What is the proper way to clean a dvd game disc? (xbox 360)

[yoda313]

Ok I've tried searching three or four pages deep on google search here on this website for proper cleaning techniques for dvds. I only got a few hits and they were from 2004. I'm not sure they were on the up and up and if any newer advice is more proper.

Are you supposed to clean with a cloth? What type? Is any liquid acceptable?

Are those disc cleaning "systems" acceptable or just gimmicks?

I have a Read Dead Redemption disc that I had bought used at gamestop. It worked just fine for awhile but last time I tried it the game froze and I haven't been able to use it for more than a few minutes since. I checked the back of it and it looks really beat up. It doesn't have scratches that I can tell but its all pock marked, kinda like divetless potholes if that makes any sense.

Of course this happened after I could return it for an exchange. It's only one game and one that I bought during their buy 2 get 1 free campaign so its kind of a freebie anyway so I'm not too upset about it but I would like to salvage it if possible.

I have an old "pelican accessory" disc cleaner do-dad. It is a clam shell unit with a spinning circular disc with cloth over it. I'm not sure if it is supposed to sprayed with water or a cleaner before use. It's been a long time since I've used it if ever.

So are there are any acceptable cleaning practices I should follow to try to salvage this dirty yet apparently unscratched disc?

Thanks.

[dylz]

try using a lint free cloth for fingerprints and smudges and ... or what I ds is wet a tissue or cloth squeeze it out till it's damp then wipe then wipe again with a dry one scratches if it's too scratched go buy a new disc.

[yoda313]

Thanks. I'll keep it under advisement. Anyone else?

[hech54]

I breathe on them then wipe them on my (Levis) jeans. Seriously. ALL discs. CD, DVD, Wii game discs.

[Bjs]

A little bit of soap and water on a lint free cloth for removing greasy finger marks left by the young one's ... work from center to outer only

The clam shell device use's a spray ... you can use soapy water ... I prefer good old vhs cleaning fluid for those.

Pot marks ... if there on the side with the print the disc is shot ... you can do what ever you like to the other side but the printed side must be protected from all types of contact that may damage it.

[yoda313]

@hech54 - really? Hmm.....

work from center to outer only

Thats what I was wondering. Good to know.

The clam shell device use's a spray ... you can use soapy water

Good. I'll give that a shot. If the disc is toast it won't really matter anyway but I wouldn't want to make it worse if there is a chance to salvage it.

The label side looks fine its the actual data side that is gunked up. Not horribly so i can still see the rings but its definitely dirty.

[hech54]

@hech54 - really? Hmm.....

Never owned a cleaner device in my life. A slot-loading drive does more damage than you will ever do with 100% cotton Levis.

[cal_tony]

I've tried most everything over the years and my usual method now is to use furniture polish from a spray can than clean it off with a paper towel.

Works great with eye glasses and motorcycle helmets as well.

Tony

[handyguy]

I just wash them with water & pat dry with a paper towel.

[lacywest]

We had a game store [dont remember the actual name of the store] attached to our Hollywood Video Store and inside the game store ... they had a disk cleaning machine.

They attached the disk and it spun buffer pads ... at the correct angles.

I brought them a CD-R ... that a friend gave me to repair ... he is Hmong and he made a series of music videos with his friends and it was burnt to a Memorex CD ... he didn't take care of it ... didn't make backup copies of it ... nothing. You could hold it up to a light and see pin holes of light leaking through. I messed around with it and more or less ... made it worse.

I took it to the store and they cleaned it for me for nothing ... COOL .... They got it looking Shiny Shiny Shiny.

How do I do a quick clean? ... I take my disks to my bathroom sink ... run warm water over it ... use the bar of soap that is sitting there and carefully wipe it all over ... with my fingers. I lather up my hands first ... and make sure the bar of soap is clean. There could be dirt embeded into the bar of soap. I then use the towels hanging from my shower doors and wipe it dry. I also look at it and see if it has any left over water droplets or cat hairs ... etc ... etc.

If is is really screwed up ... I have tooth brushes ... and you never want to wipe the same direction as the path of the code burnt to the disk. Start from the center and wipe out to the edge ... it will leave a brushing pattern on the surface ... but if you dont try ... you never know ... either that or I find the backup ISO file on my hard drives and burn another copy.

But ... try and find a store in your area that makes a living selling games ... they might have a machine there for cleaning disks. They work extremely well.

[yoda313]

@lacywest - thanks I might consider it - I could call up the gamestop I bought it from and see if they have an instore cleaning system I could use for it.

------------------------

@ a moderator - maybe this should be a sticky? If we get enough creative responses in this thread it might be a nice repository for disc repair solutions in the "modern" era.

[V Bot]

I believe everyone should have one of these types of machines. I paid over $100.00 for a similar machine. I thought about getting one of these as well. Discs are fragile, especially when you have kids. I really need to start making more backups.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10902&cs_id=1090204&p_id=...seq=1&format=2
Disc Repair Machine.
There is a video as well.

As for cleaning a disc, I either use a lightly damp paper towel or use the hech54 method.

[Noahtuck]

Warm running water with some dish soap and my hand, dab/pst dry with a soft hand towel.

If something gets scratched bad enough i take it down to family video and they will run through their machine to buff it out and it's not some $30.00 POS home scratch remover, it's like a $1200.00 machine.

They end up looking like brand new.

[Constant Gardener]

Mild spray cleaner and a paper towel. If the scratches are really bad, I remove them with green polishing compound. Fortunately my kids are older now.

[oldfart13]

I believe everyone should have one of these types of machines. I paid over $100.00 for a similar machine. I thought about getting one of these as well. Discs are fragile, especially when you have kids. I really need to start making more backups.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10902&cs_id=1090204&p_id=...seq=1&format=2
Disc Repair Machine.
There is a video as well.

As for cleaning a disc, I either use a lightly damp paper towel or use the hech54 method.

I've had one for a long time. It doesn't work very well for scratch repair but does a good job of cleaning discs. For scratches, I go to a place that has a pro disc repair machine. Even that won't work if the disc is damaged or the scratch goes too deep.

[AlanHK]

1. Cleaning: removing dust or sticky stuff stuck to the disc -- I use some lukewarm water and dishwashing detergent, rinse, pat dry. Could also use alcohol.
   
2. Scratches: you need to grind them out to make a smooth surface. That's what the polishing machines do. I do it by hand using Brasso and a soft cloth. This has worked for me on several unreadable discs. Don't hold the disc in your hand when polishing, it will flex and may crack. Have it on a hard flat surface, rub in small circles, not along the tracks. Then wash and rinse as before.

You don't actually have to have a mirror sheen to get a good read, as long as there are no visible scratches (which deflect the laser) or gunk on it.

You might also try to dupe the disc using Isopuzzle, unless it has some format that can't be burnt.
Even if it doesn't give you a burnable ISO, Isopuzzle can offer a percentage which tells you if your efforts have improved readability.

[V Bot]

Anyone ever used the sandpaper method for deep scratches? I've watched videos on Youtube that shows it supposedly works. I guess if you have the time. Nothing really compares to a Professional Repairing machine that would cost thousands of dollars.

[jagabo]

Warm running water with some dish soap and my hand, dab/pst dry with a soft hand towel.

If you're really paranoid about scratches toweling dry, rinse with distilled water, shake the excess water off and let it air dry.

[Noahtuck]

Warm running water with some dish soap and my hand, dab/pst dry with a soft hand towel.

If you're really paranoid about scratches toweling dry, rinse with distilled water, shake the excess water off and let it air dry.

Not really paranoid but i do tend to shake as much water off before drying with a hand towel, i just dab or press them between a folded towel instead of rubbing them dry.

[TooLFooL]

FURNITURE POLISH and a cloth!! (like "Pledge") i KNOW u guys r gonna tell me i'm crazy but it works great!!