5 Things to Know Before Blaming a Noisy Record

Static and dust cause most surface noise Many complaints about pressing defects are actually just static or dust on the record.

Wet clean the record first Use distilled water with a drop of Photo-Flo, then dry with a lint-free cloth. This removes most noise.

Avoid carbon fiber brushes on a spinning record They just redistribute gunk instead of removing it.

Skip alcohol on colored vinyl Alcohol-based solutions can strip the dye from colored variants.

If noise remains after cleaning, it is a pressing defect At that point, either live with it or exchange it. Nine times out of ten, a wet clean solves the problem.