500 albums in a basement flood--worth saving?


Hi--just had 6' high (relatively clean) water fill basement during recent hurricane/tropical storm. Lost everything down there including 500 albums: some late 60's rock, 70's & early 80's rock, some jazz and a few classical, most in pretty good shape prior to this. Couple of Original Master Recordings. No turntable at the moment. Insurance not covering.  Question: is it worth peeling/discarding album covers, buying 500 new sleeves, buying record cleaning machine (lots of time & labor), or just toss the lot?  Are they worth anything without the covers, just inner sleeves (what type are best, paper or plastic?)?  What is average value?  TIA.
 
tt1man
My friends and I bought a number of records from a similar situation. They all came out fine after ultrasonic cleaning.

Thing about US cleaning is that solids just come off the surface and drop to the bottom. No damage at all.

I use a very fine product from Louisiana if I remember correctly. Vinyl Stack has a stand, motor, and spindle for use with just about anybody’s US tank. I went with an ElmaSonic tank (German) because I have several thousand records and an expensive cartridge to protect, but you can use any tank, and just about any tank is better than the next best cleaning alternative. IMO.

There are several good threads on US record cleaning here and on DIY Audio.

You can get a variety of sleeves online from many record stores. Elusive Disk is good - I prefer MOFI sleeves, for what it's worth.

Good luck! May your records stay safe!
@dekay --thanks for the Groovemaster link and other stuff@bigkidz --know Michael.  Was going to call him about another subject soon, but good idea to discuss this personal "rekkid" problem@lewm - good points, debating that save vs. toss right now due to time constraints. Just don't want to regret it later on when I get a TT down the road@oldhvymec--helpful cleaning tips. The outside water was mixed with the house water and I'm not seeing too much, if any, apparent silt or dirt on them so far, just some moisture@millercarbon--see above about water mix@stereo5 --all staying flat so far@pjr801--the plan is to save, but best laid plans can go astray@gary7--hope the big wind never hits.  Think about separate rider on your policy covering them if not already, and if your insurance company would accept. Do you need flood insurance in your area?@jjs49-- thanks for the thought
@three_easy_payments-- mine sound best when I hold them up to my ears at a 45 degree angle.
@terry9 --sorry missed you. Will check out those vinyl Stack and ElmaSonicproducts. Thanks for the good thoughts.  Could use some positive energy right about now.
ElmaSonic is pretty much a Mercedes product, so you might find it to be overkill. But it is among the best and easiest to use. The 80KHz option gives better cleaning and quieter operation - at a price. Tell the wife that you bought it to clean her jewelry, oh, and to use it yourself when she didn't need it.