Casual and Household Vinyl Record Storage

We’ll start with the four core tenets of sound vinyl storage; heat, light, humidity and pressure.

Heat

For home collections, room temperature or below is preferable. Room temperature, for those accustomed to living in sweat dens without air conditioning, is generally considered to be between 59° to 77°. Make sure you keep those records clear of radiators, vents and your George Foreman Grill.

Light

Minimal exposure to all kinds of light; no exposure to direct or intense light. Vinyl records are most susceptible to ultraviolet light; which can damage records in just a few minutes. For best results, don’t store your records in a bright window, a grow room, or a tanning bed.

Humidity

This is where vinyl record storage guidelines part ways from indoor plant care. Unlike your indoor greenery, vinyl records should be stored in a relatively dry environment (about 35-40% relative humidity or RH). For those not in the know, hygrometers are cheap and efficient tools that measure humidity.

Pressure

Don’t stack things on your records. Don’t stack your records on other records. We know it saves space, but sometimes life ain’t that easy. In addition, do not store your records too tightly together. You should leave enough space to easily flip through your records.

Though less problematic than the rules above, there are a few other factors to consider when storing vinyl records.

Vibration

Despite whatever goodvibes your records give off, their structural integrity can be compromised by strong vibrations. Keep your records a reasonable distance from speakers, washers and dryers and stampedes of wild stallions.

Vinyl of a similar diameter, store together

Don’t snug your 12” records next to your 10” records. Separate records of a different diameter with a divider. As a rule of thumb, attics and basements are typically not the best places to store vinyl records, though there are exceptions to this. Neither are non-climate controlled storage units. My parents made the mistake of storing their collection in a non-climate-controlled storage unit in Texas one summer. None of the discs made it out in a playable form. Try to find a place that is relatively clean, cool and stable.