I was wide-eyed to find a CD copy of the dBs' power pop album Like This (1984) in the bins at my favorite Olympia record store--and for 98 cents! That's exciting, though collectors are always a bit leery of that kind of deal. Was the disc scratched and how badly? The answer: No scuffs...just a sort of mark near the shiny side's center. I decided it was worth the risk of purchase because I have burned a defective CD before and the copy often comes out sans imperfections. So I simply cleaned the mark with the mild soap we wash our veggies with. It came out great!
Then there was a vinyl single I bought at a junk store of a song I've long enjoyed, "Can't Stop Loving You" by the Last Word (1967). With my all-'60s radio show coming up, I had been dying to put that song on the air for years--it's soulful rock'n'roll, with a strong vocalist and superb guitarist (the B-side is a cover of Wilson Pickett's "Don't Fight It" that's much less successful). I thought this trashed 45 was beyond repair but once again, I used vegetable wash and cleaned it in a circular motion (CDs, by contrast, are supposed to be cleaned the opposite way, from center to the edge).
Yow! The cleanup took out most of the noise on the single and it sounded fabulous on the air Saturday...or at least, I thought so. There you have it: two items with new life.
Don't worry about growing older, people. The tiniest triumphs can be delightful.