It is extremely important to ensure that your vinyl collection is well maintained and looked after correctly. In this way you can be safe in the knowledge that your record collection will survive in optimal condition for many years to come. If you store your records appropriately, you can play them regularly and then return them to storage with less hassle and a minimal amount of fuss.
Having spent many years working at and building up a great collection of vinyl you will want to look after them. By lovingly caring for your collection you will also ensure that your investment of time and money will pay off in the future, further down the line. With this in mind, the way that you choose to store you vinyl is of critical importance. By storing your records properly you can help to avoid a variety of different problems that arise. These can include damage to sleeves, inserts, posters and the vinyl itself. Failure to store the records sufficiently can lead to bumps, tears and scratches on the album covers. It can also cause scuffs, scratches and warping to the vinyl. The main culprits of these various problems are exposure to heat, humidity or direct sunlight.
Identification of the appropriate environment that your records are going to be kept in is key. You can analyse the storage space, area or unit to determine this. A common factor to take into consideration is the temperature of the room or storage unit you are going to house your records in. It is not advisable to store your records in a place that has an unusually high temperature. Records should ideally be kept indoors at room temperature. This is around 20°C degrees Celsius or 68°F degrees Fahrenheit. Areas such as lofts, attics, garages or basements should be avoided. Also keep your records well away from radiators if they are turned on.
The best indoor relative humidity to store records is around 40%. Storing your records in a dry environment is a beneficial practice. You can avoid problems in the future with moisture, mildew or mould attacking the albums covers. These elements can also work their way onto the surface of the vinyl itself causing existential damage. The room temperature and humidity of your home is usually regulated and can provide the best environment to store your records. This temperature may fluctuate however, depending on where you live.
Your record covers or sleeves can be subject to fading when displayed or left in direct sunlight. Keep the records stored away from direct sunlight blazing in from windows that cause light exposure.
Before storing the records away it is important to invest in some protective polythene sleeves. You can put your records into the polythene sleeves to give added protection to the album covers. The polythene sleeve will stop dirt and dust from getting into or onto your records.
If you want to maximise the level of protection you can also replace with standard paper inner sleeves with high quality polythene ones. These are commonly known as polylined inner sleeves. These can help to reduce scratching and static when records are taken in and out of the sleeve regularly. Always inspect your vinyl and clean it if necessary before putting back into the inner sleeve.
Once you have found somewhere to store your record collection you have many options in the method that you choose to store them. The best way to store them is vertically on one side. Never pile records flat on top of each other. This is a recipe for disaster as records can be warped and sleeves become split. There is far less pressure on them when stacked in a correct vertical position. You can purchase alphabetical record dividers to help separate and categorise your records by artist, group or music genre. These are perfect for organising a large collection of records.
You can find record storage units in most furniture and D.I.Y. stores. They can be easily bought online as well. They are fashioned of multiple square compartments. Each capable of housing a number of records.
Other options would for storage would be record crates or a record cabinet. These also look great and you can select a design that fits in nicely with the décor of your room. Some designs can be a real fashion statement piece.
If you have a very large collection of vinyl, you may also have to store some away in boxes. If this is the case it’s best to invest in some record flight cases. These boxes are very strong and sturdy. They are made specifically to store vinyl records and have handles on them which makes them easy to transport around from one place to another. These are a very good long-term storage option that will protect your records for future use.
On an end note, collecting records can be a great pastime. However, as you can imagine, the vinyl takes up a lot of space. Storing the records correctly so that you can get to them easily can help you to get the maximum enjoyment from your ever-growing collection.
Planet Earth Records stock a wide range of vinyl records from the early days to the present from all genres of musical taste.