the albums thankfully seem to have fared better. I'm just glad I had heard of this phenomenon and was able to rectify it before any further damage could be done.
Worryingly, I've recently had a couple of new records shipped to me ready-packaged in PVC outers, which I immediately chucked in the bin (the sleeves that is, not the records!).
he did another mistake in video! he should cut off the pvc cover piece by piece indeed doing it with his hand... !
Having worked in a record shop, I can attest to this. I saw far too many otherwise rare records ruined in this way. Tragic really.
OMG. Thank you so much!!!
I’m a relatively new collector and have been putting all my records in these PVC outer sleeves! You just saved my whole collection. I’m so thankful right now!
Within the next year I’ll be shipping overseas via sea and who knows what temperatures fluctuations they may experience. I though I was giving them the best chance - man was I wrong! Thank you 🙏
I'm glad he posted this. He did help alot of people.
Apart from... you don't find PVC sleeves today. They are PE or PP (Polyethylene or Polypropylene) or something.
@@j.m.w.5064 I checked the listings where I bought mine over the last 10 years, and most say PVC, including the ones I bought a couple of weeks ago.
@@festivitycatBut are they old recordings bought secondhand (new to you)?
Thanks for the info. I checked mine and they’re polythene (phew!). I only recently decided to put my albums in sleeves, as the area I now live is a place where silverfish like to live, and they love coming into houses to eat paper and card. I found one who had decided that the cover of my Pipes of Peace album looked tasty, but it didn’t survive to sample it. It was my wake up call to protect my albums. Something I have always done is kept shrink-wrap on albums, which I suppose could be a protection for people who have pvc sleeves.
THE BEST description I have seen of this issue, well done!
Thanks!
@@ParlogramThe PVC plasticizer off-gases not only when too hot, but theoretically even at any temperature above absolute zero (0K); however heat strongly acellerates it (and warps your records). Plasticizer oil (formerly phthalate) rather smells a bit like earwax; the "fresh paint"/household glue smell are additional solvents from production (well known from cheap new beachballs and airmats). The best protection foil would be PET (aka Mylar or Polyester) which contains no plasticizer and is quite UV resistant. I saw a TV docu that they even resarch on making records from PET (recycled bottles) instead of PVC now due to environmental concerns.
Thanks, Andrew! I recently bought polythene sleeves without knowing the damage PVC would do to the records. Now I know and will stay away from PVC and heat. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us.
Glad I could help, Jorge!
Polyethylene is not PVC, it does not have the added plasticizers that PVC sleeves have 🫤
I think I'd cut off these PVC covers that are sticking to the sleeves rather than sliding my hand between the cover and sleeve and hoping not to damage the edges of the sleeve. You're throwing the PVC cover out anyway and can more carefully remove it by cutting it. Same goes for blank paper inner sleeves. I replace all of them with mofi style inners, so tear off the paper inner sleeve, to minimize paper scuffing of the record.
Are plastic/pretty soft covers alright for vinyl
Polythene (polyethelene) plastic is fine. PVC is based on vinyl which is like a crystal. A plasticizer is used to soften it but evaporates over time leaving it brittle like 60's car seats.
@@KevinHallSurfing Thanks Kevin. Yes - the old style soft lined inner bags are fine - never ever PVC.
PVC outer covers were indeed used in some record shops just to protect empty sleeves handled by the public. I don't recall them being supplied to the customer.
At W G Windows, you could take the sleeve to the counter. The sleeve would then go back into the 'rack' and you'd be handed an unmolested product from correct storage.
If it was the last pressing in stock, the assistant would remove the protective cover and insert the correctly stored disc.
Yes, I agree. I have a site on Facebook dedicated to ultrasonic record cleaning. I always advise to get rid of paper inner sleeves and replace with poly lined sleeves or a least use poly record bags if you have sleeves with artwork or those brutal hard cardboard sleeves that came with some records in the 70's and 1980's. The paper or card fibres alone can get deep into the records grooves. Paper sleeves can attract mold as well.
Haha I was watching him sliding his fingers into the sleeve and screaming in my mind, “just cut the thing off!”
In the comic book collectors sphere it is handeld in a similar way.
I think there is no comic book bag in PVC availible anymore, because it was widely spread that PVC is not good for comic book storage.
Almost every comic book bag is made of PP (Polypropylen).
For extra long time storage there is a special polyethylen. It is called Mylar.
PET foil (aka Mylar, polyester) is AFAIK even better (and withstands UV) and hence is used by museums. This is not PP but the same stuff plastic bottles are made of.
Story very much reminded me of the toxic nightmare a new car interior presents. That new car smell is a killer.
Hi, Andrew! Leaving in a hot and humid city like I do, using any outer plastic bag is not always the best way to protect your records as they create a nice condition for mold growing. Those yellow or brownish round stains that appear on cover, inner seelves and records themselves are the result of using them. So, I´ve been taking out the outer plastic bags from most of my records. Also, after reading about plastic migration on the Record Collector magazine many years ago, I immediately got rid of of some french pvc sleeves I was using in some of my 45s. Best, Nelio.
Currently using my recording studio to digitise all my old records, noticed this fogging on a lot of them and wondered what it was..... I've just removed and disposed of every plastic cover from every record. Don't care what type they were. Thank you for making this video.
How are you storing the actual vinyl then? Are you using polyethylene sleeves for them or keeping in original paper sleeves. Oh yeah, some new vonyl now comes with polyethylene inner sleeves, so what about that? Hahahhahsh
@@Brian-qg8dg the new ones are very thin. I think it is the older thicker ones cause the problem.
As a teenager in 1980. I bought 2 dozen of these plastic trace paper-like audiophile grade inner sleeves for my favorite most cherished records. I would say these sleeves worked quite well up to about 5 years ago, when I suddenly noticed some of them starting to crack and break up at the slightest bend literally crumbling to dust. luckily it did little damage to the records themselves. but I did replace all my original 1980's inner sleeves. Something to consider when using some plastic inner sleeves their shelf life may be limited to a few decades.
Very interesting about how the plastic affects the record.
I live in a humid climate so know to take plastic off everything or else it traps humidity and therefore mould.
I store my records without plastic and a ‘damp rid’ container to trap moisture.
I work in a charity shop and have the job of cleaning records, cd's and dvd's. By far the worst for mould are the cd's, little dots of it and worse on the label side in most cases for some odd reason.
Thank you for this video. The same phenomenon has damaged much of my CD collection. To save on storage space, I removed my CDs from their original containers and put them in bramd-new photo album-type CD holders that you can put on a bookshelf. The smell of brand-new plastic was unmistakable, but I didn't know any better then. In just a few months, the smooth and transparent playing surfaces of my CDs became mottled. The damage replicates the dimple patterns of the plastic sleeves. Some of the CDs are still playable, but annoying drop-outs tend to.occur. The rest are completely unplayable.
Let this video be a warning to CD owners, too. Thanks again.
CD are waaaaay more sensitive to light CONTACT scratches. Vinyl is most definitely not
Haven't experienced that with any of those cd holders, if you mean those zippered binder type CD wallets then I used those and never had that problem. I've experienced CD rot where the film decays due to humidity breaching the plastic casing of the CD. I have about half a dozen CDs like that, out of about 1,000.
I knew about this before and have sometimes checked and changed, though never systematically. Just checked now and found three, so you've rescued a 1st press Public Enemy on Def Jam, John Lennon Mind Games, and a Deerhunter record (oddly this came in a PVC jacket in 2013). PVC sleeves now banished and records saved from gassy plastic doom!
Actually...records were fine but Deerhunter came with a free cd of album which was in a miniature PVC sleeve. CD surface is trashed! Now I have to check all of those included cds!
😢
Thanks for posting. Great video. Some of the mid 1960s pressings from Decca UK and EMI UK used a PVC lined paper inner sleeve. Even without heat under normal storage conditions, I lost a few of these titles due to PVC plasticizer migration from the inner sleeve onto the record itself. Polyethylene inner and outer sleeves are the best to use. PE is much more inert than PVC.
I think that you will find it is damp that is a significant factor......and as most flats and houses have damp atmospheres, anything left untouched for any significant time, will be affected.
There was a time when some albums were manufactured with a plastic inner sleeve that looked like a safe polybag but was not. It caused this very same problem on both sides of an album. Needless to say the few that I came across in my collection were replaced before irreparable damage could be done. This video will certainly help in avoiding these issues.
I've noticed that before too.
What a useful video, Andrew! I never realised how damaging PVC covers were until now. I removed the covers from my vinyl albums some years ago so that they fitted on the shelves better but still have vinyl singles in what I now suspect may be the dreaded PVC covers! Thanks for another great presentation and your description of the properties of PVC and polythene!
Excellent stuff. I never new about the difference between PVC and polythene. Will definitely be removing all my PVC covers. Will check the albums as I do so. In fact as you mentioned it does beg the question about polythene as well as when storing records vertically the polythene tends to gets rucked up when replacing it back amongst all the other albums. Oh, to have such first world problems.
Thanks so much for the video. I binned all my PVC sleeves after you mentioned the fogging issue in a previous video. On the subject of warping, in my experience, new, sealed pressings are frequently warped or dished, to the point where I'm reluctant to buy new. There has to be an issue with quality control in the pressing plants.
Whenever I've seen videos showcasing the "brilliant work" that "artisan pressing plants" are doing these days, they take you through the process and the end product, to my eyes, looks awful. Always badly warped and trimmed. "...and now they just go to the packing machine..."
Thanks for sharing this video. Excellent scientific breakdown of what can go awry in the storage department and proving too that there is always something new to learn! I often wondered what caused that mottling effect and now a few more of us know! I think it's worth reiterating that so long as ambient temperatures can be regulated at all times there's no need to panic. Especially for those like me with a full set of PVC-protected records but not the wherewithal to replace them at this time.
This would explain some of my Brother's records having what looked like water spots or water damage to them. I couldnt figure out how the vinyl looked that way yet have a NM cover. Now I know. I am currently in process of replacing all of his PVC covers to a flapped cover I buy from Crystal Clear Bags here in Canada. I also stored mine in PVC covers for the last 40+ years but never in an environment where my records were subjected to any heat in any form. 3 yrs ago I changed all mine to a 2mil resealable polypropylene cover stored at a median temperature of 70 degrees F. Great video!
There are two Elvis EP collections from the UK put out in the 1980's that came in books with PVC pockets inside. I have never seen an unaffected record from either of these 12 disc sets. As you said, companies should know better. Great job. Take care...
They DO know better, but know you will buy it anyway. And you will.
I guarantee you it’s a cost choice. They already have their money by the time the PVC starts destroying things.
Remember how all our family photo albums from the 80's got stuck to the pages. Whole generations and we never thought about it. Basically with L.P's like photographs keep away from heat, excessive moisture and plastic! As a postcard collector (over 3000) I was incredibly worried about how to store them. In th end I put them in Archival-Grade Ultra Clear Polypropylene.
Non-PVC premium sleeves and Acid-Free.. Then put that in a tougher Made of heavy- duty Polypropylene. Seems to have worked. I'll be dead before they go anyway. This video is a great informative one. It has also persuaded me to stick with cds.
I'm old time collector.Collecting records from early 70's and all ,almost all of my records are stored in anti static inner and covers in strong pvc sleeves and must say that I have never seen this problem on my records.
so you had good moderate temps. heat was the trigger for problems as was explained
The anti-static inners might be better at protecting the gas leaking through than paper inners. I'd still get rid of them though.
I have been using outer sleeves for 50 years and there has never been any issues at all. But I am North America so maybe the sleeves sold here are fine.
@@lstefansPVC plasticizer off-gases not only when too hot, but theoretically even at any temperature above absolute zero (0K); however heat strongly accelerates it (and warps your records).
My vinyl´s are also in PVC sleeves, and i do no have that problem either, but next to that, my Elvis room is never over heated or anything like that.
Love how the vultures start in on you to point out any fault they (in their mind) can come up with. Thank-you for giving sound advice to those that haven't found out the hard way, as most do, I have a friend who though young as we were 55 yrs ago always purchased two of all his albums, one to play one to lock away as I recall he put plastic sleeves on his. I hope he chose the proper products. Knowing Tim he kept up on the info and probably knew this long ago( I should give him a call) but for the rest of us I thank you for the information. Save many a costly and irreplaceable mistake.
Katta Sleeves are amazing, they are glass clear, and for long storage, and anti static or lined or whatever you want in all sizes.
Its all fun with no sleeves but once you remove them a lot the cover will worn down plus with those crystal clear katta sleeces your covers look even nicer.
Informative video regarding something I and suspect, many others were not aware of. Brought to mind something I experienced within the last year. I purchased an original 1979 made in Holland "Rarities" with the shrink and "Jem" imports on the cover intact but opened on one side to inspect the record just prior to the seller posting it on Ebay. The record was mint and in it's poly lined inner. When I attempted to remove the shrink from the cover as I always do, the shrink was stuck to part of the front cover and also the back. It was impossible to remove without taking areas of the front cover with it. I ended up leaving the shrink on not wishing to further damage the cover. There was no odor. I had never experienced anything like this before. The record inside was mint clean and still is. I guess I was lucky there. I guess I should store the record away from the cover as well. Thanks, Andrew, once again.
didn't realize this, but glad to know now. still gonna stick with outer sleeves (that are safe) though because I noticed a few times moving some records on my shelf that dust has gotten in between them and/or they had small scratches from rubbing against each other, before I had any kind of outer sleeves. this issue increases tenfold with box sets and slip cases
After seeing this I looked for sleeves on Amazon to replace all mine to make sure none are vinyl, and most of the new sleeves I see, especially the most inexpensive ones, are vinyl!
Hi Andrew, very informative thanks, too late for me though. Although my LPs were generally OK due to the laminated sleeves, my 7inch singles and picture discs are shot. Virtually all of them are marred by the clouding you described. I removed all the PVC from my collection about 4 years ago now and salvaged what I could. Cheers Matt
I have never experienced any cloudy records I found second hand. Thats weird how the pvc migration goes right thru the record sleeve and thru the inner sleeve too. That was real informative, thanks for sharing this info!
Andrew, Many thanks for this latest video as I have had the exact same problem with some of my albums purchased in the 70s as I bought those PVC covers for them at the same time. I recently went through my collection and couldn't work out why some of my albums had a oily sheen over one side. Thanks to your video I am today going through my collection and removing the offending PVC sleeves.
Glad it helped, Peter. Thanks for watching.
Phew Andrew. All my albums are in polythene sleeves. Such a helpful video
And those crinkly INNER clear sleeves Columbia used in the mid60s. Simon and Garfunkel, Byrds, Tony Bennett and Sinatra mostly used these. They actually stick to and imprint on the vinyl
The limited edition 1996 4AD clear vinyl pressing of "Lovelife" by Lush came packaged in a PVC cover as well as the three 7" singles from the album. Every sealed copy of this album and singles I have seen so far has clouding damage from the PVC gassing.
I separated the colour vinyl Lush 7"s from the PVC covers the moment I bought them. Those covers were just an utter nightmare and ruined some of my 1980s 'clear edged' picture discs.
I use these alternative Sleeves from these Milky and thick Polythene materials. Not only for my 33rpm and 45rpm Vinyls but also for my Laserdiscs. Totally worth getting and basically perfect for double-albums because of the generous space they provide.
Thank you for this hugely informative video. I knew that PVC sucks but I wasn't sure what was the reason of the mottling or cloudiness on a lot of my purely stored records. I have started replacing all of them with new polythelene sleeves but following your reasoned advice I'll probably stop spending on them as well. You've got yourself a new subscriber!
Thanks Zisis and welcome aboard!
Thanks for this! Happily, the majority of my records are in polyethylene sleeves, and I like them because the covers don't rub together and it makes them easier to get in and out of the shelves. I did have a couple that were PVC - they had been shipped that way - but happily they had polyethylene inner sleeves, and I must have unstuck them from the covers in the past as the covers don't have damage. Never really bought PVC myself as I considered it a waste of money since polyethylene was just fine.
Thanks for the explanation, now I finally know what happened to the let it be and queen II vinyl copies I got
Thanks for publishing this. I used to buy these PVC outer covers to protect my singles in the 1980s, but since most independent record shops closed down, the sleeves became unavailable. Thank God for that. Of the six hundred singles and E.P.s I still have, about fifty of them are still in these sleeves, mainly they are The Beatles singles, the 1980s reissues in the green covers (notice how I avoided saying "green sleeves" there) and their E.P.s. I've now removed them from the offending items but they don't seem to have done any damage.
The reissues as picture discs, however, were sold in the PVC covers and have been in direct contact with the discs. No damage is noticeable, but as these were never meant to be played, it is not as worrying.
While going through my complete singles collection, now kept in three silver boxes holding approximately 200 each, I noticed that at one time I had bought three unofficial Beatles singles, part of a series called The Beatles 1962 Live Recordings, so presumably they are all taken from the Star Club recordings. On the front of each paper sleeve is the same black-and-white photograph, while the rear of the sleeve contains the same text stating that "This is one of fifteen singles which together comprise a typical show by the group at this pivotal stage sin their career." Can you offer any more information on these?
Just been through my Beatles and related section. I've found many sticky sleeves, no damage to the records as yet. What I did notice is that the sleeves I recall buying in the 70's seem to be in quite good condition. However the ones I recall buying in the 80's include a high proportion with the pvc deteriorating.
Thanks for sharing, Sev.
Thank you for the new video. After thinking about what could have PVC sleeves in my collection, my mind wandered to my 20th anniversary picture singles WHICH WERE ALL IN PVC SLEEVES! Back when the 20th anniversary series came out, I had missed the first few releases, so I had to order them after the fact. That one was the From Me To You single, which I bought from a shop in the US during the summer. After looking through the whole collection, that one title has a slight amount of offgassing. Thankfully, it is not a large spot and does not make any audible sound during playback. I spent the last few minutes finding some 45 sleeves to transport them into (and will purchase some appropriate ones to house them in for the next 40 years lol). Will be hitting the LP collection tomorrow to see if there are any PVC sleeves there. A great service record video for all of us record lovers. Have a great week, Andrew! (my heart sunk when I looked at the mono Revolver disc)
Thanks Christopher, you too!
Very interesting. In the past I have not been impressed by the few PVC covers I have. I was more worried by what I perceived as shrinkage (that rippled effect) and worried it might warp the disc. What you describe I recall seeing on records, that imprint pattern. I thought it might be the inner plastic sleeve, but now I am enlightened. 99% of my LPs are in polythene covers, but many of them are just falling apart now.
I'm so glad your video was recommended. I've only been collecting for a little under a decade now and have never considered what sleeves I should use for storage.
Increíble explicación acerca de la degradación del plástico. Sin embargo pese a que aparentemente las fundas de PVC "protegen" la portada, si hay un poco de humedad, solo harían que se impregne al PVC haciendo imposible su separación y dejando gran parte del arte pegado al PVC. Así que tuviste mucha suerte que eso no pasara.
¡Gran video!
Thanks a million about this info , never ever has crossed my mind that the pvc outer sleeves could cause such damage to the vinyl record , Looking forward to purchase some polyethylene cover sleeves.
Some box sets use a thin white or yellow foam to protect the records from moving about. Over a long time, this foam deteriorates into a powder that can coat the inside of the box. It won't damage the records, and it can be brushed or washed away, but you can avoid this by discarding the foam.
This was in the CD box I have of Yellow Brick Road which I bought in the mid 80's. Worked overseas for many years and when I got back it had broken up and stuck to the disc. Luckily I managed to get it off with damage.
PVC can be quite a dangerous substance, as its outgassing releases bits of microplastics which can then bind to other particulates in the air. Not too easy to recycle either, unfortunately, which causes a big pollution problem.
of course, maybe it's not right of me to mention that in the comments of a video about record collecting, as i may give some people nightmares, but there's no need to point worry specifically toward your music collections, as PVC is used in everything and is inescapable.
Hi Andrew. This was a scary to find out after all these years. I've now found some time to bin all my covers, some of which were wrinkling and some were starting to get sticky. The ones on the 45s are the stickiest so thanks very much for the info.
explains very well how to protect your vinyl record treasures and rarities. very useful and helpful. my records have survived all adversities well. i'm so happy about it because i haven't listened to them for over two decades and have left them in their cases, but of course in the luxury inner sleeves. valuable and beautiful things deserve the best possible care. and now a lot of them are more valuable than before.
Super interesting and useful video (as usual)! I did go through my collection after watching your video and none of my standard LPs and 45s were inside PVC sleeves (whew!), but I’m an avid picture disc collector (mainly Marillion) and many of those originally came inside PVC sleeves (some with hype stickers attached to them). I am assuming that picture discs are also susceptible to the damage you described so I changed them all (and kept the ones with hype stickers separate). Thank you so much for helping to preserve our collections!
Thank you for this important video! I immediately checked my copy of "The Wall" and it was affected by the sticker too. I was never aware of the pvc problem. Luckily all my Beatles records are fine because I store them in polythene sleeves. My favorite record store only sells these. I keep all my records in an unheated room protected from sunlight.
Very useful video - I never realised. All my vinyl that I collected in the 80's I suspect are in PVC sleeves as the covers feel completely to the ones I buy today. I am lucky in that there seems to be no damage but new non PVC covers are ordered. I think they were never exposed to heat. My first pressing of the Wall bought in 1980 is in a PVC cover with the PVC sticker but no damage - phew.
Oh wow interesting.
So are you going to keep the sticker somewhere else now to prevent possible damage to the record?
he did another mistake ! he should cut off the pvc cover piece by piece indeed doing it with his hand... !
I've been a record collector for almost 60 years and buy a lot of second hand records. Fortunately I've only seen this condition a few times and always wondered what caused it. My collection is in a very old house in closed metal and wooden cabinets in the lounge and garage. Due to thick walls these are located in areas that are cool, my main issue is fighting mold which is a mainly a problem on the bottom shelf next to the floor.
Thanks for that. I've just ditched twelve of those PVC outers. Thankfully they haven't damaged the vinyl, even though I live in Australia, a notoriously hot country. I do have a copy of AC/DC's TNT, an Australian only album, and the PVC outer sleeve has made the cardboard sleeve sticky, but the vinyl is ok, which is fortunate, because these albums go for stupid money nowadays.
How long did you have them in the covers?
@@camacarzie12 I imagine some of them since new, because they had record store logos on them. Fortunately none of the records themselves seem to be affected.
Thank You for telling us what that was. I thought it was "Plastic Migration" and was pretty much unavoidable, but now that I know that soft PVC and heat is the culprit I don't have to sniff all the protective covers for plastic aging.
Wow! I just found out that newly covered vinyl interior parts of my classic car is what's causing my windows to get a thick film on the inside. I can't keep them clean! This video demonstrates exactly why and how it's happening.
I began collecting back in 1971 as a ten year old. 've always taken great care of my collection- vinyl & cd- I've never loaned them out to anyone, I've never cleaned them with any chemicals and I've never placed them in any kind of plastic covers. My collection is in great condition. I wince every time I see records that have been "abused"- how on earth do people get them in that state? The very idea of buying 2nd hand vinyl sets my teeth on edge- why should I risk damaging my hi fi equipment? When I see some of the quack and totally bonkers cleaning tips on the internet- using PVA wood glue, placing warped records in a domestic oven... crazy expensive record cleaning machines and gadgets- I wonder how we survived without it all back in the day.
That is interesting, my record collection is for more than 80% bought in the 80's. Back then I bought an inner and outer sleeve together with each record. None of my records have this issue. What I did notice is that many sleeves have become brittle but that is to their own detriment. The paper/carton record sleeves they have been holding are all in very good condition.
A very useful video! Out of complete irony I had exactly the same issue with an original 1960's mono copy of Revolver! One side good, one side bad. Although it wasn't in a PVC sleeve when I bought it, who is to say it wasn't before I came across it!
Very informative, Andrew! All of my albums are as nature intended.😀
Thank you so much Andrew for this video this is a really good one I’d like to keep all my vinyl records not just 45s and 33s but 78 in good shapeWhen I went to a garage place yourself that sold some vinyl records I found some records that were scratched someone who is with me told me that some of the records were scratched I don’t buy records that are in bad shape I’d rather buyAnd what I’ve learned is with $.78 they are made out of shellac you have to be very very careful with them you don’t want to clean them using the record cleaning products I’m just learning about it Record cleaning machine that I have and I’ve also learned that if you’re going to clean 78 there’s a different way of cleaning it and you have to be very gentle with them.
This is an extremely helpful video! Luckily, I bought a case of polyethylene sleeves years ago and still only use those. I also sleeve all my albums, by using Mofi rice paper inner sleeves and put the record behind the back of the rear cover and put the polyethylene sleeve over top the mofi sleeve and the record cover. And that’s how I store my albums and it works wonders for me. I urge all collectors to use those mofi sleeve so your fingers never touch the covers!
I believe the Mofi sleeves are HDPE. High density polyethylene. They're really soft and nice.
Thankyou for this info. Just when I'd almost completely encased my entire collection in what I thought were the answer to sleeve wear and degradation. I find out, not only have I wasted my time and money doing so. I've actually endangered the longevity of my vinyl with these agents of doom. Anyone want to buy a 1000 new and partly used PVC record sleeve "protectors".
Some of my records I have kept in pvc covers for many years and there has been no ''pvc migration'' on the vinyl. I keep them away from heat sources of course but I live in Greece, where it gets from hot to very hot, for at least 3 months a year. But this has not affected my recors, pvc covered or not.
@@theo9952 - I've assessed my own situation with records stored in identical conditions. I used PVC sleeves to protect 45 company sleeves.
I found a lot of the Pye records suffered from gassing, some very badly.
Yet, my collection of Decca singles haven't been affected at all.
Could be due to variations in their production materials, but I'm nevertheless replacing the entire collection of PVC sleeves with polythene ones.
Again good and interesting video, so thank you. Heat is the biggest problem. Albums will warp in a heartbeat. Smoking is a big problem. I use to smoke and it's amazing how much of it gets on everything. Changing your needle, an older damaged needle will tear the vinyl up quickly. I suggest changing the outer plastic about 5 years in, and like you said avoid the PVC for storage.
For the last few years I have been ordering my outer and inner sleeves from Vinyl Storage Solutions from Canada. They make good non pvc products. I highly recommend them. The 3mil inner rice paper sleeves are the best I’ve seen.
Their stuff is fantastic! Polypropylene outers.
I will not store my records in anything that does not come from Vinyl Storage Solutions. They are the best on the planet.
I also much prefer their firmer and softer 3 mil inner sleeves over MOFI's, the latter of which are way too thin and flimsy.
Yep. I learned about that site from Frank at 33 RPM. Just got in another order a few days ago. I'm about a year into collecting so was happy to learn about CPP early on in my journey so I could pay up front and get those instead of replacing them later down the line.
For inner sleeves I have an assortment of VSS, MoFi, MA Recordings, and even some Nagoaka ones. Sleeve City USA has some great ones for double LPs that are very handy (heard about them in a handy YT comment).
I look forward to enjoying my music with my niece (if we ever share similar tastes) and future family.
Excellent advice! I had no idea I’ve seen this type of damage before and had no idea how it happened.
I just started collecting vinyl records about 2 years ago and I feel very lucky that I found all this information before it was too late. Pretty much my entire collection is newer metal records that were still factory sealed, I had no idea that leaving them in shrink wrap could be bad for them as well. It's just so hard to open a sealed record that is limited to 100 copies worldwide, but it beats the alternative. Because even though some are less than 1 year old they're already worth a few hundred dollars. I would've literally cried if they ended up damaged years down the road as my investment would've been for nothing. Thanks for the info!
The shrink wrap on your new record shouldn't be PVC, it's most likely Polyethylene, which doesn't cause the problem. But as other have said, heat is more of the concern.
Annoyingly, some modern releases come with PVC covers straight out of the factory. Usually picture discs or grey-market releases where the record color is a big selling point.
Tremendous video. For a Beatles fan be aware that certain Beatles-related titles came packaged in those horrible PVC sleeves. Paul McCartney’s Fireman Electric Arguments came in a PVC sleeve that leached plasticizer that could damage the vinyl; get rid of them. Another is a Capitol promo white vinyl copy of “Happy Xmas”. This was distributed in a clear PVC cover with a silver sticker on the cover advertising the contents.
Thank you so much for sharing this information I had lost nearly all my older records and I’m trying to re-collect them again and I’m getting a lot of these vinyls with these pvc sleeve protectors and I thought that was great but now thanks to your information I’m getting rid of them and hopefully I’ll be able to take care of these vinyl records for years to come ! Thanks again this really means a lot to me !
Andrew!
AAARGH! Thought I was being a "cool" Yank and went to an extreme to purchase those nice, thick, UK PVC sleeves to really protect my precious original Beatles and Stones LP's just as you Brits did. They were costly as well as they had to be transported to the US but my First Press lps were certainly worth covering with the covers from the country where the lp's hailed from.
Imagine my disappointment seeing that my desire for these "authentic" covers has cost me dearly as many of my collectible records are now "hazed" on 1 side!
Fortunatey for me the hazing does not appear to affect the sound. But it does of course detract from the physical appearance. My Yellow Submarine is hazed on side 2, the instrumental side. I was glad that side was hazed as opposed to the Beatles side being hazed. Upon playing, WOW, the sound is phenominal even though it's hazed! What a recording! I don't care much for the music but the sound is truely amazing. Too bad the recorded Beatles songs don't seem to be as good sounding. Wish they were. But I digress here.
Andrew, aside from ditching the PVS sleeve are there any other precautions to take when re-sleeving the records and jackets? Clean the vinyl before re-sleeving? All my lp's were stored in Poly sleeves but should those be thrown out as well? I think I've answered my own question and will get to it immediatley! Let me get started without further ado.
THANKS for the video Andrew!
Hi Andrew, just watched your video with shock and horror as all my records LPs and 45s are in pvc covers. One thing I also do is put my records into lined sleeves to protect them. The ones I buy from an advert in record collector have been fine. However, some I have bought from a different (cheaper) company, and the poly lined ones that come with brand new records, have been awful. I noticed by chance that the marks that you spoke about on the records was happening with these cheaper inners,and also little bits of plastic was being left on the vinyl, also no amount of cleaning will remove it.These inner sleeves seem excellent as they have a nice thick feel to the paper and seem like a good thing especially as record companies are using them for new records. I think they are invented by the devil, please avoid at all costs. Now, what do I do about my pvc sleeves? Thank you for an interesting video as always.
You can throw away the PVC sleeves in the recycling containers for plastic materials, like plastic food containers, packaging or plastic toys. Do not throw them in the normal house-rubbish. If there's a place locally who collects all sorts of rubbish that need to be collected somewhere for recycling purposes (batteries, empty or half-empty paint / varnish containers) you can take them there too :)
Hello, I am German and have to say that your videos are magnificent contributions not only concerning its subjects, but language wise too. Not too fast spoken, not too slow, not too complicated and nevertheless on the highest level concerning style, correctness and understandability wise: Pleasure to watch and listen! - By the way got a special White Album in my collection with a unique album cover made by myself in 1980. More a curiosity than a rarity although it is the only copy worldwide!
Thank you! Much appreciated.
I went through my collection and removed some PVC covers. One was a vinyl copy of Anthology 1, which was in a sleeve that was noticeably wrinkling. Thankfully I don't seem to have too many, and those I have haven't caused any problems for the records or the sleeves. I do wonder if it's related to living in New Zealand. Our housing stock is notorious for being poorly insulated, and central heating and double glazing are rare things here, so perhaps the PVC never got warm enough to cause any issues.
Thank you for this link.
I have changed all my sleeves to polythene sleeves a few years back. 2 of my die-cut Rolling Stones discs had turned brown from being stored in PVC covers.
I agree, it's weird some record companies still sell new discs in PVC covers, they should have learned by now.
So glad I watched this and will immediately go through my collection, for me one of the main problems with those hard plastic sleeves can be is catching the vinyl itself as you take it in and out, especially when drunk 🙄😳😁
Which country are you from? This is not a problem if you're not exposed to a lot of heat. Never store you records in an attic or loft in the US for instance. An attic can also get pretty hot in northern countries as well, but rarely in our living room.
@@rabarebra the UK, but I have seen this problem here, like you say be careful where and how you store them.
@@theblurredcrusade.2557 Heat has never been a problem in Scandinavia, unless you put them out in the sunshine, or store them on a loft in summer heat. In normal circumstances, you'll never run into this problem.
Buying used records you need to be careful with. Always inspect carefully and look at the items before you buy.
Good vid. Wow...I had no idea that PVC could do that. Ugh..that poor Sgt. Pepper album....it did not deserve that... No skepticism here, I think your analysis is spot-on. How many people went and checked their Wall albums...
Great video. While I was aware that PVC is a killer, I had no idea what would be the best alternative solution. By the way, I have all my records stored outside the covers, in their inner sleeves, and both covers and inner sleeves side-by-side in a polythene cover. This is to protect the outer covers from ring wear and scuffing.
I have been using heavy, library "pocket" sleeves for many decades; I don't know their material, but have had no clouding issues. This may be because I have stored my vinyl in a cool basement, and in upright positions to guard against pressure.
I also have some records that have an inner, plastic-like sleeve that seems like rice paper. These have caused no issue either.
Regardless, your video has prompted me to have a closer look when I return home,. Thanks for bring up this topic.
My collection is the same: Library "pocket" sleeves in a cool basement. All seem fine with no sticking or hazing symptoms.
I am glad to have seen this video as I was unaware of the outgassing problem.
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I started using vinyls since I was 9 years old, I always knew how to treat vinyls my grandad showed me when I was 6 how to use them and be gentle. I’m 14 now my new vinyls of AC/DC, queen ,killers, rush, Beatles , status quo … are all still in mint condition, not bragging.
I realize it's rampant among younger people, but please stop calling records "vinyls." Collectively the format is known as vinyl. An individual item is not "a vinyl."
Ooh, yeah, my 2014 Mono Sgt Peppers lost its PVC sleeve while watching this video! Stereolab reissues that came in PVC outters will be next! Thanks, Andrew!
Great video, Andrew. Do you know if polypropylene is as safe as polythene?
Both are safe. I've got some PP sleeves from SleeveCity and they've been good.
@@MisterBiscuitsOfficial Thanks!
PP is as safe, and looks way better.
Great info about the sleeves. I do not think I have ever seen the PVC sleeve here in California. The sleeves you seem to be talking about look more firm and hard and the ones I have been getting on records for 40 years are soft and flexible. I looked at a package of sleeves I bought recently and they are the good material. I was cringing when you were trying to get those sticky sleeves off of those Beatles records. I almost cried watching when the Revolver had that gunk on the one side and same for The Wall. Oh well I will keep on watching and enjoying your videos. Take care.
Thanks for watching, James.
I''ve successfully used plastic covers to protect my jackets for over 30 years. None has ever stuck to the jacket or damaged the record in any way. The real problem is the original shrink wrap. Whenever someone says they have a 60's or 70's record that is still in the shrink wrap, I wonder why? Take off the shrink and make sure the record hasn't warped. By the way, keeping a record in original shrink wrap doesn't increase the value...and you'd better check the condition of the record inside.
Thanks for filling in a gap in my knowledge. I collect mainly second hand vintage classical and had always assumed when the inner sleeve was welded to the vinyl this had been caused by damp getting in rather than heat damage. I have had a look through my own collection as I did buy some of the pvc covers around 15 years ago thankfully nothing horrible to report but some are starting to wrinkle so best to replace with,polythene just in case. I am hoping that the outer sleeve of best of Blur double album will stay ok in the long run as it is an integral part of a classic bit of Brit pop sleeve art.
Thank you for this thorough lesson in vinyl storage! I have just one question. What about shrink wrap that it comes in? Sometimes I like to keep that because it might have a sticker saying limited edition or other identification I’d like to preserve. Does that damage my vinyl too?
Shrink wrap is just a temporary protection, too thin to be left. If you want to keep the stickers, you can cut out the piece of plastic where it is or you can also remove them and put them in a silicon paper (the papers where the stickers come) and keep it inside the cover or between the cover and the outer plastic cover.
Over time the shrink wrap can damage your covers and cause them to warp, and bend the edges. I’d only keep it on if you plan to keep the record sealed. Even then, the risk remains. Remember (the very long winded) video above: use polythene outer covers, not pvc ones.
@@vincedoc Thanks! I’m going through all my records (there’s a lot!) since I watched this. I had no idea. I thought I was protecting them but I was doing the opposite!
@@julianmartinez3048 I’ll definitely be cutting them out from now on. The stickers are all part of the package for me. Great I know all this info now though. Thanks!
Almost all stickers on shrink wraps easily can be pulled off if you do it very gently/slowly. They're meant to be. And than be 'resticked' for instance at the (inner side of) the record sleeve or at the inner sleeve, to preserve them. By the way, what a great and very informative Parlogram Auctions post!
ooh dear. I recently "won" a blue vinyl original of The Caretakers' EATEOT stage 5 for £27 . Yes it came in a thick PVC sleeve so I'll make sure I replace the PVC with a better protector sleeve. I'm now going to check all my other records for these sleeves. Excellent video. Thanks matey. x