Isopropyl alcohol
The first step involves cleaning the playing surface of the records (unless they have been stored in archival, dust-free conditions since they were last cleaned). This can involve anything from turntable-based, vacuum equipped, professional cleaning machines that use proprietary chemical formulations and cost four figures, to improvised methods involving home-made equipment and/or cleaning solutions consisting of isopropyl alcohol, distilled water (unpurified tap water should not be used, as it will probably leave limescale deposits on the record surface) and a surfactant to aid drying. Isopropyl alcohol should only be used to clean vinyl records: it will cause permanent damage to shellac, master and one-time recordings (acetate, wax and lacquer).