Best vinyl record cleaners: Keep your vinyl collection in prime condition

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Man blowing across a vinyl record

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1. Product guide
2. Buying advice
3. How we choose products

If you love collecting vinyl, then having grubby grooves just won't do. After all, what's the point in spending a fortune on a Beatles LP, only for it to sound like Paul McCartney singing with his head flushed down the toilet. The best vinyl record cleaners can free you of such problems, working to return your precious albums and singles to almost shop-fresh condition.

In this buyer's guide, I've picked my favourite vinyl-cleaning products to help you make a buying choice that suits your specific needs and budget. Here, you'll find everything from gunk-busting brushes and vinyl washing machines to gadgets that'll work with your vacuum cleaner to literally suck your records clean.

Paul Dimery author photo
Paul Dimery

Paul has spent the past nine years testing and writing about gadgets and technology for the likes of Louder, T3 and TechRadar. He might not have the wealth or the looks of Tony Stark, but when it comes to knowing about the latest cool kit, including record players and vinyl gadgets, Paul would surely give Iron-Man a run for his money.

Best vinyl record cleaners: Product guide

Best vinyl record cleaners: Buying advice

Best vinyl record cleaners: Man cleaning his vinyl collection

(Image credit: Big Fudge)

How to choose the best vinyl record cleaner

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There are a few things to bear in mind when shopping for a vinyl record cleaner. First up, how mucky are your records? If they're just sprinkled with a bit of dust then a cloth or soft brush will be adequate. However, if your disc is properly dirty, with grime clogging up your grooves, then you'll either need a brush with stiff bristles, or a machine/gadget that'll provide a much deeper clean. 

It's also possible to buy slime-like products such as the Crosley Groove Goo, which can be rolled around your record, picking up bits of debris as it goes – and without leaving a sticky mess behind.   

If the product you're looking at requires you to use a cleaning fluid, then check if it's packaged with some. Cleaning fluid isn't especially expensive to buy separately, but if you're on a tight budget then it'll help if you get some thrown in as part of the price. 

I wouldn't advise using any old cleaning fluid though - only use liquid that'll treat your vinyl collection with kindness, not a heavy-duty solution which could damage your records. And speaking of cleaning fluid, if you're not careful you could easily spill some on the label. To avoid such misery, I recommend you buy a label protector – they're cheap and easy to put on/take off. Some products, including the Boundless Audio Record Cleaning Kit featured in this guide, come with one included. 

How can I stop my records getting dirty

This is easier said than done but there are ways you can limit the amount of grime that ends up clogging up the grooves on your records. For starters, handle your records with care. Never touch the grooves, instead hold the record at its edges. If you do get any finger prints or dirt on the playing surface, wipe away gently with a soft, clean cloth.

Storing your vinyl properly is another way to keep the grime at bay for longer. When I'm not playing a record I keep it in a dust cover inside its sleeve and store it in a built-for-purpose vinyl storage unit that's in a cool dry place and away from direct sunlight.

And this is a good tip generally: store your vinyl upright when it's not in use to prevent warping.

How we choose the best vinyl record cleaners

Here at Louder, we are music lovers and experts in our field, with many years of music listening and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products when selecting the recommendations for our guides. 

When choosing what we believe to be the best vinyl record cleaners available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.

First and foremost, we are music fans, and we want others to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set and ease of use to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best vinyl record cleaners on the market right now.

Paul Dimery

Paul has spent the past eight years testing and writing about gadgets and technology for the likes of Louder, T3 and TechRadar. He might not have the wealth or the looks of Tony Stark, but when it comes to knowing about the latest cool kit, Paul would surely give Iron-Man a run for his money. As for his musical leanings, Paul likes everything from Weyes Blood to Nirvana. If it's got a good melody, he's on board with it.

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