So I bought a record player and I'm formulating the beginning of a record collection. I've bought some stuff for novelty value in the past, I went round the charity shops this afternoon and I salvaged some of the old stuff from the loft yesterday so I now have a motley collection of pristine 80s shite, (Men at Work etc), some scruffy Motown and 70s pop 45s, some very nice classical stuff and a few picture vinyls.

Anyway, the thing is, a lot of it is old and hasn't been cared for very well. Some of it has loft related mildew, finger print and other general gunk on it, what's the best way to clean this off?

Some of it is a bit scratched too, how badly scratched can records be before you shouldn't play it?

Anything else I should know? those carbon fibre brushes look pretty useful, should I get one of those? Any good tips for taking care of vinyl on a budget?