There are many different opinions about the correct way to store your vinyl record collection with most personal preferences outweighing the ‘right’ way. Here are some all round tips that we like to implement at home and in store to care for our wax:
STORAGE
Keep your records upright! Laying them on top of each other can create warping over time or what we call ‘dishing’. Store them like this and you might as well use them as bowls for your dinner. Keeping them upright in a cool environment with no direct sunlight will make sure your LPs stand the test of time.
CLEANING
A simple vinyl record cleaning solution will suffice to keep your new records dirt and dust free before you drop the needle but if you purchase a lot of preowned vinyl then a more dedicated cleaner might be the best option. Manual cleaners like the Pro-Ject Spin-Clean are an excellent option for the budget conscious or for those with the mammoth task of cleaning hundreds or thousands of records, there are automatic cleaners like the Pro-Ject VC series that have an inbuilt vacuum to clean the solution off the disc. Of course, once cleaned, they should be placed into new sleeves…
SLEEVES
This is the personal preference part. Sleeves for the jackets or not? Almost everyone would agree you need to store the vinyl record itself in a sleeve inside the jacket but do you use poly sleeves or paper or poly with paper?! The options are out there but it’s your decision. For us, we use the poly half moon inner sleeves as they are relatively inexpensive. Anti-static sleeves are an option too but are generally more expensive.
Outer sleeves are the most divisive of all the sleeves. They are used to protect the record jacket of a vinyl record. Do you need em? If so, which ones? We recommend a soft plastic sleeve or our ultra clear outer sleeves. The thick PVC sleeves That are available and were common in the 70’s and 80’s have been proven to have a rection with the vinyl record itself and can cause irreversible damage. The soft plastic sleeves are affordable a protect the cover from dust or dirt getting into the LP itself. The ultra clear sleeves make that artwork pop!