Clean a DVD Disk

You will want to clean a DVD disk if you play it in your computer or DVD player and it stalls or skips, yet other DVDs you play work fine. You may also wish to clean a DVD if you notice any dust or fingerprints on the surface of either side. While this won’t affect how the DVD plays, it can get more dust inside your DVD player. You can use commercial or home cleaners. The most important thing is that you handle the DVD with care.

A sparkling clean DVD can help keep your DVD player clean.

When you go to clean a DVD, you can’t just grab it and start scrubbing like you would the kitchen floor. You have to be careful to only hold it by the edges on the outside and in the center. The easiest way to do so is to put you thumb in the center hole and your fingertips on the outside. If you touch the flat part of the disc that holds the data you will only make it dirtier and could cause damage. For cleaning, lay the disk on a soft towel. A hard surface is more likely to scratch the DVD.

There is no shortage of materials you can use to clean a DVD disk. Start with the first one and move down the list if you end up needing hardier cleaners. (If you don’t have one of the items, it is also okay to skip around.)

1. A dry microfiber cloth or cleaning wipe
2. The cloth dipped in one cup of lukewarm water mixed with a teaspoon of unscented dish soap
3. The cloth dipped in a half cup of rubbing alcohol
4. The cloth sprayed with commercial DVD cleaning fluid

Use the same cleaning method no matter which cleaner, or lack thereof, you pick. Gently wipe your DVD disk in straight lines, not circles. Think of your DVD as the sun. When you wipe you want to create rays, moving directly from the inside outward. Never follow the grooves.

If your DVD doesn’t get clean after the water and dish soap, you will need to use a new cloth for cleaners three and four. Make sure you wring out the cloth before you use it to wipe the DVD. As long as you do so, the disk should dry quickly without you needing to wipe it down a second time. However, you do want to give it at least 10 minutes before you try it in the computer or DVD player. Even a trace of moisture could potential harm the inside of the machine.

In most cases, the steps above will be enough to get your DVD as good as new. However, if your DVD has say, ink spilled on it or chewing gum stuck to it, you may have to take it to an electronics professional. He or she may be able to save your disk or at least recover the data. In the future, store your DVDs in their cases so you don’t end up in this situation again.

If you notice that your DVD still doesn’t play properly even after you’ve cleaned it, it’s time to closely examine both flat sides for scratches. Even small scratches can harm playability no matter how clean your disk is. Scratches on the clear side can usually be filled or buffed out at least enough so that your DVD will play reasonably well. Scratches on the label side are often irreparable since they are closer to the layer of the DVD that holds the data.

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