Are DVD laser lens cleaners safe for DVD-RW/+RW drives?

[hhamzeh]

Hello everyone,

I just bought a PHILIPS DVD Laser Lens Cleaner which says it would clean the lens of DVD-ROMs and DVD players. Are they safe for the DVD writers as well? Anybody has any experience on these cleaneres.

Thanks

[LanEvo7]

I'd suggest you stay away from those things. Most of these "cleaners" do more harm than good. Are you having problems with your drive?

[txpharoah]

Avoid cleaners. To clean a drive:

1. Unscrew 4 screws on both sides of writer, not the funny looking middle ones !
2. Take of the front mask and the top cover
3. unscrew 4 screw on top of the inside cover.
4. take of the inside cover.
5. Apply a small amount of Isopropyl Alcohol to a cotton bud.
6. Clean the laser lens GENTLY with the wet cotton bud.
7. Dry the lens GENTLY with a dry cotton bud
8. Reassemble the drive in the reverse order
9. BURN some MEDIA at 2X

Isopropyl Alcohol is a surgical spirit and is used as a cleaning fluid in the tv and electronics industry it is commonly used in tape head and VHS tape cleaning kits. It is commonly referred to a "rubbing alcohol" and can be bought for mere pennies at your local pharmacy.

Tryt to use a Q-TIP brand cotton bud. Others tend to be more coarse and can scratch your laser eye. The Q-TIP ones also tend to not be furry or leave cotton strings.

[LanEvo7]

You forgot to mention that it'll void his warranty.

[jdizzy40]

When you are born your warranty is voided. But we all understand what you mean. Good step by step instructions. No bull, just the facts. Thanks!

[hhamzeh]

Thank you guys. I have not open the seal yet, so I think I go and refund the cleane specially that I do not have any problem with my drives, just wanted to give them a tune up.

txpharoah,

Is there any need for a cleaning if I do not notice any problem or it is better to clean up the lens once a while?

Does it apply to all stand alone DVD player, DVD-ROM and Car CD player or just to DVD writers? I am very good in dis-assemblying the decks so if this is a general rule, I can do the same for other devices as a cleaning will be required.
Thanks.

[txpharoah]

Is there any need for a cleaning if I do not notice any problem or it is better to clean up the lens once a while?

About every 6 months or as needed (due to Power Calibration errors). It depends on your environment. Mine is fairly dust-free, with filtered air, but it still builds up. Optical electronics are MAGNETS for dirt/dust.

[garryheather]

If you're getting occasional problems, it could just be dust or something like a fabric or carpet fibre on the lens.

In this case, a can of inert air duster sprayed into the drive while the tray is extended will probably dislodge it. This is a bodge, however - blowing dust around in a unit like this tends to relocate it somewhere sticky... like the grease they use to lubricate the sled which the optics sit in. Over a period of time, the grease will begin to solidify and / or move away from the worm screw and, if there is a lot of dust in there, you will start getting tracking errors.

This is similar to what some lens cleaners do - the ones with the little "brushes" on them. This is all well and good, however the lens on CD and DVD devices moves up and down to assist the focusing, and this is a delicate mechanism. It is therefore possible that the lens would impact the cleaning disc and a fair rotational speed and thus damage it.

Unless the drive is being used in a dirty environment and you use your discs as dinner plates, chances are you may never have to clean the lens. I have never had to clean a lens on any such device EXCEPT where the owner smoked, and the tobacco smoke had coated the optics over a period of many years.

[SatStorm]

I had to clean my Burner's lens (CD-R) after 2 years of use.
Yes, there is always a possibility to harm your drive with a "for drive cleaning disc"

Sometimes, I open my drives (and my PCs overall) and with an electric hoover I clean them! This way you don't harm anything for sure... Of course is better to be along when you do this, 'cause it is very eary to label you loco if people saw you... ''

[garryheather]

Vacuum cleaners can generate a lot of static, which isn't good for computers. If you do that, make sure the vacuum cleaner does not come into contact with the electronics, leave the PC connected to the mains (but not switched on) or provide some other sort of earth like connecting it to a water pipe or radiator.

Alternatively, get a conductive wrist strap and put it round the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner to act as a drain.

Or get one of those diddy efforts that run off a 9V battery.