Cleaning a CD

[Tenorman]

I recently bought a boxed set of CDs. It has taken me a while to get through, and I got to the last CD to find something stuck to the playing side. Unfortunately, I have chucked the receipt and cannot now prove where I got the CD.

Whatever it is (glue?) appears to be of the surface and has not penetrated the plastic coating.

Any ideas on what I can use to clean the disc without damaging it more than it is - one track has gone totally

[Phil Meloy]

Ian I got the following from this site...

Cleaning computer equipment (http://www.computerhope.com/cleaning.htm#05)

"Cleaning CDs should be done with a CD cleaning kit, however can also be done with a normal clean cotton cloth or shirt. When doing this with a clean cotton cloth or shirt, wipe against the tracks, starting from the middle of the CD and wiping towards the outer side of the CD. Never wipe with the tracks doing so may put more scratches on the CD. It is recommended when cleaning a CD that water is used. However, if the substance on a CD cannot be removed using water, pure alcohol can also be used."

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Glue is a tough one. Try the simple one first. Coat the glue with peanut butter. Leave it on there for a day or so to allow the oils to seep in. See if that works. It might.

If that doesn't work, a solvent may be needed. I've never used it, but I know several people (including a local used CD shop), that swear by WD-40, the household general purpose lubricant. It's supposed to be great at getting stuff of CDs as well as the jewel cases... even the paper booklet, or so I've been told. I imagine of you use it on the booklet, it would probably smell pretty rotten from then on. :)

Later,
Kevin

[Tenorman]

Thanks guys.

I don't really know what it is that is stuck to it, but it looks like glue and cardboard edge from the sleeve.

Peanut butter???? Now I have heard everything. Can see why it would work though

[jkelman]

Glue is a tough one. Try the simple one first. Coat the glue with peanut butter. Leave it on there for a day or so to allow the oils to seep in. See if that works. It might.

If that doesn't work, a solvent may be needed. I've never used it, but I know several people (including a local used CD shop), that swear by WD-40, the household general purpose lubricant. It's supposed to be great at getting stuff of CDs as well as the jewel cases... even the paper booklet, or so I've been told. I imagine of you use it on the booklet, it would probably smell pretty rotten from then on. :)


I wouldn't suggest it on CDs, but for getting glue off jewelcases, the godsend is a product called, attractively enough, goo-gone. Stuff works like a charm on cardboard and plastic, and doesn't leave any residue or mark the plastic/cardboard. DOn't know, like I said, if I'd try it on an actual CD, unless you have one where you have nothing to lose and want to give it a go.

The stuff is cheap - a few bucks and one bottle has lasted me over a year with probably another 2-3 years left in the thing.
John

[papsrus]

I see this is an old thread, but I was looking around for some info on cleaning CDs and came across this:

http://sony.storagesupport.com/mediacare.htm

I was initially wary of the technique described above that says you should wipe the disc from the center outward to the edge of the disc. But this is correct.
From the website:
If a disc gets dirty, you can clean them easily with any on-the-market cleaning kits or basic rubbing alcohol. But avoid using abrasives, solvents, or highly acidic cleansers. And use a soft, lint-free cloth, and wipe gently in a straight line from the center of the disc, out. This will avoid any potential scrapes from interrupting with the circular path of the signal.

With scratches, it is not the actual data section of the disc that is damaged; it is the clear coating that protects the data section of the disc that has become damaged. Thus, the scratch is interfering with the path that the laser must travel through to get to the information. To fix this, you can repair the disc by either filling the scratch with an optical material, or polishing down the scratch to remove it. There are many commercial products designed to help you do this, but you can also use a polishing compound, or even toothpaste to get the trick done. Just make sure you do not create any new scratches while you remove the old ones by polishing in straight lines away from the center. Cracked or warped discs may damage a media playing/recording device. If a disc breaks inside of the unit, pieces are likely to strike the optics.

I have a couple of discs with various marks on the surfaces, which appear to not interfere with the sound. But I wanted to clean them anyways.

[kevt]

For CD boxes, I use white spirit, which works a treat but is a major tell-tale sign to Madame that Monsieur has been out spending again!

[jonesy]

Maguiars Car Polish does a great job on minor scratches. Spead a few small drops with a lint free cloth (microfibers are the best) let dry, and wipe from the center to the edge. I've even successfully treated CD's that were skipping using this. Best advice though is to never handle the CD except by the edge.

[jagua]

hai,
, CDs must
be stored in their cases to prevent from being scrached or dirty. Anything
that interferes with the laser reading through the encoded layer to the
reflective core and back again, can degrade the playback and quality. If a
disc does become dirty, clean the disc with a damp, soft, clean cloth. Use a
mild soap if necessary. It is important to wipe in a radial manner, not
circular... In other words, wipe from the center straight out. If light
scratches are caused, they'll lie perpendicular to the path the disc is
read and are less likely to cause problems. Prevent soiling the surface by
holding the disc by the edge and the center hole.

[soshigaya2]

For what it's worth I had some cdr that somehow had become coated with a sticky substance of indeterminate origin.
I got a spectacles lens cleaning cloth, applied a few drops of dish washing liquid soap, carefully cleaned the surface and finished off with another clean lens cleaning cloth. It worked perfectly, the cdr surface was sparkling clean with no playback problems at all. I also cleaned a dvd using the same method with the same result. Go figure.

[quietstorm]

I've gotten many DVDs to stop skipping by liberally applying eyeglass lens cleaner and wiping it off. I have not tried it on CDs because I make copies of all my CDs and when one starts skipping I just burn another one.

[Leo55]

Use a mild detergent like dish soap, some warm water, and a clean cloth. Here's the only real trick: When you scrub, do it from the center out in a radial direction. That's contrary to the way we used to tell people to clean their vinyl albums. You may remember that we used to clean them in a circular motion. That's bad for CDs. If you get any scratches at all on the surface, you want them to be across the data, not parallel to the data. So always scrub from the center out.

Once you've got all the schmutz off your CD, you can dry it with a lint-free cloth. That's so you don't add any more dust or scratches to the CD surface. Again, rub in a radial direction, from the center out. Now it's ready to play.