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Cleaning a DVD or CD is part of our everyday media experience. Every once in a while, DVD’s get dirty or scratched and become unusable. To preserve the data on the discs, they need to be stored, handled and cleaned correctly.
The information on a clean DVD is read by the reflections transmitted back from a laser. If a DVD has surface contaminants or scratches on it, the laser cannot read the data correctly. It is time to clean DVD’s when we start to see minor pixilation on the video or if the problem is bad enough, the disk will go to frame skipping or even freeze frame and be unplayable.
Good storage, such as keeping the clean DVD in a case when not in use will help to save on scratches but regular handling can actually make the DVD dirty and cause contamination that will affect playability.
Our hands naturally have an oily film that keeps the skin from cracking. This film is transferred to the clean DVD during handling and in time makes the DVD unreadable. When handling a clean DVD I find the best way is to hold the hub or outer edge. Do not touch the shiny data surface.
Do not store your disks near a heat source such as a sunlit window or radiator. Make sure the disk is fully inserted in the tray before closing it. A trapped disk will become distorted and not spin correctly.
Cleaning a DVD can be easy. This is how to clean a DVD:
- When you clean DVDs, hold the disk by the edges and if you want further stability, rest your middle finger inside the center hole.
- Do not rub it up and down the front of your shirt. That is not the correct action for cleaning a DVD. Use a soft, lint-free cloth that is free from dust. Dust causes scratches.
- Do not clean in a circular motion. The tracks of data go round the disk in a circular direction. If there is dust on the cloth, it could scratch out many contiguous data, making it unreadable.
- Cleaning the DVD in a radial direction from the center of the disk to the outside rim is best. If your cloth does have dust on it, only small areas of data will become affected and the disk will still be recoverable.
- Do not use any strong cleaner agents, acids, abrasives or solvents for cleaning a DVD. Cleaning agents will cause damage to the protective surface of the DVD. Either wipe it with a soft dry lint free cloth or if it is very dirty, use a mild soapy water to clean DVD’s and rinse clean with clear water. Dry with a clean cloth.
- Do not use any of the canned or compressed air products that are available for cleaning keyboards to clean DVD’s. These are very cold and may cause thermal stress the disc.
If you continue to have problems with your disk, examine it for scratches. Hold it at an angle against a window or any light source to identify scratches.
There are commercial compounds available for filling scratches on DVDs and are ideal if you have a large library but for most of us toothpaste will sometimes do the trick. Smear some toothpaste on the disc and polish in the same radial way that is used for cleaning a DVD. Wipe off any excess paste before using.
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