Static cling on VINYL

Hello vinyl lovers, since I have gotten back into vinyl I have noticed that several albums have a very bad static cling. One of the first ones I noticed it on was an unopened brand new Beatles Abbey Road on 180 Gram Vinyl. I bought it on Amazon and it had a terrible static cling. I put it on the player and it was almost unplayable because the static was so bad. It even picked up the felt mat when I took the record off.

They say the best way to beat static cling is with the Zerostat gun. However, these guns are now hard to find and sell on eBay anywhere from $60-$90. If you get lucky you might find one for $20.

Yesterday I picked up a mint copy of Boston - Third Stage. The static cling on it was even worse than Abbey Road so I did not even attempt to play it.




The first thing I did, as with all of my records, is clean it with a homemade mixture of distilled water, 91% alcohol and a drop of clear soap (I have them all mixed together in a spray bottle, 3/4 distilled water, 1/4 91% alcohol). Then I replaced the paper liner with a poly-lined sleeve:



You can see the liner in the "window" around the Boston logo. I use these on all my records. If the "original" sleeve has lyrics or cool notes I save those too and just keep them on the inside of the cover.

Here is where my experiment starts: I took a DRYER sheet--




And placed it INSIDE the album jacket. Keep in mind these have soaps and chemicals in them so you do NOT want these to touch the record in any way. I dropped it between the "wall" and the sleeve so that it does not come in contact with the vinyl but it is inside the jacket. If these will take the static cling out of clothes, why not vinyl records?



Left it stored over night. Maybe I am fooling myself but the cling is mostly gone because it did not pull the platter mat up this time. Getting ready to play it and see how it sounds.

I one time thought I had the static problem.  Had gotten the Misfits - Earth AD and it was unlistenable.  Agonized over it since I couldn't get a return, then learned of the static issue and thought that was the deal.  Turned out I just had a dirty record needle.  And have wisely started shutting the player top after use.

Did the solution you tried work?

It seems to have worked. I left it stored with the dryer sheet over night in the jacket. I played it and recorded it to hard drive and not a pop or crack on it. It sounded pretty awesome, I was impressed that the static was gone. Before even playing it I put it on the turntable and then took it off to see if the felt mat stuck to the vinyl and it didn't.

As for a dirty needle, I clean it after every play with a brush. I also clean all the records before play with my mixture of distilled water, 91% alcohol and a drop of soap in the spray bottle. I clean them with a micofiber sponge then dry them off with a microfiber towel. Some very old records still have some dust because I can see it on the stylus. I just take them off the player and reclean them.

So does the dryer sheet work? I guess it did. I would like for someone else to try it too and get some more feedback. You can't keep using the same one over and over but they are pretty cheap and my wife keeps a couple of boxes of them by the dryer.

Thanks for the dryer sheet tip. Only notice static develop in my home during winter months.

Oh, and never EVER clean you records on the turntable platter. If you have direct drive like I do, after a few years of pressing down the motor will collapse. My nephew recently lost his 30 year old Pioneer direct drive while cleaning a record. (Not to mention you risk the chance of any liquid spray getting into the components). Get a clean towel, spread it out on a flat surface and lay the vinyl on top of the towel.I spray the cleaner on the vinyl but am very careful not to get the label wet. If I have any doubt I just wet the sponge. I also sometimes use one of those corner "paint" brushes. Those are the brushes typically with a red handle and a white brush with soft bristles that slide onto the brush. These are also fantastic for cleaning the records, just spray the solution directly on the paint brush (or the album carefully not getting the label wet).

What kind of brush are you using for your needle? I've always been afraid to do that.

You can buy a needle brush. Looks like a toothbrush but toothbrushes are cheaper. So I used a soft bristle child's toothbrush. I have used this method since the early 80's (since I was a kid) and it has never created any problems. My wife said "I just used to wipe it off with my finger". I said "don't ever do that! It will ruin it faster than a bad record!" If you try the tooth brush method always brush it one way -- towards you never in a brushing or "sawing" pattern. One swipe towards you should take care of it.

Always been afraid of the brush method since I've from childhood subscribed to the idea that anything besides the vinyl touching the needle = death. The method I've used is a shot of compressed air from a good distance right behind the needle. Also I've become much better about closing the player top which is where most of the crud was coming from.

Yeah leaving the lid down is a good idea. Mine always stays closed. Never thought about compressed air I bet that works just as good. Like I said, I've cleaned with brushes since the early 80's and have yet to ruin a needle.