Podcast #1073: Top Ten Movie Rentals and Keeping Your Vinyl Clean

This week we take a look at the week's top ten movie rentals and we continue our feature on getting the best results when listening to vinyl. We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news.

News:

• Survey: Americans Want Netflix with Ads to Be Free
• Netflix to open branded hubs in 2,400 Walmart stores
• 4K Fireplace, More Local News Channels Coming to Samsung TV Plus
• Fox Sports Ready for 4K/HDR FIFA World Cup
• Rental Top Ten Movies

Rank LW Rank Title Box Office (Millions)

1 New Bullet Train $103.32

2 1 Beast $31.85

3 New Fall $7.24

4 2 Jeepers Creepers Reborn $2.03

5 3 DC League of Super-Pets $93.36

6 4 Thor: Love and Thunder $343.26

7 5 Where the Crawdads Sing $90.23

8 New Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank $17.81

9 New Orphan: First Kill $5.41

10 6 Minions: The Rise of Gru $368.85

Breathing Life Back into Your Records

Last week we talked about cleaning your record needle for perfect playback based on an article sent to us from long time listener Stan. At that time he also sent us an article on cleaning your records. So this week we continue with our second installment. The following was taken from the Pro-Ject website.

Cleaning records revitalizes old and dirty records. If you don't see scratches on your vinyl, most likely, the reason that your vinyl does not play as well as it should is because of lint, dust, and grime. Luckily, the most common reasons to clean vinyl records are easy to manage and take care of.

Clean records play with less distortion, and it helps the vinyl last longer because the friction that happens when dust is on the record will no longer happen. In fact, keeping your records clean can even extend the life of your record player's stylus, which can save you from having to replace your record player needle. Your entire record collection will sound better with the right cleaning process than when you purchased it at the record store.

Record Washing

Of course, you can wash your records like you would your dishes. Simply put a few drops of dish soap into a tub of water. Avoid using tap water if you are creating your own solution. This will help to keep minerals that could damage the vinyl away from the records that you are cleaning. Di-ionized or distilled water is ideal for cleaning records. Never use Isopropyl alcohol in your vinyl cleaning solution because it removes the shine from the vinyl's surface and makes it more vulnerable to damage.

Instead of making your own cleaning solution, you can purchase a record cleaning solution that will work for your entire collection. It can be purchased individually or in a cleaning kit like the Spin-Clean Vinyl Record Washer System. This is a full cleaning system with soft brushes, cleaning fluid, and microfiber cloths that won't scratch the vinyl.

Once the record is clean, rinse the cleaning solution or any soap off with distilled water, being careful not to get the label wet. If water or cleaning solution does get on the label, make sure that you quickly blot it dry with a microfiber cloth, and don't put it away with your other records until it completely air dries. This helps to ensure that the ink doesn't bleed and the label doesn't tear.

Always make sure that the records are dry before playing them on your player. It should also be allowed at least 30 minutes to dry before it is placed back in the sleeve because the excess moisture can damage the records and cause the inner paper sleeves to mold. One way to ensure this is avoided is to use plastic sleeves instead of the paper ones that come with most records.

Vacuuming Records

Vacuuming records is one of the better cleaning methods to consider using. Using a vinyl record cleaner that is vacuum-powered will suck up any dust and debris found in the grooves. Using the vacuum cleaner should be done after the record is brushed to remove excess dirt on the surface. The VC-E Compact Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine falls into this category of record cleaner.

Record vacuuming machines will apply a cleaning solution to the records, scrub them, and vacuum away all of the wet solution and debris. It is the superior way to clean vinyl because it combines all of the cleaning methods using a machine that is quick and safe for the records. It may not be the best option for someone who has just a few records because of the price of these machines, but if you have a larger collection of albums, it's a solid investment to make.

Cleaning Records and Storing Without Worry

Once you have cleaned your record collection, you need to ensure that the vinyl does not get damaged or become warped because it is stored improperly. The first step that you need to take to keep your records safe is to store them in an inner sleeve that will not scratch the surface of the vinyl.

To add more protection, you should also use outer sleeves on your vinyl to keep the dust away from your records completely. Records should always be stored vertically because stacking them on top of each other on a shelf causes warping that hurts the sound quality.