How To Clean Vinyl Records With Windex

What!? Window cleaner on vinyl? Who has ever heard of such a thing? Well, it looks like a lot of old-timers used this exact thing to clean their vinyl record collection. Before a particular antistatic brush, clothing, and cleaners are recorded, you must use something to clean them. Steps to use Windex on your vinyl records.Read: how to clean vinyl records with windex

Make sure your Windex or glass cleaner is ammonia-free and alcohol-free if you can

Spray detergent on lint-free cloth

Roll gently in a circular motion along the grooves

Rinse both sides with distilled water after

Sit out to dry completely before playing

We know it sounds odd and a bit weird to clean vinyl records with all things window cleaners like Windex but listen to us first! There are some very specific things to consider before deciding to use Windex in your profile, and a few things to keep in mind.

Can you use glass cleaner on vinyl records?

Contents

Windex is a glass cleaner so a lot of times people ask if you can use Windex or glass cleaner for other things like their vinyl records. The biggest concern when using window cleaner on your vinyl records is ammonia and the second biggest concern is alcohol. You can and should purchase an ammonia-free and alcohol-free glass cleaner if possible. This is because both ammonia and alcohol can eat into your vinyl. Ammonia is more likely to cause this than alcohol but you also don’t want to use it if it can help and you certainly don’t want to leave your records. Yes Windex Ammonia does not but we cannot confirm that it is alcohol free. We know that Sparkle Glass Cleaner is both ammonia-free and alcohol-free, and a few people have told us that’s what they use. Technically you can use glass cleaner or Windex on your vinyl records but you should argue or not. Many longtime vinyl users say this is the only method they use consistently. Some even report that they and their record stores only use Windex and tissues. This sounds totally scary to us, yet people still do. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should use it.

Is it safe to use Windex on vinyl records?

Read more: How to show someone is texting you There are many people who have used this method to delete their profile. Some record stores use Windex with tissues. Which we absolutely do not recommend. If you plan to use any form of glass cleaning, we recommend using a lint-free cloth such as a microfiber cloth. Let’s find out the best and safest method of cleaning glass. Make sure your cleaner is ammonia and alcohol-free, this is because ammonia and alcohol can over time cause problems for your vinyl. Especially if not washed after the first cleaning. Ammonia can even eat the pits in your vinyl that can’t be repaired if left on your plastic for a long time. If you’re having trouble finding one that’s alcohol- and ammonia-free, look for some Sparkle.2 Window Cleaner. Spray cleaner on lint-free and non-record fabrics to reduce the risk of detergent getting on your labels. Window cleaner can damage the center label of your recording. If you get anything on the label, just remember to blot, not wipe the liquid off the label to reduce the risk of damage. The reason you use a lint-free microfiber cloth is that you don’t want tissue dust and lint added to the profile. Wipe gently in a grooved circular motion You want to make sure that when you are completely wiping the glass cleaner, you are applying very light force and moving it in a circular motion with the grooves. This is so you don’t risk scratching the vinyl with dirt that you’re lifting with cleaners and surface dirt. You want to make sure you are as gentle as possible in this step. Rinse Both Sides With Distilled Water After we think an important step in rinsing is that if there is anything else harmful in the window cleaner, the rinse will remove and build up. It is important to use distilled or purified water for rinsing to remove calcium, lime or rust that can build up and settle on your profile from faucets or spring water. If you want to learn more about this, we highly recommend this related article. Sit out to dry completely before playing There are several methods to use to dry your vinyl but there are a few we like and want to highlight here. Dry the vinyl with a towel or unbound cloth, then let it dry in the dish rack. A really great way to dry your vinyl that we also recommend to help speed up the process is Vinyl Vac used in conjunction with a small shop. Just make sure you use an old turntable or some sort of sloth so you can spin the disc while sucking up the water.

Should you use Windex or Window Cleaner on your vinyl records?

Read more: How to type with long nails So the next question that arises after understanding the process of using glass cleaner is should you? This is really a matter of personal preference. Some people really love the way glass cleaner cleans their profiles. We do not recommend or prefer this as a cleaning method. For us, we just felt there was too much risk involved in making sure you got the right glass cleaner that you didn’t put on the label and had to rinse again.

What do we recommend instead of glass cleaner?

There are several ways to clean up your resume and that’s one talk for another but we have a basic recommendation. It is much easier for us to use a water cleaner like the Spin-clean Recorder or the Vinyl Styl Deep Groove System. If you are having to do a “wet cleaning” method these are great options to really clean your records. You already have to rinse and dry, so why not just use a wet cleaning system? Some like the Vinyl Styl Deep Groove Washer System even come with a drying rack.

Summarize our thoughts

If you were just searching on Google for cheap ways to clean your vinyl and you happened to read about Windex then somehow you came up with this article here is the problem, just use Use purified or distilled water with a few drops of dish detergent, such as dawn. Even if you really need it to be an inexpensive method, it should still be a good and harmless method for cleaning your vinyl. This means you will have to order or go to the store, and in both cases you can just buy vinyl-specific cleaner in its place. So use soap and water instead. Chances are you have a bottle or pitcher of purified water in your house, and if you don’t have dawn or dishwashing liquid you could run into a whole bunch of problems that we can’t help with! Just follow the water cleaning methods we have given in this related article and you will be fine. Water and liquid dish detergent will get the job done and are very gentle on plastic dishes.