by SomebodySomewhere » Sat Jul 29, 2006 2:27 am
If it's the kind of record (that are common in Europe) with the label painted directly onto the vinyl, I just run them under the sink. 9 times out of 10, water alone is enough. If they're really dirty or have stubborn caked-on fingerprints, isopropyl alcohol and/or specific record cleaner fluid (a la Quick Wash) will do the trick.
If it has paper labels -- assuming you want to keep them in the condition they were in before you tried to clean them -- I use a sponge and wash along the grooves. Again, if there's stubborn fingerprints, spray the sponge with the isopropyl alcohol or the cleaning solution of your choice. (I don't like to use liquid soap on records with paper labels. It's harder to get all the soap out without running the thing under the tap -- and that's without strong ingredients.)
Despite all the bad advice you might have heard, rubbing alcohol is fine to use on 33 1/3s and 45s and won't damage them. However, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER use it on 78s!
I don't have anywhere near enough time to clean every piece of vinyl I own, so they only get cleaned when they look and sound like they really need it bad.