Taking care of vinyl records

[seb brown]

i've got a valuable vinyl record. I don't play it, but is there any particular way it should be stored and taken care of? It's old and i know it's worth quite a bit. Is there a way to get the cover restored, and it is worth doing? Will the record be falling to bits over time?

[andy hughes]

Ir really depends on the worth of the record. I would seek some professional advice - our good friends at 'Record Collector' have shedloads of dealer ads. Find one specialising in collectable vinyl and ask about the sleeve, and storing your disc to minimise damage, and you might get an idea of its value, and if this will decrease if the sleeve is treated in any way.

[sft42]

Vinyl records should be stored upright in a plastic protective sleeve and not squashed together, well away from any sources of heat and light...as for the sleeve I would be tempted to leave well alone as tampering with them can only do more harm....they are only made of cheap paper mostly and not much can be done to restore this....if the vinyl itself needs cleaned then a soft lint free cloth with a dab of WD-40 cleaned in a circular motion will do the trick.

[teentomtom]

Dirty album covers can be cleaned using a plastic pencil eraser (and it must be plastic - with no abrasive bits in it). I strongly recommend against using WD-40 on your records as this willl put an oil film on your records and the stylus. Instead, use isopropyl alcohol. Storage - go for upright in plastic sleeves (if an album). Record Collector produce a biennial publication listing the value of Rare UK records and CDs. Value depends significantly on record condition.