How To Deep Clean Your Vinyl Records With Wood Glue…
…And Ten Things That You Shouldn’t Use To Clean Your LPs
There are a number of ways to clean and maintain your record collection in pristine condition. An occasional wipe with vinyl friendly cleaning solution (I use “Into The Groove”) using a microfibre cloth (£1 for two from Aldi) is generally sufficient. Keeping the LPs in good inner sleeves is a good way to ensure they stay cleaner than Mother Theresa’s driving licence. But what about those really grotty records? You know, the ones that are dirtier than the 1966 Uruguayan World Cup squad and grimier than Dizzee Rascal running a Tough Mudder?
When I heard about a method for cleaning vinyl using wood glue I was rather sceptical. It doesn’t intuitively sound like a good idea in the same way that leaving King Herod in charge of the babysitting doesn’t intuitively sound like a good idea.
In fact, I was struggling to think of things that might be less appropriate.
I say that, I actually found ten things that are less appropriate than wood glue. They are:
- The Dishwasher
- Toothpaste (good for teeth, less good for vinyl).
- Wire wool
- The iron
- The fuel soaked cotton bud thing that Turkish barbers use to burn away ear hair.
- The washing machine, even on a delicate setting.
- Inexpensive aftershave (can’t speak for the expensive stuff – I don’t have any)
- Nail polish remover
- Your Dyson hand held vacuum cleaner
- Cillit Bang: “Bang! And your record is gone!”
But when I found a copy of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s second LP upon which it appeared the previous owner had apparently spilled Um Bongo or some other similar sugary drink, and then attempted to clean up the mess using one of the methods listed above, I knew there was little to lose, and I thought I would (metaphorically) roll my sleeves up, and give it a go.
Sadly the record’s lacquer had already been damaged beyond repair, so the results were inconclusive. I therefore waited for another, less damaged LP to try. This time, the result was noticeably improved. The glue seeped into every pore and groove, lifting all the dirt embedded within. There was a noticeable improvement and less crackle. I have kept a couple of photos from the process to show you what happened. The method is simple….
A record, yesterday1. Lay the LP flat on a piece of card.
2. Squeeze wood glue over the vinyl and use another piece of card to smooth it around so it covers the whole of the grooves. Don’t leave any gaps. Avoid the label in the middle. You don’t need to cover the run off groove in glue.
Some people suggest applying the glue is easier to do if you have the LP on a spinning turntable, but trust me: applying glue to moving objects is not the easy option unless you like to live dangerously, or scrape globs of glue from expensive turntables. If there’s a design fault with felt mats, it’s their lack of adaptability when it comes to having glue scraped off them without leaving a snail-like trail.
Cover the record in wood glue3. Wait overnight for the glue to dry. Try to keep the record away from your cat at this stage. As a general rule of thumb, records become more difficult to play when livestock are attached to them.
overnight, the wood glue dries, and can be peeled off4. As it dries, the glue becomes transparent. Once dry, you can lift the film of glue from the LP leaving the pristine, clean vinyl…
That’s about it. It’s cheaper than buying an expensive vacuum record cleaner (a device that uses liquid to clean the LP and then vacuums off the dirty fluid instantly), and a useful way to improve the quality of the dodgier end of your record collection.
Have you tried this method? Or any of the less advisable methods? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on what has worked for you, and if you have any other strange methods to clean up your vinyl…?
Was this post helpful? Every Record Tells A Story: A Vinyl Handbook is out now, packed full of vinyl-related advice and the stories behind great records. You can buy the book by clicking this link to the online store
Share:
Categories: Music
Beck Pays Warm Tribute To Taylor Hawkins At Intimate London Acoustic Show 
The Story of Paul and Linda McCartney’s Ram: 
McCartney 
Sir Paul McCartney at Eighty: Were Wings Really The Band The Beatles Could Have Been? 
Every record tells a story 
I have used the pva method and it works on really dirty records, just make sure you apply it quite liberally as too thin a covering and you will struggle to peel it off after it dries.
Another good method that’s cheap as chips is a paint pad £3 from a diy store, spray with record cleaner and in a circular motion follow the grooves of the record round 5 to 10 times each side. The ultra fine bristles get in the grooves and take out a remarkably fair amount of dust and debris then rinse with de ionised water and clean with a microfiber cloth. The difference in sound quality is noticeable afterwards.
Another great article , keep up the good work.
LikeLike
Thank you – appreciate the kind words. One question – when you say a paint pad what do you mean? Like a paint brush?
LikeLike
No, it’ll be one of theose little sponge paint pads that slide on a handle – like this,
http://www.wilko.com/paint-brushes+rollers/wilko-small-paint-pad-refill/invt/0344914
I’d second the recommendation – they have nice soft synthetic bristles than can deep penetrate the grooves and get your fluid in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B008P9GK1G/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1433099312&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&keywords=paint+pad&dpPl=1&dpID=31HQDr2A2RL&ref=plSrch
One of those you can buy them in most DIY shops buy mine in wilkinsons and they last a long time mine has cleaned over a 100 records and still going strong
Made a cleaning table from a lazy suzan rotating tray and glued on a felt mat so I can spin the record and hold the paint pad still over the vinyl .
Works a treat 😊
I have a first edition copy of Quadrophenia which is warped my next step is to find a suitable cheap guinea pig to try out the 2 sheets of glass and leave out in the sun method see if I works before I commit , don’t think I would have the balls to try the low oven method as could see that ending in disaster !
LikeLike
Ah, I have heard the sun method is unreliable. Good luck with that one.
LikeLike
I’d be too lazy to bother…but what a brilliant idea.
LikeLike
It’s very therapeutic, honest…
LikeLike
I once got the tip from a man selling records to clean them with Glassex (as it is called in the Netherlands), which is normally used to clean windows. Until now it works perfectly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So it does work! I’ve been waiting for this post ever since you stuck (sorry) a picture of your glue soaked platter on twitter.
The only method I’ve tried beyond the anti-static brush is a solution of extremely mild soapy water and a microfibre cloth. It did make a positive difference to my copies of Band on The Run and Aladdin Sane by removing greasy fingerprints and some of the dust and grime but I’ve always fancied a go at the wood glue method. Just not on those records. You’ve given me confidence to try it out.
I now look forward to your companion piece on de-warping as I have a copy of Hunky Dory that is far from that. You have written it, haven’t you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, the warping question is a good one. Not sure there’s an easy answer, but will do some digging / experiments at some point I am sure. I do have a warped record, but not sure I want to experiment on it – perhaps a trip to the charity shop to find some experimental “Guinea pigs” will be necessary…
LikeLike
I have used the following method for warped vinyl to some success…Wait until a nice sunny day (the tricky bit) then put the warped album between two sheets of glass with a weight on top and leave it out in the sun…but not too much…you don’t want liquid vinyl! keep checking from time to time and you will find the LP has softened and straightened…worth a try …Good luck Steve
LikeLike
I’ve done this with a copy of the Joshua Tree I picked up for a £1. Figured “what the hey” … worked a treat, too. Haven’t done it to any others yet, but dare say I will.
LikeLike
Yeah, it’s not something I would do as a matter of course, as most of the time it just isn’t necessary, but in extreme cases it’s (as shown here) pretty effective.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have used wood glue a couple of times and it does indeed work a treat. Unfortunately I have to report that cheap aftershave is a disaster when used to shift sticker glue from lp sleeves. A couple of years ago I managed to get hold of a very early mono pressing of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper. Sadly there were the remains of several stickers stuck to the front cover. I had read that aftershave would remove the stickers, which it indeed did. There was still some glue residue on the sleeve so I attempted to remove it with a cotton cloth and copious amounts of Old Spice (a present from my aunt I hasten to add). The results were immediate and horrifying. The aftershave removed a lot of the ink in the image so now the sleeve looks sun bleached and even worse smells like my uncle.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love that last sentence! Nothing worse than an LP smelling like your uncle, I imagine.
Can’t say I am surprised that it affected the paintwork, but glad you tried it not me, especially on a copy of Sgt Pepper.
I wonder what *would* work?
Hai Karate?
LikeLike
There’s a product called Aircraft Adhesive Remover.
Dab a bit on to a cloth and have a clean cloth standing by. Dab the area which is covered by the adhesive, count to two and use your clean cloth to wipe the gunk up. You have to work quickly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting! Haven’t tried this before!
LikeLike
I just make my own solution of equal parts 99% isopropyl alcohol* (the 70% won’t cut it) and water. I have it in a plant-spraying bottle from the dollar store. I just dampen a clean microfiber and rub round the grooves. Really grotty records might take two go-rounds, but it’s dead simple and works a trick.
* Here in Canada, they keep the 99% behind the counter at the pharmacy, because apparently it can be an ingredient for making meth [but not the 70%, which is out on the shelves free for small children to pick it up, unscrew the cap and drink it? Apparently not.] Who knew? Meth-heads! So when I asked for it, the pharmacist basically interviewed me as to my intentions with the stuff. She was quite serious. When I told her my intentions, she just laughed and handed it over (and thanked me for the LP cleaning tip).
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess if you mess up cleaning the record, you can drink yourself to oblivion to numb the pain.*
* Not that I am condoning this. Don’t try this at home.
LikeLike
If you are diluting the 99% isopropyl alcohol to 50%, why wouldn’t diluting 70% isopropyl alcohol to 50% work?
LikeLike
I don’t see why it wouldn’t.
LikeLike
That is just scary, glad you tried it on an old record. When will they develop a method to clean mp3s?
LikeLike
Well, I tried inserting glue in my iPod but it didn’t seem to do much good….
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing might have to try…on the records that is.
LikeLike
Wood glue is a great way of getting a REALLY dirty record clean – as the article suggests, it settles in deep and you’re basically peeling all the muck out, when you remove the plastic skim the following morning.
Actually, that’s not 100% true – I have found the very odd charity shop/eBay find needed a second go, but it’s extremely rare to need it.
It’s also worth knowing that glue won’t remove scratches, innergroove distortion or solve the perennial problem of apparently-cheapo finds – the dreaded lock groove; beyond sticking a penny on your turntable arm, there still seems no easy way of groove repair.
LikeLike
I’m a woodworker and use titebond 2 and 3 all the time. I’ve used it to clean records too. Wood glue will not bond to certain materials as is part and parcel to this cleaning practice, this is what makes the method so effective. There is zero residual left behind once dried. The glue wants to form a bond and does with itself and porous fibers that contain moisture- wood. There are other glues and resins that will bond with non porous dry surfaces. When two pieces of wood are bound by wood glue, that joint will be stronger than the wood fibers. The exception being end grain.
Wood glue in it’s liquid state is water soluble so use your finger to spread the glue and really work it into the grooves thick. You want a puddle of glue for the purpose of bonding to itself. If you do not get the glue into all the nooks of the grooves you may leave particles behind. Be aggressive and work quickly especially if the weather is hot.
Leave it to dry overnight to a uniform film then peal.
More glue is better than less!! It has to bond with itself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi,
Ref: The Victor Silvester Orchestra 1977
Yes a positive result with White wood glue here in UK
Remarkable this vinyl L.P was from charity shop £1 was badly strached, so went to work on both sides (one at a time of course)
with the glue leaving two days to fully dry on each side.
Then peeling glue off (was that tricky) I did clean again with wet sponge and drop of fairy liquid, and finally dried completely with that special cloth until completely dry left it for 30mins only and played both sides on my new Akai BT50 record deck, through my Denon avr x2000 receiver.
Well what a brillant surprise I tell you, now I’m going to be tempted to clean my other LPs that need attention.
Three points I need clarifying ??
1) should I have need to extra clean with wet soapy sponge?
2) How does it seem to take the straches out ?
3) Will it ruin my AT95e stylus?
I’ve given you your requested feedback now it’s you turn to give me yours on these 3 points ok? Just be pleased to get your reply😊
Best Regards
Barry R Simms
barrysimms9@gmail.com
LikeLike
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time and trouble to let us know!
In answer to your questions:
1. I would rinse with plain distilled water and would avoid fairly liquid, to ensure no residue, but it can’t do any harm to wash a record with water. More expensive cleaners (L’Art Du Son is a favoured solution) are preferred by the cognoscenti. Microfibre cloth would be what I would use rather than a sponge.
2. The scratches may often be caused by engrained dirt in the grooves, which the wood lifts out.
3. Only if you leave the glue on the record. Otherwise you have a record that is as good as new.
LikeLike
Thanks for your post on the glue method. I was at a loss. I tried it and it worjed wonderfully. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent!
LikeLike
Star fibre cloth and isopropyl you can buy it with a detergent in it as well, shiney clean records if you try it on a bootsale really dirty record wipe it with a white kitchen roll, it goes from dull to shiney and the mould comes off usually green pink or blue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My method uses a particular Glass Cleaner from a company named Stoner called Invisible Glass. Although now it’s sold everywhere, it originally was just in Auto Parts stores. I used it for years. You could wash all your car windows with 2 or 3 paper towels max. Zero Streaks. So I figured it would leave minimal to maybe no residue on a record. It’s also an aerosol instead of a pump like Windex. That allows you to spray a very even coat onto a spinning record and the overspray is harmless to your turntable. It kinda foams up nice. Leave it on for a minute or two. Then I take a brand new micro-fiber cloth and roll it into a tube shape, actually several. Then you line it up perpendicular to the grooves and roll it in your fingers as the record goes by. Once it’s turned all the way around once, sub in another fresh cloth to dry. Give it a bit to dry, then I use my every-play prep stuff for a final moistening. Probably not as good for removing debri like the glue, and I don’t suggest doing it all the time, maybe once a year or if you pull an album that you haven’t played since your niece grabbed with with peanut butter fingers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Denny. Nothing worse than peanut-butter-wielding nieces…
LikeLike
Most of my records aren’t worth much but I’m not sure I want to be covering them in glue. In the past I’ve tried using after shave and car windscreen de-icer (separately!), neither of them worked very well, and left my records sounding like someone was frying eggs in the recording studio.
Nowadays, my method of cleaning grotty records is to spread clean water and a tiny bit of liquid soap over the tracks, wipe off most of it with a cloth, then play the record wet. The stylus* digs out most of the gunk but the water always leaves hisses and clicks on quiet tracks and inter-track grooves. Really grotty records will need a second go-around.
To remove the remaining surface-noise-causing gunk, I again play the record. While it’s playing, I breathe on the groove, which leaves enough of a thin water film to allow the stylus* removes the muck, then evaporate without trace. Sometimes a second attempt is needed. Using this method, I’ve made lots of my older LPs and singles playable again. And water is cheaper than glue.
*It’s probably best not to try this with an exotically-priced stylus and cartridge, and have a stylus brush ready to clean off the dug-out gunk every few minutes.
LikeLike