A decent set of beginner advice to care of vinyl

The beauty of the Disc Doctor pads - as compared to a machine - is that you can Listen while you Scrub.

In response to Platogirl - If you want speed, and these are not valuable records - Then don't worry about the labels. Just dump 10 records at a time into the soapy water, let 'em soak a couple of minutes (which will really help ease the removal of dirt), then rinse each under running water while using a Disc Doctor pad. I once bought a huge collection that needed this treatment, and it was very fast. Not many labels are that delicate. Many will show a slight texture after drying out, but no big deal. The worst are labels from the 60's, many will lose a little color, but they won't come off the record or disintegrate. The worst are Blue Telefunken labels which tend to lose almost all their color. Original Mercury Living Presence will "run" a bit, but still retain a dark hue. Londons are similar - will color the water, but once dry will look normal. Once you get into the mid-seventies, most labels were plastic coated and are very stable.

Just one suggestion for the "Dawn" crowd. There are a few products which I use for home brew cleaning that are either safer or better:

1. Seventh Generation "Free and Clear" Dish Liquid - no colors or perfumes added, made from plant derived sources.

2. Enzyme based (as mentioned by oilmanmojo above) - will remove tougher mildew and fungus that Dish Soap does not. Best I have found is called MoldZyme - also a plant based product. Enzyme cleaners have to be applied and left sitting 5 minutes or so for best effect.

3. I do not mix alcohol in routinely - if the above two still result in a noisy lp, I will then apply an alcohol/water mix by itself - followed by a little dish soap to finish off.

4. If the alcohol/water hasn't done it, and all appears hopeless - I try Goo Gone. Yes - it is a powerful solvent, but it has saved many lps from going into the garbage, and I have found no negative effects.