whats the best way to get labels off dvd-r's

[jennajamason]

hi guys
I need to get all my labels off my dvd's and dont want to damage any of the disks (f**k the labels). just thought people could send in their ideas. a bit skepticle at the thought of nives

give a man a knife and he will stab you
give a man a gun and he wont need to stab you

[fritzi93]

Any mild solvent will do, e.g. WD40, paint thinner, etc. Let it penetrate for several minutes at least, so it can soften the glue. Then peel off and apply more solvent and then wipe away the remaining gunk with a paper towel or whatever. Wash with mild soap and pat dry. I used the above procedure on the first DVDs I burned (and was stupid enough to put labels on). No damage to the discs, they scan fine, play fine. Some will recommend hot water, but the labels will disintegrate and you still have to get the glue off the disc somehow.

Good luck.

[jennajamason]

sounds good. Are you sure it doesnt damage the disk. It isnt as though its just gona be on the top it goes all over the disk. Am i supposed to make a small bath and fill it with solvent and just dip the disk in for several minutes or do i spray it ontop of the disk where the label is

[Noahtuck]

I have never had any reason to take a label off a dvd (and i have put full face labels on 100's of dvd's before going to printable media) But i don't know that i would ever consider "WD40" or "PAINT THINNER" as a "MILD SOLVENT" let alone put it to anything plastic

If you could soak it in hot/warm water to get the label off i would try "GOO GONE" (something i would consider a mild solvent) to get rid of the adhesive.
Goo Gone is the best thing ever made

[ricky1756]

use plain old alcohol, it works great at removing the glue and label, and has no affect on the disc. The way I do it, is to take the top from one of the dvd spindles unit, put alcohol in it, and soak the dvd's a few minutes. Make sure you use regular isopropyl alcohol and not rubbing alcohol, because rubbing alcohol contains oils that can coat the dvd.

[jennajamason]

hi
heard some good things about goo gone. Where can i buy it in the uk. Does it have a catagory name that would allow me to search for a similar product.
note-just tried wam soapy water and it just takes the label off but you have all nthis goo on it which i used mr muscle oven foam to get off. did the trick but dont know if it damaged the disk. If it does damage a disk will i find out sraght away or could it take several hours, days or months
thanks for the quick responses

[fritzi93]

Almost any readily available organic solvent is stronger than WD40 or paint thinner (a.k.a. "mineral spirits) For example toluene, hexane, methyl acetate (glue solvent), etc. These are all non-polar and lipophilic, meaning they are miscible with hydrocarbons such as oil or wax, but not water. A solvent is unsuitable if it reacts chemically with the dissolved substance, it must be, for the particular purpose, practically inert. Allow the solvent to evaporate, and the dissolved substance remains, chemically unaltered. Most solvents are not particularly reactive. Both WD40 and mineral spirits are aliphatic hydrocarbons and therefore do not significantly react with polycarbonate or other thermoplastics.
http://www.bpf.co.uk/bpfindustry/plastics_materials_Polycarbonate_PC.cfm They both, however, are effective glue solvents.

Lots of folks have done it that way and have not reported problems. Anyway, try a search, this subject has been done to death. Blah blah.

[Noahtuck]

Not sure where to get Goo Gone in the U.K. but i know it works great on everything i have used it for to get adhesive off, tar off my motorcycles paint, take stickers/price tags off backer cards made of paper with no noticable after effects or damage ( i have seen WD40 mess up diff. items when used for this purpose) and anything that is petrolium based and will burn like a flamethrower, i tend to not put it on something i surely don't want damaged.
And i love WD40, i just would never even dream of putting it on my paint job or a dvd
I would use goo gone to clean something off one of my acrylic aquariums, i sure would never spray them with WD40 8)

IMO

[SCDVD]

Just be careful that you don't use a solvent that reacts with the plastic that the disc is made of. If it does, it will cloud the plastic and then you will wish you left the labels on.

[johns0]

I use dishwashing liquid and hot water.

[redwudz]

I'll throw in another mild solvent that is readily available and does well at breaking the bond of common label adhesives. Charcoal lighter. Fairly mild petroleum solvent, usually kerosene, available in most grocery stores. Soak the disc in a shallow dish for an hour or two. Slide off the label. Wash the disk with dishwashing soap and a soft cloth after the label slides off and then dry it.

I don't like soap solvents by themselves because they break down the paper in the label, leaving a paper mess. Petroleum solvents will just soften the glue and let you remove the label in one piece. Then you use dish soap to wash off the remainder of the glue. I like the charcoal lighter better than WD-40 because you don't have to spray it, so less crap in the air. Discs are sealed, unless they are damaged. As long as you don't use a solvent that attacks the plastic, you shouldn't cause any damage. Isopropyl alcohol works, but it doesn't soak though the label as well as mild petroleum products.

[jakol]

hi,
back up a couple of DVD's you have, then try the suggestions above at least if it gets ruin you have a readily available copy, just a thought.

this is no fail method of getting rid of DVD labels...blow torch..jk

[Noahtuck]

How about a table planer 8)
Shave that baby off nice and smooth



Sorry, it hit me and i could not resist :P

[Like]

hi
heard some good things about goo gone. Where can i buy it in the uk. Does it have a catagory name that would allow me to search for a similar product.
note-just tried wam soapy water and it just takes the label off but you have all nthis goo on it which i used mr muscle oven foam to get off. did the trick but dont know if it damaged the disk. If it does damage a disk will i find out sraght away or could it take several hours, days or months
thanks for the quick responses

Do Google search for Goo Gone and you will find it without any problems, hardware stores have the lowest prices I have found,

[fritzi93]

Just be careful that you don't use a solvent that reacts with the plastic that the disc is made of. If it does, it will cloud the plastic and then you will wish you left the labels on.

Yes. Benzene or napthalene, for example will do just that. Or any other aromatic hydrocarbon. Duration factors in as well. Even aliphatic hydrocarbons may react with thermoplastics eventually if left soaking for days. And it should go without saying that they're all flammable and should not contact bare skin (seems everything is deemed a carcinogen these days).

BTW, kerosene, lighter fluid, and mineral spirits are all pretty nearly the same thing. Mid- range hydrocarbons. [Yawn] Pardon me for boring you all.