I am a  lifelong collector who has used this method (developed by my father ) for over 30 years with only a couple of casualites (part of the learning curve).  If you are a hard-core audiophile, you may not agree with this method.  If you buy a lot of pop/rock/etc lp's at thrift stores and yard sales, my method is an inexpensive and SAFE way to clean up those used discs for play.

You will need:

- Some old soft bath towels - cotton only (much-used towels tend to be softer). If you have some in your house even better. If not, check out the nearest thrift store. These towels will be used ONLY for records since labels will sometimes bleed ink, and you want to keep your towels pure and free from grease and oils.  You should wash your towels  before using them to dry records.

- A regular (clean) washcloth or small (clean) towel

- A dish rack

- A mild soap (lemon-based works well, but isn't very strong). My dad used to use a soap called Ship Shape, but I don't think they make it anymore. You want the soap to cut greasy dirt - especially fingerprints.

- Go to the hardware store and get a square or rectangular paint pad - the kind with the plastic backing that has little soft bristles. TEAR OFF THE PLASTIC BACKING and just use the pad.

OK - YOU'RE READY TO WASH, RIGHT?

Not yet - CLEAN OUT THAT SINK THOROUGHLY!! All of us put hideous greasy foodstuff in our sinks. Scrub it out with cleanser and rinse a few times. Get ALL grease and food out - even from the strainer basket.

Ok - here we go. This is fun, actually.

* Add a capful of soap to the 'wash' basin, and fill to about 2" deep. Hot water is ok, as long as your hands can stand it.

** I have read that rinsing with a different temperature can help shed the dirt off the surface. You can put enough cold/cooler water to dunk a record into on the other side for the 'rinse' side, which you've already scrubbed clean, right?

*** Leave the faucet at a slow trickle for your final rinse

+ Have records ready in a stack (out of the covers) within easy reach.

++ Is the first record dirty? If YES - put it in the warm wash basin. If NO (just a little dusty) , just dunk it in and back out. Place the record on the washcloth or towel that you will place next to the wash basin.

- Here's where the ''art' comes in. If you have filthy records, let those soak. If not, you can just dunk them. Really filthy records can soak a few minutes while you whiz past with cleaner ones that are just 'dunked'. MAXIMUM SOAKING TIME SHOULD BE JUST A MINUTE OR SO. Most records will soak only 15-30 seconds during this process.

+++ Place the record to be washed on the washcloth and wet the paint sponge in the soapy water. Wash the record in a circular motion over the grooves with gentle pressure. If scrubbing is necessary, use a little more pressure, always wiping WITH the grooves. DO NOT EVER (EVER!) WIPE THE LABEL!!

++++ Plop the washed record in the cool 'rinse' basin, then run underwater and wipe with your hand to get any soap off. Be careful not to 'nick' the record with the faucet.

+++++ Place in dish rack.

++++++Repeat until rack is full.

# Take full rack to drying table/area.

## Dry in the order you washed them. Have a flat towel on the table, and another to dry with in your hand.

### Take the dripping record and GENTLY wipe on the lower towel - VERY gently just to get rid of the drops. Then wipe the record surface - NOT THE LABEL - with the hand towel. You may pat dry the label, but don't EVER wipe one.

#### Some labels will 'bleed' ink when they dry. Be sure not to put a 'bleeder' next to a lighter colored label, or it will stain the lighter record.

##### The best plan is to prop the records up to dry and run a ceiling fan, if you have one. After drying for a few minutes (you will be able to 'feel' with a dry hand if they've dried completely or not). Then they are ready to re-stack (78's and 45's) or place into sleeves.

A couple warning points.

>> 78's do not flex!! Be careful not to let suction clamp the 78 down on the rag you have on the countertop. This can happen with a wet rag. Also, do not EVER drain the water out of the sink with a 78 in it. The vortex of water running down the drain will create enough negative pressure below the record to smash it into pieces (we found this out the hard way). And be careful of the hard edges of the sink.

>>> Lp's can withstand heat, and will even bend and flex in hot water. If the water is very very hot (too hot to touch) it CAN warp the record. The best way to test the water temp is to place your hand in it.

>>>>Some records are laminated, and best not to get wet.  A few examples are: 1) old Edison discs (the ones that look like thick platters; 2) Acetates and home-recording discs; 3) some kids' records, particularly picture discs from the 40's and 50's.  These records are best washed off with a moist rag, and not dunked in water.

That's about it. You will find that stickers  will often come off effortlessly once they're in water.

Pantherboy