Few things are as exciting as finally getting your hands on a rare first edition release of a record that hasn’t seen the light of day in years. Once you have it, though, you have to be very careful about storing it so you can continue to listen to your vinyls over and over for years to come. Take a look at these six tips the next time you plan on adding another piece of vinyl to your collection.
1. Never Stack Your Records
Always make sure to keep all of your albums standing straight up next to each other. Letting them shift too much to one side or the other can encourage them to warp. Any vinyl record storage solution you use should keep them standing up straight.
2. Pay Close Attention to the Humidity
Experts believe that records need a humidity level between 45-55% to avoid becoming brittle. Take a couple of measurements before you decide to install a storage unit so you can be certain that you’re not putting your long-playing records in the way of harm.
3. Get a Customizable Modular Storage System
By investing in a vinyl record storage system, you can be sure that you’re going to get something that fits the specific space you have in your home. Too many commercial solutions aren’t flexible, so they may not fit your layout. A modular solution gives you the freedom to reorient your collection as you move the furniture around your home.
4. Pick a Place That Gets Minimal Dust
Take note of how much dust your home tends to attract in general and try to find a storage solution that will fit in the least dusty part of your house. If this isn’t possible, then you might want to get something that has solid enough shelves to guard against any debris that could eventually damage your records.
5. Slide in Some Dividers or Labels
Though you’d never want to stick a label onto a record jacket, there’s no reason you can’t alphabetize your albums by sticking cards in each section of your storage unit. Make one for each letter of the alphabet or perhaps each genre of music in your collection. These will stand up much more easily if you have a module storage unit that’s already separated into individual sections. Radio stations have sorted their record libraries this way for years.
6. Choose Solid Construction That Limits Vibration
Even audio enthusiasts who never touch the bass control on their stereo mixers could be exposing their records to an unnecessarily high amount of vibrations. Get a storage system that’s solid enough to dampen extra vibrations so you don’t accidentally chip any of your records. Doing this is vital for collectors of 45s and 78s since these tend to be the most fragile. LP collectors will still want to be certain that their storage system doesn’t let their records move around too much.
Taking some extra time to get all of these details squared away will ensure many happy years of listening in the future.