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You want to store vinyl records in a cool place—not too cold, but not too hot. If the vinyl is exposed to high heat for extended periods of time, it can lead to warping and other damaging effects. If you have a temperature-controlled attic or storage unit, that can be a great choice.
Is it OK to store vinyl records flat?
Records shouldn’t be stored horizontally, or flat. Storing vinyl records flat can place too much pressure on the records lower in the stack causing damage over time. Never leave records leaning at angles when in a box or on a shelf, this will cause the vinyl to warp.
How should vinyl be stored flat or upright?
The best method of storing your records is upright in the supplied sleeves and outer jacket, preferably in a poly sleeve. If you do not store them upright, you run the risk of warping or damaging your vinyl records. Storing them upright in a poly sleeve also prevents ring wear to the outer sleeve.
Should I keep the plastic on my vinyl?
You will need an outer covering to accompany the inner. This will protect your vinyl’s card sleeve but will also prevent dust finding the record (and abrading it over time). Be careful here. When compressed, these thick plastic covers can eventually stick to the record sleeve and pull the artwork right off.
Can you store record albums in plastic containers?
Remember, no matter what kind of container you store your records in, they will be vulnerable to warping due to temperature. You’re going to want to ensure air circulation. This means you need to avoid storing your records in a sealed container of any kind, including plastic bins with lids or taped-up cardboard boxes.
How do you store records without sleeves?
Put paper or a cloth between each record You don’t want records to be touching and scraping against each other as you will scratch them when you pull them in or out of the box. Put a soft paper towel or even better a piece of scrap cloth in between each record to keep them from touching.
How tight should you store vinyl records?
This is the correct answer. This. You should be able to pull your records out with ease, yet they should stand up nice and straight too and not be leaning over from being too loose.
How can I protect my vinyl?
Vinyl records should always be stored in a dry, cool environment. Avoid storing them in direct sunlight, as the light and heat can fade the jacket artwork and warp the record. In addition, avoid storing in areas where the record will be exposed to a lot of dust or airborne particles.
Can I stack boxes of records?
Do not stack more than 4 boxes on top of one another. Albums are heavy and stacking them that high risks damage to the records in the lowermost boxes. If you can place the containers on shelves or otherwise not stack them at all, that’s ideal.
Can I store vinyl records in the cold?
Your precious vinyl records are not directly affected by the cold, and they will not be destroyed. Records do become brittle in temperatures lower than freezing (zero degrees Celsius & 32 Farenheit). This is why we recommend that you preserve your records dry by storing them in a cool, dry and clean place.
At what temperature does vinyl warp?
Warping also has a different temperature than melting. Warping occurs at 140°F (60°C), while melting occurs at 212°F (100°C). Remember that once the record has melted, you cannot restore or reverse it. The heating process will completely ruin the record, and a new one will have to take its place.
How do you store records without a case?
Long Term Storage The typical replacement sleeves you can buy on the market are the plastic polybags or cardboard sleeves. Both do their jobs fairly well, protecting your records from moisture and heat. Some good plastic sleeves are the Big Fudge 7” 100x set or the 12” 50x set.
What is a vinyl sleeve?
A record sleeve (not to be confused with a record jacket/cover) is the outer covering of a vinyl record. Alternative terms are dust sleeve and album liner. A record sleeve can be made of paper, cardboard, rice paper, polypropylene, etc. It may be acid-free or anti-static and also contain an inner liner (polylined).
How do you keep records from leaning?
And if you need to lean your records up against something to keep them from falling over, lean them as steeply as you can, and avoid leaning too many up against each other at once. The records at the end of the stack can bow and warp. So, basically, keep your records in vertical blocks of 100 records or less.
How do you flatten warped vinyl?
Here are the general steps: Get two large panes of glass that will fit in your oven. Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature setting. Put your vinyl & glass sandwich in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off. Let the record cool down to room temperature. Determine whether or not that fixed the warping.
