Is it necessary to clean every record?

What I do with used records is to clean them with my Nitty Gritty, then treat them with Gruv Glide and place them in a new poly lined sleeve. I wipe the jacket with a slightly dampened cloth and, after drying, store in a "japanese" resealable cover. I put a "GG" on the cover with a magic marker. This way I know an album is clean and the need to reclean is minimized by using a new sleeve and cover. The cover also protects the jacket from deterioration. I usually do the same with new vinyl.

Yes you have to clean your records.It is a must its like driving a clean car vs. a dirty car the clean one always rides better and the music sounds better.

That is part and parcel of the great world of vinyl. Why forego such a treat. Even the dirt that you don't see can affect the record. Firstly, it may not sound right, secondly, you can damage the record permanently by having the stylus go trough miles of crud. You have the machine so why not use it. Call it work. Call it a ritual. Just do it. Have cds spoiled you or what?

It is only necessary if you would like to maintain optimum performance and reproduction with minimal wear and tear on the vinyl and stylus for more than one play. Sean
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PS... Repeat this mantra :

Clean the record, play the record. Clean the record, play the record. Clean the record, play the record......

Dear Easy E,
Sean is absolutely correct, "as usual". Clean & Play. I might add that jphilips method of nitty gritty followed by Gruv Glide has worked extremely well.

I belong to an informal group of music/hifi buffs, between us we have 25,000 records. We all use a VPI or Nitty Gritty followed by a treatment of Gruv Glide. The improvement in sound quality is noticeable.