Where to get scratched cds fixed

So thankful for your post. I read this and we gave it a shot, and BAM! It worked and we are enjoying our movie! Thank you so much! I was told never polish a disc in a circular motion.

Always go from inside to out. What is the reality? There is also a particular spot on the disc where the player reads to recognize the disc. If that part is scratched, the player may not be able read the disc at all, even if the rest is spotless. Try brasso metal polish on deeper scratches. Much better than toothpaste. Ive considered using a car headlight polishing kit.

Worked like a charm! Appreciate the information. The library has professionals on staff and the right materials. If there is a problem with the DVDs, just tell a librarian. Experiment with car wax on your own stuff. Well seems like the librarian should be checking them upon borrowing and return,is it not part of the job? You ask me it sounds like this lady is doing a great job with helping out the people at the library!!

Uh, Bob, I really, really, really doubt the public library has a professional dvd cleaner on staff, and if they do, said dvd cleaner should be fired for failing to do their job. What materials do you think the library has to clean and repair scratched dvds, if any at all???

This is helpful info. I figured out that on my older computer, the dvd or cd has to be perfect to play, and the library cds are far from pristine. But when I hooked up the new dvd writer the old library-borrowed cds worked fine. If the disc has scratches preventing successful reading, you can try to repair them to make the disc playable again.

Much of the time, discs we think are scratchedand therefore unreadablearen't all that bad. Often, the scratches are merely surface scuffs. Rather than deep gashes that divert the laser in the disc reader away from the encoded data on the metal layer, some scratches might simply be dirt. The check this, clean the surface of the disc with a soft lint-free cloth. You can use a gentle detergent or rubbing alcohol if there are grease spots.

Make sure there are no fingerprints or dust particles. Don't scrub too hard as you may do more harm than good this way. Incredibly, this is possible using a whitening toothpaste or some polish especially those used by opticians although Brasso also works. But how does toothpaste fix scratches on your CDs? The principle here is simple: the toothpaste fills the gap caused by the scratch. The laser is then correctly focused to accurately read the data on the disc. Follow these steps:.

While the cosmetic results might be satisfactory, the practical impact can be hit and miss. Another DIY scratch fixing technique is to employ a lamp with an incandescent 60W light bulb. With the optical disc threaded onto your index finger, shiny side up, hold the disc around 10cm from the lamp. Rotate the disc for a maximum of 20 seconds, then remove. Note that too much exposure to the heat can damage the disc.

Play the disc while it is still warm, immediately copying the data to your computer. As with the toothpaste fix, you can use shoe polish, lip balm, furniture wax, or even petroleum jelly. Again, rub it into the surface of the disc to fill the scratch. Start with the most simple toothpaste you can find.

I personally like Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste as it contains a basic enamel polish, without all the fancy gels, swirls, glitter, and bubble gum flavors. All you want is a good old fashioned white toothpaste.

There is no need for frills here. Squeeze a smidgen of paste on the CD and rub it in using a straight sweeping motion with your finger from the center radius of the CD to the outside. Work your way around the CD using this motion until the CD is completely covered with a thin layer of the toothpaste. If the CD is badly scratched, you may want to rub the toothpaste around the radius of the circle several times. Once finished, let the toothpaste dry to the touch.

Hold the CD under your sink with running water and gently rub the tooth paste off. When satisfied with the cleanliness of the CD, gently dry it with a clean, soft cloth. It is not a bad idea to put a coat of car wax on the CD if you have some available. It is super strong and also friendly towards the environment. It will first of all, help fill-in any remaining deep scratches, second, protect the CD from being scratched in the future, and third, help repel any future dust and dirt from finding its way onto your newly cleaned and resurfaced CD.

Your CD should be good to play after all this hard work. If not, you can try the entire process once more and hope for better results. There have always been more than just one way to re-skin a CD, so share your own experiences, defeats, and triumphs with us. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots.

Mobile Newsletter chat avatar.