Keep IT Simple

Our DVDs and CDs are only good until they are scratched on. When they are scratched, playing these media devices would be trouble since parts of the movie or songs will be skipped. Some of us unfortunately just leave it as it is and forget to use these disks because they don’t seem to work anymore.

But before you discard your DVDs and CDs, read this article first. Here are some tricks that may revive your DVDs like it was just bought yesterday.

You have to remember first that when you scratch a disk, you are not actually destroying the information in the disk. You are just basically destroying the protective coating of the disks so the information is still there. That is why some people just copy the information inside the disks and rip it to their computers so they can watch it again, only as a different medium.

When you see a scratch in your disks, first try to clean it with just clean water. You really don’t need to soak it in water but using a clean cloth and a little bit of water would probably remove the scratches. That’s just basic and very simple. It could work in others but may not work in a disk with many scratches.

Sony recommends using a basic rubbing alcohol. Again you can easily place a little bit of alcohol in a cloth or a cotton swap and apply it to your disk until the scratches are removed. Notice that I recommended basic rubbing alcohol. It is important that you do not use anything else as some alcohols will actually destroy your disks and you can never retrieve any information on the disk. Basic rubbing alcohol is strong enough but also safe enough to remove the scratches and protect the data in the disk.

Another trick that you could do is to use the mild dish detergent. This time you have to rinse the disk and clean it like you are cleaning a regular plate. After cleaning the disk, be sure to wipe it off with a very clean cloth. Cotton fabric is highly recommended since its soft and will practically not leave any additional scratches. Silk could work but it might have edges that will scratch your disk. Also remember to dry out the disk completely. You don’t want to destroy your DVD or CD player because of a wet disk.

If nothing seemed to work, another trick is to use toothpaste. I’m not sure why but most of the recommendations I saw were using Colgate. But I think you can actually use other toothpastes and it will work just fine. For this, you have to actually place a generous amount of toothpaste in your disk. Then, evenly distribute the toothpaste in your disk like you’re spreading the mayo in a sandwich. When all the parts of the disks have been placed with toothpaste, rinse it off. You may have to spend a little bit on toothpastes but it definitely worth it if you want to preserve a classic.