How to Clean 78 RPM Shellac Records Safely

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Old 78 RPM records are a different material from modern vinyl LPs. Most 78s made before the 1950s were pressed from shellac, a natural resin mixed with mineral fillers. Shellac is harder and more brittle than vinyl, and it reacts badly to some cleaning products that are perfectly safe on LPs. If you have inherited a box of 78s or picked some up at a flea market, cleaning them correctly is the difference between hearing a clean old recording and damaging a record that may be impossible to replace. This guide covers a gentle, conservative method.

Why shellac needs special care

Shellac is a resin produced from a secretion of the lac insect, and it has been used for centuries in varnishes and finishes. It dissolves in alcohol, which is why alcohol is used to thin shellac varnish. A cleaning fluid that contains alcohol, even a small amount, can soften or dull the surface of a shellac record. Some 78s, especially later ones, were pressed in vinyl or other materials, but unless you know for sure, treat every 78 as shellac.

Shellac records are also brittle. They can crack if dropped, flexed or knocked against a hard surface, and they can chip at the edges. Many 78s are also heavier than LPs, which makes careless handling more dangerous.

Identify what you have

• Shellac 78s: usually 10 or 12 inches, heavy, rigid, with a slightly gritty feel at the edge. Common up to around the 1950s.
• Vinyl or vinylite 78s: some later 78s, often radio or promotional pressings, are lighter and more flexible.
• Lacquer or acetate discs: home recordings and studio transcription discs coated in a lacquer layer on an aluminium or glass base. These are extremely delicate and need specialist advice. Do not wet-clean them without guidance from an archive or specialist.

If in doubt, use only the gentlest dry method and seek specialist advice for anything rare or valuable.

What you need

• A soft, dry brush. A carbon fibre record brush or a soft goat-hair brush works.
• Distilled water.
• Optionally a very mild, alcohol-free surfactant made for records.
• Lint-free microfibre cloths.
• A drying rack, so records can stand upright on their edge.
• A soft, padded work surface, such as a folded towel.

Step 1: inspect

Look at the record under good light. Check for cracks, chips, flaking and the label condition. If you see cracks or the surface is flaking, do not wet-clean; a gentle dry brush is the most you should do. Labels on 78s are paper and are easily damaged by water.

Step 2: dry brush

Place the record on the padded surface or on a turntable at rest. Brush gently along the grooves to remove loose dust. Do not press hard. A lot of 78 noise comes from loose grit that a dry brush removes.

Step 3: gentle wet clean

If the record needs more than a dry brush, use distilled water. For grime that water alone does not lift, add a very small amount of a mild, alcohol-free surfactant. Apply the liquid sparingly with a soft brush or microfibre pad, moving along the grooves, and avoid the label. Do not soak or submerge the record. Work in sections and do not leave liquid standing on the surface.

Step 4: rinse

Rinse with distilled water, again applied with a brush or pad, to remove any surfactant residue. Keep the label dry. A label protector, a disc that covers the label while you clean, makes this much easier if you clean 78s often.

Step 5: dry promptly

Pat and wipe gently along the grooves with a clean, lint-free cloth. Then stand the record upright in a rack to finish air-drying before you sleeve it. Do not use heat to speed drying. Read our general guide to drying records after washing.

Can I use a manual washer or ultrasonic machine?

Many manual washers, including the Spin-Clean, have rollers that accommodate 78s, and some collectors do use them. The questions are the fluid and the soak. Spin-Clean describes its fluid as alcohol-free, which removes the main risk, but keep the time in the bath short and dry promptly. Ultrasonic cleaning of shellac is debated; some archivists use it with care, others avoid it. If you want to try either method, read the manufacturer's guidance on 78s, test on a common record first, and do not experiment on anything rare.

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Sleeves and storage for 78s

• Store 78s upright, on edge, never stacked flat in tall piles where the weight can crack the bottom records.
• Use 10 or 12-inch sleeves that fit; acid-free paper or poly-lined sleeves are common choices.
• Do not pack shelves so tightly that records are forced against each other, and do not leave them so loose that they lean at an angle.
• Keep them cool and dry, away from sunlight and radiators.

For general storage advice, see can you store vinyl records flat?

Playing 78s: the stylus matters

78s have much wider grooves than LPs. A standard LP stylus sits too low in a 78 groove, where it can pick up more noise and may cause wear. A 78-specific stylus has a larger tip designed for these grooves. Audio-Technica, for example, makes a 78 stylus for its VM95 series. Your turntable also needs a 78 RPM speed setting. Our guide to the difference between a stylus and a cartridge explains how swapping a stylus works.

Common mistakes with 78s

• Using an LP cleaning fluid that contains alcohol.
• Soaking records or wetting labels.
• Stacking records flat in a box.
• Handling by one edge and letting the record flex.
• Playing with a worn or LP stylus.
• Using cheap suitcase players with heavy tracking on valuable 78s.

When to seek specialist help

If a record is rare, historically important, cracked, or is a lacquer or acetate disc, contact a sound archive, a specialist dealer or a conservation service before cleaning. Libraries and national sound archives often publish guidance on caring for historical recordings, and some will answer questions from the public.

Handling tips

Hold a 78 with your palms on the edge, or with one hand on the edge and fingertips on the label, as you would an LP, but take extra care because it is heavier and will not flex. Support it with both hands when carrying. Never carry a stack of loose 78s. When you remove one from a sleeve, tilt the sleeve and let the record slide into your hand rather than pulling it out against the paper.

Work slowly and on a padded surface. A 78 that slips off a table onto a hard floor is very likely to break, and unlike most LPs, many 78s were never reissued. A little care during cleaning sessions avoids the most common and most permanent kind of damage.

A quick routine for a box of 78s

If you have just inherited a box of 78s, resist the urge to clean them all at once. Start by sorting. Set aside anything cracked, chipped or flaking, and anything that looks like a lacquer home recording. Next, sort the rest by condition. Dry brush every record first; many will sound much better after that alone. Only wet-clean the records that still sound gritty or look visibly dirty, and clean a common record first to check your method. Keep a short note of what you did to each record, so you know which ones have been cleaned and how.

Store each cleaned record in a fresh sleeve and return it to an upright position on the shelf as soon as it is dry. Working in small, careful batches is slower, but it greatly reduces the chance of a dropped or damaged record.

Above all, go slowly. A clean 78 is a pleasure to hear, but a broken one cannot be repaired.

If you are new to record care in general, our record cleaning for beginners guide covers the basics that apply to vinyl, and our stylus cleaning guide applies to 78 styli too.

FAQ

Can I use alcohol to clean 78s?

No. Shellac dissolves in alcohol, so alcohol-based cleaners can damage the record surface.

Can I wash 78s in water?

Distilled water applied carefully is widely used, but avoid soaking and keep the paper label dry.

Why do 78s sound noisy even after cleaning?

Many 78s have some inherent surface noise from the shellac and filler materials, and many have wear. A correct 78 stylus often makes a bigger difference than more cleaning.

Are all 78s shellac?

No, some later 78s are vinyl and some discs are lacquer. If you are unsure, treat it as shellac and use the gentlest method.