Whoa! Holy s#!t Thank God you posted this video. Thank you for being real & honest. I have been going crazy searching online trying to find a safe way to clean my entire record collection. And several individuals give this suggestion, by using wipes to clean album covers. You just saved me a whole bunch of anger, heart-ache, money & damage to a collection I have spent a long time working on. I sincerely wish people would post their mistakes more often & not be so afraid to admit being wrong. You're a good man for this. It's frustrating looking for help on this topic and ALOT of other topics. Everyone is so sure about the method that they use or have concocted. Most of us try to learn from our mistakes, but life is too short to make them all ourselves. We can't learn anything if we all make nothing but mistakes the whole way, then we can't learn from others mistakes. Ah, anyway the search continues.
I use a soft wet rag with soapy murphy’s oil soap and magic eraser to remove ring wear. I also got a huge pack of crayola markers for touchups. I barely tap the marker and smear it with my fingers.
We win some and we lose some, Joe. The album still looks good in my opinion. You would probably be the only one who knew it was damaged but I know what you mean. I accidentally screwed up a "Double Fantasy" cover so I had to buy a new one. I've learned to leave not so perfect covers alone. Some times you can do more harm than good. Take care, Joe-Steve
I don't know what to say, Joe. I cleaned every single record in my collection over a period of months. I did ring out the wipe (a bit), and actually DIDN'T bother to dry the record. I have records from the beginning 50s (perhaps even '49!) on up. No issues, and none ever had color come off in the 1800? records I wiped down. I don't put pressure on the cloth when I wipe, really, I let the wipe do the work - but I think that is the same thing you do. I do use the Green Lysol, not the Clorox - perhaps that's the key? Interesting...
Beats me, Kris. I also use 409 spray for less-grimy covers, but that doesn't get the hardcore dirt off, only some light stuff. One thing is for sure - the present Lysol wipes I'm using are too strong.
Picked up a Dark Side of the Moon original 1973 press for $4 from my local flea market today. It's perfect besides someone's initials and the year on the rainbow on the prism on the front cover. Really gonna have to be careful with it, thanks for this video!!
I just use a very lightly damp (water) paper towel. For me it gets enough of the dirt off. I think you also have to think about the future and how chemicals might affect the record in the long run. Might look great for years, but 20 or so years from now it might start to deteriorate. You just never know.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure that covers are laminated before going at them with any kind of dissolvent. Older records are often either laminated on the front alone or not at all. So if you go at them with dissolvents, you have direct contact with the offset print colours, which sit on top of the cardboard. But even when laminated, be careful. E.g. lighter fluid is commonly mentioned as well as terpentine. But both can dissolve the laminate creating even more damage.
Use Goo Gone on a rag. Wipe off with a dry rag. Let it sit out for a half hour before putting it away. Cleans em, shines em up and helps get rid of the musty smell. Don't use on paper covers. Works great, never had an issue.
When I got my original stereo "Help" album it was from a box under the shelf in my local record store. The cover was filthy, in fact it looked like someone had spilt breakfast cereal on it, anyway the guy in charge of the store gently rubbed some liquid on it and now it looks great, although he said he could only do that on laminated covers otherwise it can saturate it.
Try the same wipes, but do it quickly and do it in front of a fan. That way it dries super fast without penetrating the top film and damaging the sheen. No guarantee you can't damage the cover but you have a way better chance of it not getting damaged. ~Mac~
Wow! Your King Creole cover looks very nice. Just received mine today. Original US pressing in the same condition as yours. I have some of the nicest covers on display on my wall, but I am struggling to find the right protection sleeves. I see that the ones you us are very clear and tight. Could you tell me which ones you use?
most chemicals make me nervous. i mostly use just a little diluted alcohol with a soft cloth and sometimes an eraser for pencil and some rubbing or smudging/crayon. they say to always use less than you need because you can always scale up if necessary. it's always a question of degree.
nice topic i have an old elvis cover from his film loving you and it needs a little cleaning but im always nervous about ruining it ,so yeah thats my issue thanks for tips,i considered windex also 😳
hey bud have u ever noticed any sticky residue on your vinyl covers been stored in the plastic dust cover? ive seen some topic on discogs of what they say is lamination decomposing,,ive about 20 records with this sticky residue from just been stored,just wondering have ever had this problem,,my vinyls are all original like 30 40 yrs old u no like gnr nirvana pearl jam,, im not useing pvc covers just normal plastic covers that everyone uses,,
Hello my friend, how are you? I hope that you can help me. I live on a smaller city and this is a place where i dont know another collector to exchance expiriences. I need to clean some of my old 50's discs that are to much dirty, like Nat King Cole and George Shearing , this King Creole from Elvis and others. Could you help me with this? Sorry about my poor english, but i live in Brazil and i have learned from discs and video games. Thank you so much!
I know it's an old video but it came up in my search tonight. I don't think you need to be too hard on yourself or your cleaning method about those lighter areas because I don't think it was the lysol wipes that caused them. As you noted the one is from the price sticker, which took off the color and top layer of paper years ago. And the other streak looks like a regular shelf wear mark from being slid in and out of somebody's shelf of LPs over the years.
Wasn't there a video where you demonstrated some special eraser, I think it was wax based or something? What was the product name and did you have any success with it? Also is there any way of restoring sleeve color lost by ring wear?
Don't believe you can restore lost color. The eraser I used was one that my record store had and let me borrow. But don't recall the details about it now.
Whoa! Holy s#!t Thank God you posted this video. Thank you for being real & honest. I have been going crazy searching online trying to find a safe way to clean my entire record collection. And several individuals give this suggestion, by using wipes to clean album covers.
You just saved me a whole bunch of anger, heart-ache, money & damage to a collection I have spent a long time working on. I sincerely wish people would post their mistakes more often & not be so afraid to admit being wrong. You're a good man for this.
It's frustrating looking for help on this topic and ALOT of other topics. Everyone is so sure about the method that they use or have concocted. Most of us try to learn from our mistakes, but life is too short to make them all ourselves. We can't learn anything if we all make nothing but mistakes the whole way, then we can't learn from others mistakes. Ah, anyway the search continues.
I use a soft wet rag with soapy murphy’s oil soap and magic eraser to remove ring wear.
I also got a huge pack of crayola markers for touchups. I barely tap the marker and smear it with my fingers.
We win some and we lose some, Joe. The album still looks good in my opinion. You would probably be the only one who knew it was damaged but I know what you mean. I accidentally screwed up a "Double Fantasy" cover so I had to buy a new one. I've learned to leave not so perfect covers alone. Some times you can do more harm than good. Take care, Joe-Steve
I don't know what to say, Joe. I cleaned every single record in my collection over a period of months. I did ring out the wipe (a bit), and actually DIDN'T bother to dry the record. I have records from the beginning 50s (perhaps even '49!) on up. No issues, and none ever had color come off in the 1800? records I wiped down. I don't put pressure on the cloth when I wipe, really, I let the wipe do the work - but I think that is the same thing you do. I do use the Green Lysol, not the Clorox - perhaps that's the key? Interesting...
Beats me, Kris. I also use 409 spray for less-grimy covers, but that doesn't get the hardcore dirt off, only some light stuff. One thing is for sure - the present Lysol wipes I'm using are too strong.
Thanks for pointing this out, I have many albums I need to clean, peace & love
The Covers of those are ORIGINALs , the Re Issues have the Album number on the bottom left of the cover .
Picked up a Dark Side of the Moon original 1973 press for $4 from my local flea market today. It's perfect besides someone's initials and the year on the rainbow on the prism on the front cover. Really gonna have to be careful with it, thanks for this video!!
I just use a very lightly damp (water) paper towel. For me it gets enough of the dirt off. I think you also have to think about the future and how chemicals might affect the record in the long run. Might look great for years, but 20 or so years from now it might start to deteriorate. You just never know.
I'll be dead by then.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure that covers are laminated before going at them with any kind of dissolvent. Older records are often either laminated on the front alone or not at all. So if you go at them with dissolvents, you have direct contact with the offset print colours, which sit on top of the cardboard. But even when laminated, be careful. E.g. lighter fluid is commonly mentioned as well as terpentine. But both can dissolve the laminate creating even more damage.
You are correct.. thanks!
Use Goo Gone on a rag. Wipe off with a dry rag. Let it sit out for a half hour before putting it away. Cleans em, shines em up and helps get rid of the musty smell. Don't use on paper covers. Works great, never had an issue.
When I got my original stereo "Help" album it was from a box under the shelf in my local record store. The cover was filthy, in fact it looked like someone had spilt breakfast cereal on it, anyway the guy in charge of the store gently rubbed some liquid on it and now it looks great, although he said he could only do that on laminated covers otherwise it can saturate it.
Hi Andy - yes, the laminated ones are no problem. I've noticed that. I thought the album in this video had some lamination but I guess not.
Try the same wipes, but do it quickly and do it in front of a fan. That way it dries super fast without penetrating the top film and damaging the sheen. No guarantee you can't damage the cover but you have a way better chance of it not getting damaged. ~Mac~
wow I have that exact same LP.
Wow! Your King Creole cover looks very nice. Just received mine today. Original US pressing in the same condition as yours. I have some of the nicest covers on display on my wall, but I am struggling to find the right protection sleeves. I see that the ones you us are very clear and tight. Could you tell me which ones you use?
This video was many years ago. Sorry, but I've used so many different sleeves since then!
@@MeanMrMayo No problem, thanks for your comment.
Those Lysol wipes are phenomenal for cleaning dirt off of surfaces.....BUT YOU CAN'T SCRUB TOO HARD! 'Nuff said!
most chemicals make me nervous. i mostly use just a little diluted alcohol with a soft cloth and sometimes an eraser for pencil and some rubbing or smudging/crayon. they say to always use less than you need because you can always scale up if necessary. it's always a question of degree.
nice topic i have an old elvis cover from his film loving you and it needs a little cleaning but im always nervous about ruining it ,so yeah thats my issue thanks for tips,i considered windex also 😳
Use garnier micellar water on a round cotton pad. If the cover isn’t laminated use very little and dry quickly.
Yes i use beauty pads and distilled water for laminated cover & baby wipes and paper towels for the others did that for years no issues ..
Great video! I'll have to keep this stuff in mind for the future
Elvis is the man....i stay 20 mins from Elvis old lil white house...i just subb to your page
use a magic eraser, very carefully it works also
Where do you live? I never find original King Creole in the wild here in Massachusetts! Nice find
Good advice.
Niiiice Mooove Shhhhhhtumpyyyy!!!!
hey bud have u ever noticed any sticky residue on your vinyl covers been stored in the plastic dust cover? ive seen some topic on discogs of what they say is lamination decomposing,,ive about 20 records with this sticky residue from just been stored,just wondering have ever had this problem,,my vinyls are all original like 30 40 yrs old u no like gnr nirvana pearl jam,, im not useing pvc covers just normal plastic covers that everyone uses,,
No, you have to use the right type of sleeves. Never seen this happen with the normal ones.
Hello my friend, how are you?
I hope that you can help me. I live on a smaller city and this is a place where i dont know another collector to exchance expiriences. I need to clean some of my old 50's discs that are to much dirty, like Nat King Cole and George Shearing , this King Creole from Elvis and others. Could you help me with this? Sorry about my poor english, but i live in Brazil and i have learned from discs and video games. Thank you so much!
I know it's an old video but it came up in my search tonight.
I don't think you need to be too hard on yourself or your cleaning method about those lighter areas because I don't think it was the lysol wipes that caused them. As you noted the one is from the price sticker, which took off the color and top layer of paper years ago. And the other streak looks like a regular shelf wear mark from being slid in and out of somebody's shelf of LPs over the years.
+Not Here -- the point was that the area faded as I rubbed it with the Lysol wipe... and also, the color came off onto the cloth.
Wasn't there a video where you demonstrated some special eraser,
I think it was wax based or something? What was the product name and
did you have any success with it? Also is there any way of restoring sleeve
color lost by ring wear?
Don't believe you can restore lost color. The eraser I used was one that my record store had and let me borrow. But don't recall the details about it now.
Glass Wax?
does your method take away mold spots and also the stain on the cover?
Don't use this method anymore.
Nice to know, so thank you very much!
Got a question. What do you do if the spine of an album such as King Creole etc is splitting?
Blue Suede Vinyl... I'll usually just place it in a resealable clear plastic outer sleeve.
I sadly did the same to my Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother Lp, so I have to buy a new copy for a better cover :/
Those chemical wipes are too harsh. Lightly dab a paper towel with distilled white vinegar instead.
You know how to clean all thing must pass cover?
TIMETOGO - Perhaps with a special type of eraser. I would not want to use liquid on it, because the material is paper and not gloss.