How to clean vinyl records with glue

Each owner of a collection of records eventually raises the question of how to properly care for them, namely, to wash and clean. And not only how, but also where to get that best record brush.

To say right away about the use of glue for portable record players: in theory, everything is simple – we put glue on the plate, it hardens, sticking to all the dirt, and then the resulting film is easily removed.

But in practice, this does not always work – I tested this method on different old plates and evaluated the result with a microscope.

If there is a lot of dust in the grooves and the caked dust is perennial, then dirt still remains at the bottom.

Also, a lot depends on the glue itself. If you take the glue of a well-known German manufacturer, of course, not fake, not expired and properly stored, then everything is more or less not bad. In other cases, the original dirt and traces of glue may remain on the plate.

Water-based glue is very harmful to records, and after drying it can theoretically be soaked with water.

To clean vinyl records from glue try to soak and then wash under running water with a brush. The whole world progressive community has already refused using glue. Records can be washed under a tap with soap and a brush, and if you have a lot of them or they are expensive, then buy a washing machine.

In my opinion, the method is dangerous and not the most effective. Firstly, if the plate is too dirty, dust will still remain at the bottom of the grooves. Secondly, if you take low-quality glue, or leave it for too long, you simply cannot remove it from the surface of the disc completely. As a result, particles of glue will also be added to the dirt on the tracks, which will not affect the sound quality in the best way. So, this method is rather risky, unlike a wash, which will not damage the disk, if carried out correctly.