How to Clean a DVD
DVDs are used in many different applications, from movies and video games to computer storage. When a DVD gets dirty it may skip or not read information correctly preventing you from accessing the data. It is not very difficult to clean off a DVD and this can often solve many disk reading errors.
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Instructions
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Start from the center of the disk and clean straight out toward the edge. This will help prevent scratches that will affect performance. Never clean by rubbing in a circle around the DVD.
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Use a soft cloth or microfiber cloth to wipe it off. If it is just dust on the DVD, a soft cloth can often remove it without cleaning solutions. Microfiber cloths work well because they have a very tight weave of cloth that attracts dust and helps keep it from scratching the surface of the DVD.
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Mix rubbing alcohol and water in a one-to-one ratio and use it to clean the DVD to remove fingerprints or other oily residue. Rubbing alcohol works well because it is mild and evaporates quickly without leaving a residue. Rub the disk with a little of the solution and let it dry.
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Clean the DVD with a glass cleaner. Spray the window cleaner on to a rag and apply it with the rag instead of spraying it directly on the DVD. This is good for difficult cleaning situations such as cleaning soda off of a DVD.
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Apply toothpaste to buff out minor scratches. This may seem like a strange idea, but it works. Use mildly abrasive toothpaste, apply a dab to the scratched area, add a little water and buff it out. Make sure you rub from the center toward the edge instead of a radial pattern.
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Tips & Warnings
Try not to touch the surface of the DVD but instead handle it by the center and the edges. This will help prevent your fingerprints and skin oil from getting on the DVD and making it dirty.
Take your time when cleaning a DVD and check it often to see if it is working; you do not want to end up making it worse.
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Comments
View all 8 Comments-
Thank you the rubbing alcohol cleaned the finger print off the DVD.
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I will try. Will keep you advised.
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Rub in a radial pattern, not a circular pattern. Radial means center-to-edge, like the spokes on a wheel. The reason you should rub radially is that DVDs and CDs have some error-correction bits on a per-track basis, so they can tolerate a few damaged bits per track. If, with your rubbing, you accidentally make a little radial scratch, you'll wipe out a couple of bits per track, only, so the DVD or CD will probably still play. But if you make a circular scratch you could destroy too many bits on a single track to allow the data to be recovered & the CD or DVD to play. BTW, the plastic from which DVDs and CDs are made is polycarbonate -- the same stuff that many eyeglasses lenses are made from. So spray-on eyeglasses cleaner is perfect for cleaning CDs and DVDs, too.
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Yes, rubbing alcohol removes permanent marker.
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it would help if you showed us pictures.
