Comments on: How to Repair Scratched CDs

on 2/19/2007 Honestly, I don't understand why some people suggest "just take care of your CD's, don't let them get scratched" or "go buy a new one once they gets sratched too badly".... I doubt the people who come here are looking to buy another CD...else why would the want to know how to fix their existing CD's? THose comments just aren't helpful. Anyway, toothpaste seems to do the trick for some scratches, I have yet to try buffing them out. Also, if you put the CD in the freezer, be careful as I tried that and now my CD is slightly warped. (Still playable though) If you try all of these methods listed on eHow, by the time you're done and have thrown up your hands, you might have worn the surrounding areas of the scratch enough to even it out and make it play again. Afterwards however, I would recommend backing them up with EAC so that you'll always have a perfect working copy of that CD if more damage occurs over time.

on 2/19/2007 Honestly, I don't understand why some people suggest "just take care of your CD's, don't let them get scratched" or "go buy a new one once they gets sratched too badly".... I doubt the people who come here are looking to buy another CD...else why would the want to know how to fix their existing CD's? THose comments just aren't helpful. Anyway, toothpaste seems to do the trick for some scratches, I have yet to try buffing them out. Also, if you put the CD in the freezer, be careful as I tried that and now my CD is slightly warped. (Still playable though) If you try all of these methods listed on eHow, by the time you're done and have thrown up your hands, you might have worn the surrounding areas of the scratch enough to even it out and make it play again. Afterwards however, I would recommend backing them up with EAC so that you'll always have a perfect working copy of that CD if more damage occurs over time.

on 5/22/2007 Scratch that last comment the Whitney Houston scratches again

on 12/20/2006 Thank you so much to the person who left the steam and fog method for PS2 CD's because it worked! All you do is hold the CD above steam wipe it from the inside out (never circular motion)and my The Sims 2 playstation 2 game worked perfectly, before it wouldn,t play for anything. Thank you so much! Also I used the Alcohol on CD and freeze for 15 minutes method on my Whitneys greatest hits and it worked perfectly. I couldn't get it to play for years!Thank you so much!

on 9/24/2006 Use Sunglass cleaner to remove fingerprints and other smudges on a CD. I use this technique on DVDs a lot

on 9/23/2006 I used a little dab of Vaseline and cleaned it with a tissue as instructed (from the center to the end) and the CD was fixed!

on 9/17/2006 My younger brother left my GTA:San Andreas out one night and the next day it didn't work. I used a cotton ball and sprayed on some shoe cleaner and voilà! the game worked.

on 8/27/2006 Meguiars "Deep Crystal System Polish" (step 2 in a 3 step system). You can get it at any auto supply store. I dab a small amount on a terry cotton cloth and rub vigorously over the area of the CD or DVD that has the scratch. I rub in a straight line, not circular. The cloth should start to feel warm, due to the friction. Rotate the CD and repeat on any other scratched area. Finally buff off and wipe clean with the clean part of the towel. This worked for a DVD that was failing at the same spot. Previously I tried hair spray and Armorall. Armorall helped a little but the car polish did the trick.

on 8/8/2006 Apply Chapstick to a scratched CD or DVD and wipe gently with a very soft cloth. It should still look just slightly smeared when ready to play.

on 8/8/2006 Evenly rub the rubbing compound all over the CD, take a cordless drill with a buffer pad attachment, and set it directly on top of your CD, and buff the CD. Be sure to keep the CD on a flat surface so you don't crack it!

on 8/8/2006 Find a can a Pledge the spray it on the CD, DVD or video game, and get a tissue and start wiping in a circle - not side to side or up and down - in a circle. It should work.

on 8/8/2006 We are out in Iraq right now and had a screwed up Xbox cd. The CD was sand scratched and totally unplayable. We didn't have most of the things on this how to, but we scrounged up a few items and then tried them all.

Here's the list and how it went:

1. Baby wipes with aloe (failed)
2. Shaving cream (failed)
3. Lighting it on fire (failed)
4. Licking it and rubbing it on my belly (seriously.. it failed too)
5. Massaging it gently with Pert Plus shampoo and conditioner. Back in business! It worked!

Although we presented this post in a humorous manner, I'd like to add that none of the previous statements were falsefied. We actually did all of these things, and the game really did start to work, and now I'm going to go play it.

The Soldiers of "Pert Plus S&C"

on 8/8/2006 If you use liquid wax on your scratched CDs, it helps eliminate skipping. As with your car, you may have to do this more than once!

on 8/8/2006 I was at work and my CD started skipping. I looked up how to fix it and tried the toothpaste suggestion. I rubbed toothpaste on the CD, used a damp rag to wipe it off, and the CD played!

on 6/11/2007 I actually tried the toothpaste method with Odol-Med toothpaste (I live in Europe, so not sure you can get it in the US), but my Cd has no scratches left and it works good!