looking after a vinyl collection

DJ Izaak Gray talks caring for your records and getting the most from how they sound

It’s important to always have a vinyl and stylus cleaning kit to hand to keep your collection in the best condition. You’ll need a specialist anti-static brush for the vinyl and some kind of mild alcohol spray and cloth. A stylus cleaning brush is also useful and is like the world’s tiniest toothbrush. Most record shops will sell you a record cleaning kit. Wipe off any excess dust before playing a record using an anti-static vinyl cloth. Get rid of dust on the stylus before playback using that tiny toothbrush-like brush. A bad sound is most likely caused by a worn or dusty stylus. This also means damage to your records. Stop as soon as you can and clean both stylus and record. If it persists, replace the stylus, or soon you’ll be replacing the record.

To get the best from your record player, the optimum tonearm weight is key. Make sure you’ve got the correct weight on the tonearm to the stylus and cartridge – not too much to avoid wear, not too little to avoid skipping. If unsure, check the manufacturer’s specs – it’s usually around two to three grams, and is fairly easy to change if you follow the instructions or – if you’re really serious – you can get a tracking force gauge to check. Adjustment procedures vary per deck.

Keep the record player still. Both from an audio fidelity and vinyl longevity perspective, vibration onto the deck is to be avoided. You should never place your speakers on the same object as the vinyl deck, unless they include some form of isolation. DJS who work in clubs know this only too well. You can add extra isolation to your deck – Isoacoustics makes some excellent devices that can decouple both your speakers and the deck from surfaces, for example. Make sure the deck is level. A lopsided deck causes warbling and wear, and even the slightest gradient can cause problems over time. It may be that your floor is uneven, or the shelf is wonky, but you want to get as close to totally flat as you possibly can. Use your smartphone compass, which includes a spirit level mode to quickly check your set up is straight. Many decks also have twistable feet to allow for adjustment. Store the vinyl on its side, and not on top of one another.

This is to prevent warping. This happens over a long period of time, so don’t worry too much if you’re fishing out a bunch of records at once and quickly need to pop some down. But if you’re storing your vinyl day to day, store it like you would a book on a bookshelf.