How to economically clean old records

I recently took possession of my father's record collection which has some gems, but many are over 50 years old and weren't cared for particularly well (some dirty, some scratched, some both). I am wondering what is an effective and inexpensive way to at least clean the surface of these older records that have never been cleaned even once? I am afraid to use my regular cleaning brush and fluid system for this purpose for fear it will shorten its useful life.