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Record collections are passed down through generations, built with a collector’s consideration, enjoyed in quiet contemplation and at raucous social events. Vinyl is a warm, textural listening experience, and steps must be taken to preserve it. Following a few basic principles will help to conserve your collection for present and future enjoyment.


Inventory. Depending on its size and/or value, you should prepare an inventory of your collection. Record the title, artist, date of release or date purchased (if known) and any other noteworthy information of each recording. Organize them in a way that makes sense for you – but keep it consistent.

Care. Keep your records clean. Dust and body oils can and cause poor sound quality and static. They damage the vinyl as well as the needles. Use cloths and brushes specially made for cleaning records; special chemicals are also available. The best, and easiest, way to clean a record is while it rotates on the turntable. Do not use soap and water. Once your record is clean, put it in a new sleeve so that dust from the old sleeve isn’t deposited. But keep the original sleeve! Original sets have a greater value for collectors, so protect the cover as well by keeping it in plastic sleeve.

Storage. Ideally, vinyl records should be stored in a dark, clean, cool, dry place at approximately 15.5 C (60 F) and with 20-40% relative humidity. This isn’t realistic for most of us, but your records will be ok as long as you protect them from extreme changes in temperature and humidity. So don’t store them next to an outside wall, in a soggy shed or near the kitchen. Moisture can cause mold that will damage the jackets and sleeves and harm the record. Heat will warp them and maybe even make them brittle. Smoke and cooking greases easily adhere to records and their jackets.

Whether you store your collection on a shelf, in the attic or in a storage unit, records should be stored upright and snug against each other as leaning can cause warping. Do not stack record boxes on the floor – create at least a few inches of space between the floor and your boxes.

Listen to your records – enjoy the ritual of hitting needle to groove. Store them if you must. But treat them with care and they will continue to give you pleasure for years to come.