Does Water Damage Vinyl Records

A microscopic view of lp grooves.

Does water damage vinyl records.

You can get records extremely clean whilst incurring no damage when you do it properly and spot cleaning with a 50 water ipa solution gets any really stubborn marks off afterwards. The return of john grant. Many cleaning product manufacturers err on the side of caution when considering alcohol as a record cleaning ingredient. I ve seen old records cleaned with tap water.

Never wet play a vinyl record does wet playing a record help reduce noise. They have mold all over them and i was wondering if water damages it permanently. Dear gelissa my mother has hundreds of vinyl well not really sure what you call them 33 records and they have horrible water damage. I don t have any personal experience with the crosley but i suspect it to have a cheap and rather crude spherical needle.

Alex deturk it s no secret that lps are delicate and can be easily scratched and damaged but i ve always taken good care of my records. Can i put something on them to remove the mold. Just don t get the label wet. Never spritz water or wet play a vinyl record in an attempt to quiet the crackle and pops.

Water damage problems may not be as common with sheet vinyl flooring as some other flooring products but they do happen. Never stack vinyl records as shown in this photo as it can lead to warped discs and ring wear on the album jackets. This probably needs high tracking force which will have an effect on record wear. Water wont ruin old shellac 78rpm records but any water other than distilled water may cause damage to vinyl 33 and 45rpm records and could damage the cartridge on the turntable.

Damage to records can be subtle.