How Do You Clean Your CDs?

Captain Humble · « **on:** 21 Oct 2004, 12:10 pm »

I check out CDs from the library occasionally and some of them are pretty smudged up. I've always just used a wet paper towel but a friend said to use alchohol.

Recommendations please.

Thanks,
Jeff

dogberry · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Oct 2004, 12:17 pm »

I bought a box of Auric Illuminator a number of years ago and since mine are new or slightly used when I buy them, they're not too dirty. A few drops and they're good to go. I used to use Netflix and many of the DVDs that would arrive would be filthy and the AI goo cleaned them up nicely.

Whether the goo did what it was supposed to in terms of improving resolution, I couldn't say. I used the black marker a few times, but I remain skeptical.

Double Ugly · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Oct 2004, 01:36 pm »

I use Shine Ola with excellent results. The following Audiogon threads on the subject make for interesting reading...

Review: Record Research Lab Shine Ola CD\DVD\SACD cleaner Tweak

CD Treatments-Which ones do you like?

CD Tweaks and Longterm Damage

DU

jqp · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Oct 2004, 07:26 pm »

You don't want to leave a film and you don't want to dry out or deplasticise the plastic of the CD.

Isopropyl alcohol has differring amounts of rubbing stuff in it, and may deplasticise.

This reminds me of the time a fellow worker ordered CDRs over the internet. This was about 1997 when CDRs were becoming more mainstream. As I recall, CDRs were about $5 apiece. We had a $6000 Yamaha CD burner that was as big as a PC and would do 6x. Anyway he ordered about 500 CDRs at a real bargain price. He also ordered 500 disc sleeves, the kind with a clear window. He was a garage sale hound, and enjoyed telling me about all the neat stuff he found every saturday at garage sales. He was so proud that he had found this bargain for our department, which produced some computer based training and burned it to cd.

It turned out that these bargain CDRs did not have a plastic layer, or a very poor excuse for a plastic layer covering the aluminum backing (reflective surface) of the CDR. So the very thin foil aluminum backing would just peel off when it came in contact and stuck to the clear window of the CD sleeve.

Although he got a real "bargain", back then it was still a significant amount of money that he requisitioned for the department. He tried to blame those "sticky" disc sleeves, and insisted that we use all of these defective CDRs, attempting to cover up the problem with disc labels. I still laugh about it to this day.

warnerwh · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Oct 2004, 09:44 pm »

Try Pledge, it will also make an unusable dvd rental usable that wasn't before. Cd's I don't get dirty though, have never had to clean one.

dado5 · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Oct 2004, 09:54 pm »

If the issue is only cleaning surface dirt, than there is no need to buy a specialty product. Most hand dishwashing liquids are designed to completely rinse away in cold water. These are best for removing greasy accumulation like fingerprints. Make sure to buy regular dish soap, not herbal scented, moisturizing, etc. Ajax is excellent.

Isopropyl alcohol will not harm the surface of a cd in and of itself. It may leave a film depending on additives and of course the application tool may damage the surface. The safest bet here is Everclear. Pick it up at any liquor store. It is very pure with only ethanol and distilled water, leaves no residue and it's consistent sample to sample, unlike OTC iso. We use it for cleaning the fiber optic connections on undersea systems because it works well and we can ship it, unlike laboratory grade iso. Use cheesecloth or cotton balls to be safe.

I use Auric Illuminator as well, but I clean the cd's first.

Rob

BeeBop · « **Reply #6 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 09:22 am »

How about products like Windex? I was told by my optometrist that Windex shouldn't be used on eyeglasses because it has an abrasive in it. I have used it on CDs but find it is not so good with serious fingerprints (say that have been left on for a period of time) or some of the other grunge that one finds on CDs bought used or borrowed from others. For that I have been using Isopropyl.

Anyone have experience with cleaners like Windex?

dado5 · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 01:40 pm »

Beebop,

OTC glass cleaners often contain butyl or glycol ethers as degreasers. These chemicals can break down some polymers and they will damage aluminum. They should not be used cd's for this reason. Plus many leave a residue. Dish soap and hot water is best for cleaning fingerprints (rinse with cold water though).

Rob

Eric · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 05:43 pm »

I use Auric Illuminator

jqp · « **Reply #9 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 08:34 pm »

I hate cleaning CDs (other than just wiping them with a clean cotton cloth). But it is so hard to keep them clean, other than wearing those special gloves. I usually do 10 at a time and use liquid dish soap and lukewarm water. Then you have to let them dry, and get the water spots. I have found that a fan can make it easier to dry the tinyest droplets. And you need plenty of cotton cloths. Mostly I clean CDRs, which I am much more careless with than my audio CDs.

Keep in mind that CDRs are much more fragile - they have that gel layer that gets transformed when you burn the CD. Therefore hot water/cold water is probably not a good idea due to different temperature-induced expansion and contraction rates of different layers of the CDR.

Captain Humble · « **Reply #10 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 08:47 pm »

Thanks to all who contributed.

Great links Double Ugly.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #11 on:** 22 Oct 2004, 09:32 pm »

I have a pretty standardized ritual with new CD's.

Once out of the box, I sand the edges (I think I got that one from Ric Schultz' Tweakaudio.com) inside and out. It works - things sound a bit more 'settled'. I know that's vague, but I get that same feeeling each time, so YOU try and see if you can come up with better prose for it.

Then, I clean it with TrackMate TM352. It's a little pen with hard cotton head that is wet from within, and you dab it in 3-4 spots on CD. I use a lens cleaning cloth and (gently) massage it in until all residue gone. I get my eyeglass tissues from Walgreens for $1.49 or so. It leaves a rainbox effect on the CD that is very evident.

I've used the TrackMate stuff for nearly 20 years. 17 years ago it was an amazing tweek...now, just okay. The lasers and corection circuitry do a much better job now I assume, so the audible effect of a perfectly pristine CD surface is mitigated. I did test after test with windex, lint free cloths and other comparo's in my system, at friends and a hi-end dealer (Ears Nova - then in Great Neck, NY). The TrackMate was always the clear winner.

A CD is but a optical lens, and the TrackMate uses Kodak Optical Lens Cleaning solution (not sure why others haven't thought of this...you can't find much bigger than Kodak in that field

). They buy it in bulk and assemble the pens in Ireland. Up until recently, the line was sold in KMart and Radio Shack...I bought the last 3 pens at RS for $1.50 each on closeout last year. That's a lifetime supply. The guy that owns TrackMate is Joe Frisch...the inventor of the original Allsop cassette cleaning/scrubbing mechanism. I was their first Rep/Rep group in the US in 1987. If you find some, I assure you it works amazingly well for cheap.

Then I hit it with LAT International's C-Diamond to fill in the microscopic gaps. I am not so sold on this tweak, but it does not seem to degrade anything, so I keep doing it.

It's all very time consuming, but my CD's sound quite a bit better after all this. Again, as the quality of the mechanisms, lasers, correctioncircuitry, power supplies, et al have risen, the effectiveness of these tweaks have wained. But, they still help out towards the goal of better fidelity.

Happy trails.

jselectro · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Feb 2005, 10:31 pm »

I get many library cds that are scratched and/or nasty. I use 3M Plastic Cleaner (Marked 39017) to clean and remove fine scratches.
If the CD is really bad I move on to the 3M Plastic Polish (Marked 39010).
This stuff is the same as the Novus brand, I believe. The price is around $6 per bottle at auto shops (used for the plastic windows on convertibles). Each bottle will last a long, long time. The polish has enabled me to play discs that otherwise would be unplayable. Sometimes is adds just enough clarity to play the CD while the polish is fresh, then after an hour or so the disc is unplayable. If you are an audio cheapskate like me this may be the way to go.