Hi all.. Ok, so my vinly collection finally arrived from theUK... It has obviously been ina damp environment.. There is white-ish mold spots (to varying) degrees on all records-some 250 or so.. Covers also show mold /damp residue..And smell funky... So-obviously cleaning is in order-Which I am dreading.. Nitty gritty? one step liquid or more?? Brushes-so many differing opinions.. ALSO!!!! How dangerous is this kind of mold to one's health? Should I Lysol the outer sleeves (with the lp removed??? Obviously I will replace inner sleeves.But would like to keep outer ones if poss.. Your help please!!
DO NOT USE LYSOL!!!!!Cure would be worse than diseas.You want to dry them out and then just wipe them down with moist cloth.Smell will go away after time but remain to some dgree.Just get them into dry environment but Lysol will ruin covers and inner sleeves VRP or Rice Paper of some kind.You might want to find a desiccant like Silica Gel that is in a metal contanier (they use them to put in Ammunition boxes-once it becomes pink you cook it for half in an hour in oven to get water out and it turns blue).Cheaper and easier get vinyl boxes throw a few boil in a bag rice (Brown or White doesn't matter -hee hee) and that will help dry covers.Replace paper sleeves after cleaning.Then I prefer clear mylar outer sleeves rather than cloudy opaque PVC bags because they look better.You can get one with fold over flaps and strip of ahhesive or just regular ones.For my rare LP's I use over flap.Keep LP from falling out and look cool.
As far as LP's go get some with Bugtussel Enzyme Gold.It has reputation to clean off mold spores specifically when others won't.Even with pure alcohol and other washers the stain of the spores will remain.I have a few LP's that have them but not so many that I have gotten any.But I think if you have large LP collection that VPI `16.5 would be great (I sue it and Allsop hand cleaner for occasional cleansing).Even a new record never played has release compounds from the pressing and running it through a VPI would be great.I use this and home brew liquid with 1 pint of alcohol and a few drops of Dawn dish liquid and a few drops of Kodak Photoflow to break up watter drops and have it spread.Other cleaning products are kind of expensive (Disc Doctor seems to be everybody's choice).I know it's expensive but LAST record preservative is best thing to treat LP's with after first clean and is good for 50 plays.Hardens vinyl and it with their stylus treatment makes the needle glide.Pre-clean the LP's or have first and second tube (you don't want main clean tubes and felt "lips" to get dirty) is best start.Read about Bugtussel and LAST.Now how far you want to get into this $$$ wise is up to you.But I have many $15 records and more $50 and some $500 ones.So they are not cheap.Dry them,Clean the LP's and wipe covers,get rice papper inner sleeves if you want at very minimum. Cheers Chazz
Act quickly! Get the LPs out of the sleeves and cleaned. The mold you see is eating the vinyl and there is no recover from that, but you can halt the process so more damage is not done.
Bleach will kill mold, but you need a cleaning solution to remove the residue. Any of the better vinyl cleaning fluids (Walker Prelude, AIVS, Disc Doctor) will be you SECOND step in cleaning.
Your FIRST step can be a 20% bleach solution with water, followed by a thorough rinse, followed by cleaning with one of the cleaning fluids mentioned. Be sure to clean the label and the center hole where mold spoors may also be hiding and can cause a recurrence. (Use a Q-Tip style cotton swab to clean inside the center hole.)
Only after killing the mold on ALL your LPs with the bleach solution and rinse, should you go back to the lengthier task of cleaning each LP. It is important to first stop further damage from the mold continuing to feast on the vinyl grooves of your LPs.
For the record jackets, I've used a combination of 20% bleach with a two tablespoon of TSP per gallon of water. Use a sponge, wring it out to just damp, and wipe down all exterior and interior surfaces of the jacket. (CAREFULLY check a small section of the outside jacket FIRST to be sure this solution is not going to adversely affect the jacket.) Insert something inside the jacket to hold it open for 24 hours until it thoroughly dries.
with 250 LP's I would buy a VPI 16.5. It's well worth the money for the labor savings for the job ahead of you, and especially if you intend to play them a lot after you get them cleaned up this time. I have the 16.5 and previously had a manual Nitty Gritty. The NG is worth having, but I prefer the VPI, even for the extra $.
Yes, bleach. Really. You need to kill the mold and the mold spoors, otherwise the mold will come back. This is not something to kid around with if you want to preserve your vinyl. Bleach in a 20% solution will kill the mold and be benign for the vinyl if rinsed promptly. The risk is to the labels and jackets, but they are what will harbor the mold for a return. .
agree with rushton on bleach. it is the best method to remove the mold. It will not harm the vinyl. Just follow the advice to use the bleach first then use your normal cleaning regime. As for the sleeves, not sure how to salvage without hurting the paper. bleach will stop mold but will fade the paper and someofthe inks.
So wipe the labels too w/ bleach solution? Ok, then rinse with triple distilled water?? Or doesnt that matter too much as I will then immediately be cleaning em w DiscDoctor fluid or similar, on a machine??
Yes, wipe the labels, too. But check first to see how much the bleach may cause the ink to bleed or fade so you can adjust you method. You may find that "blotting" will be best on the labels. Don't forget to do the jackets similarly, inside and out.
Plain tap water is okay for the rinse at this step. Distilled water is better, but no need to go laboratory grade here. Reserve that for cleaning with Prelude, Disc Doctor or AIVS and a vacuum record cleaner.
Also, don't worry about "immediately" cleaning - focus on killing the mold on all your LPs as quickly as possible, then cleaning. .
Rushton-and anyone else! Thanks-now, should I wash (w the bleach solution) using a lot of water?-AND what brush-or should I just wipe 'em w a damp microfiber cloth dipped in bleach solution? Or should I used a MOFI/DiscDoc/Vpi?Nitty brush?? Obviously I will use different brushed for second cleaning stage... I also have moldy cds, but people are teling me to use soap and water for them...? Cheers All
For the bleach step, you're just killing the mold, not cleaning. Use a sponge to apply the solution to the vinyl. If you have a MOFI or DD brush you don't mind possible destroying, it would be useful to ensure penetration of the solution into the grooves. A very soft toothbrush will also work. Apply the solution with a sponge. Use the brush to gently swish the solution down into the grooves. (Water surface tension may otherwise prevent the fluid from getting into the grooves.)
I would set this operation up at a kitchen sink. Lay out a cloth on which to place the record.
Use a second sponge for the rinse step. Since you will wash each of your LPs later with a good record cleaning fluids process, I wouldn't get too concerned at this stage other than to rinse reasonably well, but not be fanatical about it.
Be aware that the bleach solution and the water rinse will be harmful to the labels. But you will want to ensure there is no live mold residue left on the labels or hiding in the center hole.
When rinsed, lean the LPs upright in some fashion to allow each to dry thoroughly. I lay a towel on the floor along the edge of a wall and then stand the LP on the towel and allow to lean just touching the top edge at the wall.
When dry, stack between paper towels until you can clean them. Go next to cleaning the record jackets with a similar bleach solution and allow the jackets to dry thoroughly. Throw away the inner sleeves. Then move on to cleaning the LPs, insert in new inner sleeves (as you stated earlier you plan to do) and insert in the cleaned and now dry jackets.
I would follow exactly this same process with the CDs. Soap and water will not kill the mold. It may successfully remove it, but I'd want to make sure I killed the mold, and then clean the CD. .
Excellent reply, Rushton! Thanks! I assume sprayng lysol into the empty lp outer sleeves(jacket) and letting em dry isnt good? Seems it would wet the cardboard less than a damp sponge.but maybe not.. Thanks again!
will do-thanks for all your help- i just had a look at a few lps just now--looks like none have any eally bad mold-i threw the worst out...but seems like I should err on side of caution and treat em all like this... wow..lotta work... Now question is-VPI 16.5 or Nitty Gritty 1.5???
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