A dvd in a dvd player.

Quick Tips

  • Microfiber cloths are a quick way to clean a DVD.
  • Rubbing alcohol is used to clean DVDs
  • Window cleaner, like rubbing alcohol, is a great way to make clean gluey residues and dirt off of a DVD.
  • Check the DVD for deep scratches by belongings it upwardly to a bright lamp.
  • If you have minor scratches that are interfering with your movie watching, you can e'er use toothpaste to polish them out.
  • Using these methods to clean a DVD really does piece of work!

Words simply cannot describe the kind of dismay 1 feels when a DVD received from Netflix or Blockbuster makes it one-half mode through a flick then refuses to play toward the climax of a picture show. Whether it's just regular maintenance on our collection of Frasier episodes, or an emergency resurfacing of a moving-picture show we've been waiting for months to be delivered, we'll teach you lot how to clean a DVD and get you lot back to your regularly scheduled programs…well, not scheduled, apparently, since you lot can watch 'em whatever time.

The pros and video-philes volition tell you that you need to wipe a DVD in a straight line from the middle of the disc to the exterior border of a disc because DVD lasers are atomic number 82 astray more often by a circular scratch or a scratch that follows the path of the laser than by a direct scratch, perpindicular to the path of the laser. Besides, never apply a paper towel or whatsoever paper product to clean your DVDs because these products often have pieces of dirt and particles that will scratch the surface of the DVD.

Steps to Cleaning a DVD

  1. microfiber cltoh Microfiber cloths are a quick manner to clean a DVD. These are the same kind of cloths people use to make clean eyeglasses, monitors, and laptop or LCD monitors. Considering of microfiber's very tight weave and the synthetic materials used to make microfiber, dust and particles of dirt are attracted and lifted up into the microfiber, which prevents you from simply spreading the dust around and scratching the DVD further. Every serious DVD collector should accept one of these and launder it regularly.
  2. rubbing alcohol by dvd Rubbing alcohol is used to make clean DVDs and but nigh every sensitive piece of technology out there considering it doesn't act similar strong solvents do, and it evaporates quickly without leaving a residual. Normally a 1:1 mixture of 90%+ Isopropyl alcohol and water will do the fob. Simply dab a small, clean cotton cloth into the mixture and wipe in straight lines from the center of the DVD to the outside border. To dry the DVD, just permit information technology sit for a moment or two in a vertical position.
  3. Bottle of windex by dvd Window cleaner, similar rubbing booze, is a great way to clean pasty residues and dirt off of a DVD. This isn't a very "organic solution" but it works. Like rubbing alcohol, window cleaner is non a very strong solvent, and it evaporates quickly without leaving residue also. Instead of spraying the DVD, spray a little flake onto a soft, cotton fiber cloth and wipe from the center of the DVD to the outside edge—leaving it to dry by propping it upward in a vertical position for a few minutes.
  4. DVD up against the light Check the DVD for deep scratches by holding it up to a brilliant lamp. If you can come across light through the scratch, this means you've actually damaged the layers of data protected by the clear plastic. If this is the case, then it is perhaps fourth dimension to find yourself a new copy of the DVD, or if it will play, so copy the DVD yourself using something like DVD Shrink to compress and burn the contents of your disc to a DVD-R or DVD+R to preclude skipping.
  5. bottle of toothpaste by dvd If you have small scratches that are interfering with your movie watching, you can always utilise toothpaste to smooth them out. Toothpaste is a natural abrasive; that'south how it cleans your teeth, and it will do the same for a DVD. Avert extra-whitening formulas. Just dab a little chip of Crest or Colgate on that DVD, mix it with a fiddling water and with either your finger or a small piece of material, buff those scratches abroad. But be careful not to over to it. DVDs aren't as resilient as your teeth.
  6. dvd Using these methods to make clean a DVD really does work!To test these theories, I used a DVD-R that I've been using every bit a drink coaster for over a year. On this detail DVD, I used rubbing alcohol to clean it, and toothpaste to polish the scratches out. Certain, it'southward non as shiny as it used to be, but information technology works now.

DVD Cleaning Kits and Solvents

Sometimes it'south hard to find a DVD cleaning kit at your local Target or Wal-mart, if not for the size of the shop, than considering they're rarely in stock, but DVD cleaning are a plenty on the market place today. Several reputable brands and products are listed in Amazon for your perusal. DVD and CD cases are good things to have if your collection consists of burned DVDs. DVD wipes made of microfiber from such brands equally Memorex and 3M (as well labeled Scotch) will help keep your DVD collection spick-and-span. For those more serious complications similar deep scratches or particularly scuffed DVDs, there are also a number of kits to help you resurface your DVDs at home instead of having to pay a CD/DVD shop $3 to practice it for y'all.

More than DVD Cleaning Products

Bottle of Brasso Metal PolisherBrasso metal polisher is yet another household production people are using to make clean their DVDs, or to remove scratches from their DVDs. Really, only scratches. Considering Brasso is an abrasive like toothpaste or any other polishing substance, information technology works by grinding down a very fine layer of the clear protective coating on the DVD, to help the light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation read your DVD better. Small dabs of this stuff and a soft cotton wool cloth should do the flim-flam. You lot can guild bottles of Brasso from Amazon.

resurfacing machineYour local record store, cd shop, dvd shop, any, should take aresurfacing car in-firm to help you set any DVDs that may exist more of import to you than a canteen of toothpaste. The going charge per unit for a professional resurfacing is near three-4 dollars per disc.