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Cleaning Filthy CDs
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Subject: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: wysiwyg Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:15 PM A pile of used and poorly stored CDs has come my way that would be hard to replace.... they are filmy, blotchy, yukky..... but not, it seems, dinged or actually scratched. What is safe to use to soak/wipe off the goo? Step one is to let them come to room temperature without messing with them, for the condensation issues.... one CD, my player rejected as unreadable. One I am ripping and playing as I type, so I know there is stuff here to harvest. Talk to me! ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:17 PM pass them over to a priest or minister given your background of postings they may be wiccan/cult infested |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: wysiwyg Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:24 PM Very funny! You must have the second sight to see what I've got sitting in front of me-- but my priest husband gave them into my care! :~) ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:29 PM I have always found both of your claims to be one of the most profound "Ironies of the Mudcat."
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: wysiwyg Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:37 PM But how do I clean them up? ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:44 PM OK - Wysy
No lie, the straight-dope..no fooling...this is the straight dope.
1. Soak a soft (old, soft, 100% COTTEN t-shirt/diaper/sock) with PREMIUM (no sugars added) VODKA (grey goose etc) ....(unfortuately Rubbing/Isopropal gives a haze)
2. Gently rub the disk and wipe with soft cotten dry cloth.
GUNK - should be removed-
3. If scratches remaine - rub entire disk surface, in a gentle circular direction for a couple of minutes, with a regular, over-the-counter, toothpaste.
4. Clean again with vodka.
5. Set aside for a day
ENJOY!!
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: NH Dave Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:45 PM Soap and water may do it, but be careful to rub/clean from the inside out or vice versa and NOT in the direction of play/circumferentially. These are proprietary cleaning machines that sell for around $ 20, and use some sort of special cleaner, perhaps alcohol and water with a bit of a surfacant to break down surface tension.. Dave |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: wysiwyg Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:46 PM OK, but I'm gonna drink the used vodka and then I don't care what they say about vodka, it does too smell-- so I'll brush my teeth with the leftover toothpaste, too. Thank you for sharing your straight dope. :~) ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Joe Offer Date: 07 Nov 06 - 10:47 PM I rub them with straight dishwashing liquid, and then rinse them off and wipe with a cotton cloth. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 07 Nov 06 - 11:18 PM WYSY - Please - Do NOT drink the USED vodka.
This stuff was gunk...you probably have cleaned off mild, molds, fungus, or even worse. It might give a glorious, momentary, "high" but the results could be deadly. Don't drink the USED vodka.
For what remains in the Grey-Goose bottle.... save it for guests.
Sincerely,
You may as well of confessed to drinking from pub urinals....Don't drink. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker Date: 07 Nov 06 - 11:21 PM hold each disc safely over a boiling kettle.. let the warm steam cover the disc surface for as long as you feel comfortable, then wipe with a clean soft lint free cloth, or tissue, from centre of disc outwards as you revolve disc in your hand.. do this as many times as required until each disc is free of grease and sticky residue.. ..another wipe over with a similar dry clean cloth.. and disc will soon enough be ready for playing ..this method works very well with crap covered DVDs from local hire shop |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST Date: 07 Nov 06 - 11:22 PM The alcohol "cure" also works with vinyl records. DO NOT use with LACQUOR rolls. DAWN - is sort of the "universal Hard-Core to the roots" cleaner for cloth, and glass. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Terry K Date: 08 Nov 06 - 03:44 AM I tried all of that with a Roy Chubby Brown CD but it made no difference...... |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Paul Burke Date: 08 Nov 06 - 03:58 AM When the brother's kids were small, he asked me to fix his CD player. I looked at the CDs first- they were all covered in little jammy fingerprints. A quick wash (I used warm water, detergent and cotton wool) and all played perfectly. He hailed me as a genius on a plane with Brunel and Einstein, and not wishing to disappoint him I never told him about the method used. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Dave Hanson Date: 08 Nov 06 - 04:28 AM Dettol and wire brush. eric |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Scrump Date: 08 Nov 06 - 04:59 AM Dishwasher? |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Andrez Date: 08 Nov 06 - 05:29 AM Methylated Spirits works fine for me and its cheaper than Vodka! Cheers, Andrez |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Scrump Date: 08 Nov 06 - 05:33 AM Cheaper than vodka, huh? I must try some of that meths stuff... ahem... for cleaning CDs, I mean ;-) |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST Date: 08 Nov 06 - 11:15 AM for heaven's sake, don't put filthy discs in a drive or player, even for a 'test'. You could render the player or drive dysfunctional. It's not worth it. Have had good luck with just gently washing them like you would a dish with clean soapy water, rinse with plenty of clear warm rinse water, blot dry on a lint-free towel, let air dry the rest of the way before putting in a drive. But I'm not an authority, I think you might want to wait for a true expert to put in 2 cents on this. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Bunnahabhain Date: 08 Nov 06 - 11:44 AM Warm water and standard washing-up detergent always works for me. Use a decent soft cloth to dry them though. I had to do 30 CDs like that rcently. A ceilidh band, who should be shot for crimes against musicianship, decided a month wasn't long enough for them to sort out some sets of tunes as asked, and tried their best to wreck the CDs we were forced to use instead. Some scratched, all filthy, and their CD player in such a bad state there was a loud burst of feedback every time a new CD span up. Aumeter musicians, but professional self-publicists. We burnt them in effagy on the 5th... |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST Date: 09 Nov 06 - 08:55 AM My wife won't let me watch filthy cds. Oh no, sorry, that was dvds.... |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST,... Date: 09 Nov 06 - 08:59 AM That John Mehlberg might have a few filthy cds |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Leadfingers Date: 09 Nov 06 - 09:38 AM Terry K - NOTHING exists that could clean up a Roy Chubby Brown CD !! |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Scrump Date: 09 Nov 06 - 12:17 PM To clean up a Chubby Brown CD you would have to shred it into little pieces. Then wash your hands afterwards. :-) |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: leeneia Date: 09 Nov 06 - 11:04 PM I cannot believe that the person who suggested vodka was being serious. Surely it doesn't make sense to use any kind of solvent on plastic. Wysi, I suggest you spray the CD's with water from a spray bottle. Let them sit a while, then rinse them in lukewarm water. If that doesn't do it, try tepid water and gentle soap. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST Date: 10 Nov 06 - 02:55 AM Risk from solvents is not of dissolving but of cracking the plastic where the solvent interacts with stressed zones in the moulding. Haze is very fine microcracks. If you have to remove something that won't shift with soapy water white spirit should be ok, but I wouldn't risk alcohols nick |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: s&r Date: 10 Nov 06 - 10:44 AM I've got one of these - works like a charm Stu |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Shiamsa Date: 10 Nov 06 - 11:31 AM Does this treatment shorten the life of a CD? How long do CDs last anyway? |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: wysiwyg Date: 10 Nov 06 - 09:35 PM This has been really interesting. The CDs had gone camping, you see, several times, and were a gritty mess when they were stored in a cold place for years that had lots of condensation. Thing One that I learned was that professionally burned CDs are a lot tougher than home-burnt, just as people have been saying around here for a long time. Some of them got wiped pretty hard in a couple of places, but play/rip fine. Thing Two is that some CDs rip in about half the time others do-- which must mean that they don't have very good sound quality to start with-- bit rates or whatever? I soaked them in batches in very soapy warm water, rubbed off soap film with care from the center out with soapy fingertips to feel for the stuck stuff, and in some cases used cotton rag scraps to get real stuck bits moving. Then rinsed REAL well and set at an angle to dry, followed by gentle wiping to remove water stains and check for cleanness/mirror finish. A few flunked and got resoaked or done over with straight dish soap. All but a very, very few are playing just fine. The failures had gouges before I started, and the rest have all stood up to my ministrations. I think I did about 50. Worth doing! ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: Peace Date: 10 Nov 06 - 09:37 PM "RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs" Bleep the bad words. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST Date: 10 Nov 06 - 09:57 PM Translation Please What Is "white spirit should be ok" WHITE SPIRIT????
Plastics, generally, do not disolve in alcohol, (shellac, made from insect bodies does, and the fine furniture finish of alcohol, linseed oil, and shellac is known as a "French Finish" and used on antique furniture.
Plastics are advers to the petroleum family (also a carbon compound) however, plastic death is knealed with substances such as paint-thinner, acetone, tholemyne, and gasoline.
On the side of water ( one of the grandest of all solvents)combined with DishWashingSoap...it probably should be anyone's first choice. (The antique, silk, Chinese, rug...came out beautiful for $1.25 and four days of drying....unfortunately, the rats had eaten holes where the cat-crap had sat.)
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 11 Nov 06 - 03:16 AM Garg is really correct - never use any solvent but pure, (preferably distilled) water on CD/DVDs - you MAY add a little ethanol if the marks are greasy (fingerprints). I say pure water, because any dissolved salts will deposit as the water evaporates. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: leeneia Date: 11 Nov 06 - 09:59 AM That's a good thought about the pure water and the dissolved salts, Foolstroupe. I hadn't thought of that. In the U.S. we call it distilled water. To save money, it could be saved for the final rinse. |
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Subject: RE: Cleaning Filthy CDs From: GUEST,... Date: 11 Nov 06 - 10:20 AM White spirit is a paint-thinner. |
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