cleaning dvd's

[the_shyguy]

What do people recommend for giving a cd or dvd a good clean. I know you can buy dvd cleaners but was wondering if you can just use something like isopropyl alcohol?

I have 100% isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol).

[Ethlred]

I use dish detergent or liquid hand detergent.

Run water over the disc.

Put a few drops of detergent, not soap, on the disc.

Rub lightly with my clean thumbs.

Dry by patting, NEVER RUBBING, with either a clean cloth or toilet paper.

Rinsing with distilled water and the air drying might be safer but I have never tried it.

DO NOT RUB. Toilet paper will abrade the plastic.

Ethelred

[lordsmurf]

Isopropyl alcohol and a really really soft paper towel or wash cloth.

[hech54]

Breathe on them then rub them on your Levis.

[samijubal]

Plexus, you can get it in motorcycle shops. Not only is it miraculous at cleaning fingerprints, smudges, etc., it also coats the disc with a very thin transparent film that keeps the cloth you wipe it with from scratching the disc. Just make sure the cloth you use is soft.

[redwudz]

For a quick clean, I use Windex glass cleaner, or equivalent non-ammonia cleaners, and dry with a soft brand of paper towel cross-ways, never in a circle. The dish soap method is probably more thorough if they're greasy and it tends to float off abrasives if you use enough water.

If I still can't read them, I use a small orbital car wax buffer with a soft bonnet and that seems to buff out all but major scratches. Those you need to do by hand. i have an old mouse pad with a rubber underside and that holds them in place fairly well for buffing.

I just archived about 200 DVD disks that way and only had a couple that were unreadable. Those had damage to the dye or reflective layer. I used IsoPuzzle to recover what I could from them.

[handyguy]

Isopropyl alcohol and a really really soft paper towel or wash cloth.

You can get pure ethanol at Ace or Home Depot, aka denatured alcohol, for about $4 quart, Isopropyl is diluted.

[mrswla]

Breathe on them then rub them on your Levis.

use 120 grit sandpaper to get those real nasty fingerprints off.

Seriously though, I use dawn liquid detergent and luke warm water then pat dry with a soft towel.

[AlanHK]

I just wash in the kitchen sink, tepid water and some liquid detergent. Rub lightly with my fingers and then rinse and pat dry on a soft cotton towel.

That gets all the dust, fingerprints, etc off.

[16mmJunkie]

What do people recommend for giving a cd or dvd a good clean. I know you can buy dvd cleaners but was wondering if you can just use something like isopropyl alcohol?

I have 100% isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol).

Hi,


Here's a good link to help walk you though: http://www.howtocleanthings.com/how-to-clean-dvds.htm



16mmJunkie

If the Light ain't Bright, It ain't Right!

[stiltman]

Breathe on them then rub them on your Levis.

That's what I do too
For the really dirty ones, I spray them with windex and dry them off on my jeans

[hech54]

Breathe on them then rub them on your Levis.

That's what I do too
For the really dirty ones, I spray them with windex and dry them off on my jeans

Another sane person...I thought I was alone.

[the_shyguy]

is 100% isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) bad in any way?

[cal_tony]

Best thing I've found is Behold Furniture polish. I suppose any spray wax would work as well.

It cleans and it polishes. Good for disks eye glasses and motorcycle helmets.


Tony

[lordsmurf]

Yes, it's safe ... sort of ....

GOOD IDEA: Using isopropyl alcohol for cleaning DVDs.
BAD IDEA: Drinking isopropyl alcohol because you ran out of beer.

Clear enough?

[the_shyguy]

i assume that as long as the disk is dry, none of these cleaning methods can have any effect on the device that is playing the media? eg. my xbox...

[handyguy]

I used to wash my game disks in water & pat dry & they worked better.

[cal_tony]

i assume that as long as the disk is dry, none of these cleaning methods can have any effect on the device that is playing the media? eg. my xbox...

Silicone sprays work well for cleaning and filling up small imperfections. However, they really don't dry and spinning a disk cleaned with silicone could be a problem.

Tony

[the_shyguy]

i have the Diggers Isopropyl alcohol (100% isopropanol) from bunnings (australia)... but i have just noticed on the spec sheet that it says not to use on plastic products...???

why could that be? would cd's still be okay? safe to wipe both sides?

[redwudz]

I'd be careful using isopropyl on the printed side. I use it to remove Sharpie ink from DVDs and it may remove some types of label print, especially from a inkjet printed disc. But I've never seen any problems with the DVD/CD plastic itself. I'd try it on a small part of the label with a Q tip if you want to test it.

[the_shyguy]

some people have been saying "oh no i wouldnt use that..." hence my concerns... and my main concern was the fact that the stuff i have is 100% isopropanol.

havent had any probs on the printed side but these are game dvd's that have that solid print coating on the front... not like pen...

[redwudz]

I think the commercial discs use silk screened lacquer labeling or similar. Isopropyl should have no effect on that. The 'percentage' on isopropyl indicates the amount of water added. 'Rubbing alcohol', which is isopropyl, is usually 40% alcohol. Even at 100%, it's pretty mild stuff. There are a few rare plastics it can damage, but DVDs are polycarbonate and very tough. It does dry a lot faster than soap or water, but the cheaper brands may leave some residue.

[Constant Gardener]

Miller-Stephenson MS-260 cleaner and a soft cloth or optical wipe. I received an small sample some years ago and I'm still using it. Ingredients: ethanol, butoxyethanol, and methyl alcohol. http://www.miller-stephenson.com/

For the killer scratches, Micro-mesh polishing pads. I got a pack of nine grits, 1500 to 12000, which I've used with good success on DVDs. Lee Valley Tools sell them. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=62127&cat=1,250,43243,43245

[Fryster]

Anyone ever use these special plastic polishes?

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=113&

I use these fantastic TAP products with a microfiber towel and I am able to play any scratched up DVD that I rent.

Allows me to play some pretty fouled up discs in both my stand-alone player(s) and in my PC.

[MOVIEGEEK]

is 100% isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) bad in any way?

Even though it contains a small amount of Acetone it should be alright.
Acetone and Ammonia are BIG no-no's when it comes to plastics and lacquer.

I use a microfiber cloth and water to clean dirty Netflix DVD's.

[negritude]

is 100% isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) bad in any way?

Yes, it's too strong and can damage the disc. You shouldn't use anything stronger than 70%.