Cleaning a CD without CD cleaner

Asked By Eric Jacob 0 points N/A Posted on - 04/05/2012

What is the best way to clean an old CD if I don't have any CD cleaner?  Can I use anything readily found at home? 

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Best Answer by Sharath Reddy

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Answered By Brylle Milton 0 points N/A #111168

Cleaning a CD without CD cleaner

Good day Eric Jacob. To clean your old cd, a commercial cd cleaner solution is the safest to use.

The "readily" available household solutions like acetone, alcohol, petroleum based products are more likely poised to do damage on the cd.

But if you will look at labels of commercial cd cleaner solutions, it is made up of water and isopropyl alcohol basically, So you might actually make your own cd solution by mixing a LARGE part of water (a glass approximately) with a few drops of alcohol. Then  dampen lightly a lint free cloth with this solution (not directly on the cd) and gently wipe  the cd in a straight path from inside to outer edge or outer edge to inner. (not in a circular manner as this will likely damage the cd resulting to loss of data.) Do not rub vigorously as this will erode the protective coating.

I hoped this answer helped you. Thank you.

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• Posted on - 04/06/2012
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Answered By Sharath Reddy 590495 points N/A #111169

Cleaning a CD without CD cleaner

That’s right products that are commonly found at home like alcohol and other solutions can directly damage the surface of the disc. Even putting just a drop of alcohol on the surface or any part of a mobile phone can fade the color in that area. That’s how strong and corrosive alcohol is.

But there is one thing available in your house that can be used and that’s what I am always using as an alternative to a CD cleaning solution. I don’t know if you’ll agree but I am talking about the toothpaste. That’s the only solution I use to clean my old disc. But it is only applicable for those discs that don’t have paper as its surface label.

If your CD has a paper label on top like a sticker, this method will ruin the label because water will be applied. If you want to try this method, here’s how. First, put a very small amount of toothpaste on your index finger and apply it anywhere on the surface of the disc, the side to clean, the data area, not the side with the label.

Wet the surface of the CD with water. Once the entire data area is wet, rub the toothpaste using your smallest finger around the data area in a circular motion by simply following the shape of the disc. Do it until the surface bubbles with toothpaste. While doing this, apply the least force so the surface won’t get damage.

Once you are satisfied and you think the entire surface is already done, you may rinse it by running water from the faucet. Once the toothpaste solution is cleaned, let it dry for several minutes. This method is only an alternative. It is always best and recommended to use the usual solution which is using a CD cleaning solution.

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• Posted on - 12/11/2013
• Question Category: Misc Hardware