Most vintage vinyl recordings, LPs, 45s, and 78s, are filthy with ingrained dirt, particles of deteriorated sleeve and cover paper, dust, fingerprints, you name it. Play these recordings even once, and you'll significantly deteriorate the recording, and may cause excessive wear to your cartridge's stylus.

Here's how to professionally clean a recording prior to playing it:

SUPPLY LIST:

Liquid dishwashing detergent (non-abrasive, don't use" lotion" soap with hand cream in it).

Distilled water (available in gallon jugs from the grocery store).

Roll of name brand toilet paper (Charmin works great. Don't use the offbrand stuff with the little wood chunks floating in it. Not really good for any purpose..!).

At least two clean cotton terrycloth towels (Not washed or dried with a dryer sheet or fabric softener. No embroidery or other decoration, preferably white. Some color dyes can be abrasive. No paper towels or cotton bar towels or microfiber cloth).

1. Run water from your sink tap, setting the temperature at "lukewarm". (If you want to get picky or you're not sure, use a thermometer and set the water temp at around room temperature). Work at a sink large enough to give you room to work with the record. I use the kitchen sink or a utility sink.

2. Get the record wet under the tap. Apply a bit of dishwashing liquid directly to the record surface. About a dime-size amount is fine, though more is better.

3. Using a healthy wad of wetted toilet paper, gently wash the record in a circular motion, following the grooves. Keep the water flowing over the record as you wash. Repeat on the other side. The toilet paper will fall apart as you go. This is fine - use more as required. Rinse well on both sides under the tap. Don't soak the record in a sink, this can damage the label.

4. Pour out a bit of the distilled water from it's container - enough so there's a bit of room in the jug for you to shake it. Add 2 drops of dishwashing liquid to the water. I mean SINGLE DROPS, almost nothing. You can dip a toothpick in the detergent and drop it off of the toothpick into the jug as a measure, or use an old eye dropper. Cap the jug and shake it thoroughly. NOTE: If you want to get really technically picky, use photographic wetting agent to treat the distilled water. You can find it at a full-service photo store that sells photographic darkroom and processing supplies. Kodak sells it under the name "Photoflo".

5. Slowly pour a generous amount of the treated distilled water over the record's surfaces. This flushes out the tap water, which contains mineral residues. The wetting agent you added helps in the process by breaking the water's surface tension and helping to displace the water caught in the grooves.

6. Shake the excess water off the record, and lay it down on an unfolded terrycloth towel.  Flip the record over and lay it down again. This blots excess water up. Using the second towel, GENTLY dry the record in a circular motion, following the grooves, for a few seconds. Turn over the record and do it again.

7. Holding the record inbetween your palms by it's edges, fan the record up and down for at least a minute, evaporating all the moisture still remaining. Examine the surface in good light, looking for drops. If any water remains, blot the drops gently with the towel and fan again. NOTE: Some record label paper will retain moisture more than others. If the label looks wet, let the record air-dry before putting it back in it's cover.. Stand it on edge in an out of the way place overnight.

The best time to play or copy the record is right after it's been cleaned. There's no dust or static charge buildup. The record will never sound better!