Repair Scratched DVDs

Cleaning DVD’s and CD’s is almost a necessary skill these days.

PRESENTLY – Now that we all use and play DVD’s and CD’s on a daily basis, there is a need for information on cleaning these somewhat vulnerable plastic disks.

REALITY – Most adults know they shouldn’t touch the DVD playing surface and leave finger prints, smudges, jelly stains and worse, scratches. I get many DVD’s from our library system. These DVD’s pass through a LOT of hands and usually are smudged and need some touch-up cleaning to play well. Dirty DVD’s can skip, freeze up on a scene and stop altogether. Pre-inspecting the disk playing surface under good lighting will reveal any smudges and will show you if any cleaning is necessary.

CLEANING MATERIAL – The ideal cleaning material is a soft, clean cloth, preferably cotton. A man’s clean handkerchief is a perfect choice. One important precaution, NEVER use paper to clean a DVD or CD. Paper, it turns out, is mildly to very abrasive and will scratch the playing surface.

CLEANING METHOD – The best method to clean a DVD or CD is to SLIGHTLY moisten a clean cotton cloth with Windex and wipe LIGHTLY over the smudges and fingerprints. Wipe from the center outwards towards the edge. Do not wipe in a circular motion, as this just spreads the oils to other parts of the DVD, while light, straight strokes outward removes these products. Let the disk stand on edge and dry for a minute. Handle these disks along the edge to keep them clean.

This procedure is not difficult, but a good idea is to first practice on an old DVD or CD disk to get the knack. When cleaned, the previously smudged disk will look and play like new.

Author: Tom Bassett

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Once you find out that your favorite movie is scratched, that is not a feeling that you ever want to experience again. People tend to develop special attachment to their DVD’s for various reasons. One reason may be because you might have family recordings located on them from your childhood. Another reason folks are so fond of their priceless DVD’s is just simply because a lot of people like to have a nice, scratch-free collection of DVD’s. Finding scratches on your favorite DVD is more of a nuisance than anything else. Do not panic because there is hope. There is a way to repair your scratched DVD, game disk, or CD.

  One wonderful way to go about a DVD repair is to purchase professional software. The software will take the data from the scratched disk, retrieving the unreadable images and tracing them into a fixed disk drive, therefore retrieving all that was lost due to the scratches. This is actually a highly preferred method for DVD, game disk, or CD repair.

If you do not prefer to purchase software and would much rather go with the do-it-yourself route, then a basic DVD repair kit may be the way to go. A DVD repair kit generally comes with everything that you will need to repair your DVD. The materials consist of a DVD cleaning solution and soft white clothes. In order for the repair process to begin, you must first squirt the DVD cleaning solution onto the scratches that are on the disk. Next, take your small white cloth and wipe the DVD using very small, straight strokes from the centre of disk outwards. Do not bear down too hard, this could cause further scuffing of the DVD, causing more harm than repair.

There is also a Do It Yourself way to repair a DVD. All you need is some alcohol and a piece of soft lint free cloth. Gently dab the cloth into the alcohol, being careful not to soak the cloth. After you have moderately dampened the cloth, take your DVD and rub the cloth on the disk around in a gentle and straight motion. This is a great method for removing most scratches. In place of alcohol, you may also use toothpaste, regular all-purpose house cleaners, and polishes to help repair your DVD, game disk, or CD.

Author: Brendan Will

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For the past ten years or so, compact discs (CDs) have been the preferred media format for music enthusiasts and the record industry alike. Compared to their earlier analog counterparts, they provide superior sound quality and are much more durable. Unfortunately they are not indestructible, as many consumers have come to realize. While there is no tape that gets torn and tangled, the read-side (playing side) of the disc can become scratched and interfere with the playback of the disc. Sometimes this may only create a minor skip and sometimes it results in the disc being completely unplayable depending on the kind of damage and severity.

The most common form of damage is a scratch in the read-side of the disc. What many people don’t realize is that this side of the disc is actually just a protective coating for the digital information stored underneath. This turns out to be great news…even though the CD may be currently unusable, this is only temporary and the actual data or music remains undamaged!

In the past few years a number of methods for repairing scratched CDs have surfaced, some more effective than others. One of these methods attempts to fill the scratch with a liquid gel that dries and leaves the surface smooth if applied properly. While inexpensive, this method is often not all it’s cracked up to be. Even if you manage to apply the material correctly, many times the laser still cannot read the disc properly. The scratch is filled and smooth, but the laser gets refracted and the CD continues to skip. Another more expensive alternative requires a hand-cranked CD repair mechanism. These devices generally cost about $30 and attempt to grind the scratch out using a hand-crank. These are often successful at removing the actual scratch but end up leaving major scuffs on the rest of the CD surface.

The most effective form of scratch removal for CDs and DVDs applies the same concept as the hand-crank device but takes the idea a step farther. These are professional scratch repair machines that use powered motors and specially made CD buffering pads to remove the scratch and restore the disc to its original shine. The process begins by buffering the CD with a coarse, sandpaper-like material that removes the actual scratch. Progressively more fine pads are used until the CD is finally resurfaced with a polishing compound to remove any remaining scuffs created during the scratch removal process. All this may sound very technical, but it is actually very simple.

Send your CDs to Black for repair and return.

Think of it as the same process you might use to repair a scratched coffee table. First, remove the scratch with a powered sander and then polish and refinish the affected area. While these machines are too expensive for the average consumer to purchase ($500 and up), it is becoming more and more common to find them in used CD stores and rental shops. You can usually have your CDs and DVDs repaired for a mere $3-4, a small price to pay when compared to buying a replacement disc.

Digital media formats, such as mp3’s, are the latest form of distributing music and are becoming more popular all the time. With these digital formats the hassle of scratches will be a thing of the past, but compact discs are still the preferred medium by most consumers. There are still thousands of albums that aren’t available on mp3 as well. So for now, customers will have to continue to be careful how they handle their discs or find an inexpensive, reliable way to have their movies and music discs repaired.

Author: Mark Hipp

Mark Hipp is an avid music fan and technology buff. He has written for numerous publications and operates several websites focusing on CD Scratch Repair, Vonage Internet Phone Service, and iPod Reviews and Accessories.

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