7 Ways You Might Be Ruining Your Vinyl Collection

For the best audio quality, stop committing these vinyl-record no-nos.

Published April 26, 2024

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The immense popularity of streaming has also, ironically, helped bumper vinyl sales. It turns out that the ease of listening to music has actually cultivated a desire among younger generations to physically hold, place and play records. A growing vinyl collection can also be shown off as decor.

Of course, a proper vinyl collection requires more care than managing digital music files; and there are a few fundamental things that every vinyl enthusiast, whether they have a large or small collection, should know — including what not to do. Here, seven mistakes even vinyl vets make with their collections.

1. You’re not cleaning your records (or your stylus)

Cleaning your records is hugely important to the overall sound quality of a vinyl setup, as the grooves catch dirt and other particles that affect a stylus’s ability to read the record accurately.

The easiest way is to perform a quick dry clean: Simply spin the record on the turntable and lightly rest a record-specific brush on top. After a few seconds, carefully drag the brush off the record. It’s a good habit to do this every time you listen to a record and it only takes a few seconds.

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If your records are really dirty, they probably need a bath. Wet-cleaning your records can help remove dust, dirt, static and natural oils from the surface of your record so that they sound better and last longer.

Spray them with a solution formulated for vinyl records, wait a few seconds for it to seep into the grooves and the dry the record by using the micro-fiber cloth. Make sure you follow the direction of the grooves to avoid scratching the record with dirt.

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Finally don’t forget to clean your stylus. Each time you play a record, the stylus picks up the dirt and dust. If not cleaned, a dirty stylus can wear down your record and even damage it.

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2. Your room is too hot

Vinyl is, in layman’s terms, a type of plastic material and thus needs to be taken care of accordingly. To preserve any time of plastic you want to keep it in a cool, dark and dry climate.

If the room where you’re storing your records is too hot or humid, the vinyl is more prone to bending or warping.

If the room where you’re storing your records is too hot or humid, the vinyl is more prone to bending or warping and thus can’t be played.

3. You’re stacking your records

There’s a reason why you rarely see records stacked on top of each other: it’s not good for them. It doesn’t matter whether they’re in their jackets or inner sleeves, stacking your records can lead to warping.

The weight of each record puts unneeded pressure on the records, which can cause them to crack or bend. It’s not great for the album artwork on the sleeve, either.

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4. You keep touching the surface of the vinyl

All of the musical information of record is stored in its grooves and anything, especially your oily hands, can affect the playback of the record.

If you want the best possible sound quality from a record, only handle it from the edges or inner label.

It’s not the end of the world if you accidentally touch the surface of a rare record, but if you want the best possible sound quality, handle it from the edges or inner label.

5. You’re leaving your record on your turntable

A record should live in its sleeve and jacket, meaning the only time it should be out is when it’s playing. This minimizes the chances that dirt and dust find their way into the grooves.

6. You’re not using inner sleeves

Sleeves don’t just protect your records from scratches, they also prevent static, which as a magnet for dust. If you can afford them, polypropylene sleeves are what you want — they’re softer and do a better job at preventing static (which then attracts dust) than the paper ones that come inside most albums.

Still, any sleeve is better than none. So don’t throw out your inner sleeves. And replace them when ripped, damaged or lost.

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7. You’re dropping your records

When you’re done listening to a record, you want to place it back into its inner sleeve and jacket as carefully as possible. Quickly dropping it back in can damage the record as well as the sleeve. Don’t do that.