Any collector of vinyl records knows that they shouldn’t ever let their favorite albums lean off to one side. That’s probably why you want to invest in some sort of storage space for your collection. Unfortunately, not all crates are created equally. Take a look at this guide and see if your favorite solutions stand up to the close scrutiny your fellow audiophiles are sure to give them.
1. Get Something That Stands The Records Up
Nearly every audiophile will tell you that strong side-by-side storage is better than piling records up or letting them lean off toward the edge of a container. You want to make sure that the crates are sturdy enough to keep your records straight. Don’t trust anything that already seems like it’s falling apart, because there’s a good chance that anything like this can eventually warp your favorite albums. Vinyl records may not track at all once they’re warped, so this is probably the most important step to picking out the right boxes.
2. Invest In Stackable Crates
One of the big benefits of a customizable vinyl record storage system is the ability to stack them up in the corner of a room. This gives you a chance to proudly display your collection while saving floor space. It’s also a great way to protect it from dust and any other maladies that might be found in your home or apartment. Traditional crates can’t be stacked or sorted into any specific categories, which makes it hard for seasoned collectors to put their records in any particular order. Customizable solutions will help with this immensely.
3. Only Use Clean Crates
Plastic jackets already have a way of misting or fogging up the surface of long-playing records, so you don’t want to use anything that would add to this potential problem. Never use a crate that isn’t clean to hold albums. If you’re reusing a container from something else, then make sure you wipe it out before you put even a single LP or 45 in it. Don’t use harsh chemicals to clean them either. In most cases, a dry cloth is usually enough to get the job done. Caustic compounds could stick to the sides and cause additional damage to your records over time.
4. Make Sure They’re The Right Size
Crates come in different sizes just like records themselves. Depending on whether you collect 33⅓s, 45s, or vintage 78s, the size of crates you’ll need may vary somewhat. You want your collection to fit snugly in place so that it doesn’t move around, but you don’t want your records to be so tight that they start to crack. Try measuring the jackets of both the largest and smallest pieces you currently have. This should give you a solid baseline to go on when trying to pick out the right containers.
While it might take some time to get everything situated, this is time well spent since it’s an investment in the future of your record collection. If you store your records correctly, you can even pass your collection down to the next generation.
