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Cleaning CDs [message #68985]

Fri, 12 August 2011 06:08

audioaudio90
Messages: 623
Registered: October 2010

Illuminati (1st Degree)

How often you wipe down your CDs? I do it only when I see smudges, but I have a friend who apparently has a lot of time on her hands, because she wipes them down once a month! Shocked

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #68988 is a reply to message #68985]

Fri, 12 August 2011 10:02

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18677
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Cleaning vinyl is a ritual for me, but not so with CDs. I'll give 'em a gentle swipe across my shirt if they're dusty, won't if they're not. If I see a fingerprint smudge (tisk-tisk), I'll lightly buff them with a non-abrasive, lint-free cloth until the smudge is gone. I always wipe perpendicular to the tracks, usually in a oval motion that's mostly from edge to center and back.

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #69002 is a reply to message #68985]

Sat, 13 August 2011 14:29

LizardBat
Messages: 33
Registered: August 2011
Location: London

Baron

Cleaning CD surfaces may not be as necessary as cleaning vinyl because the disc reader does not actually touch the disc, but cleaning them should be done on occasion. Never wipe a CD in a circle! Always wipe them radially, preferably from the inside out. They are made of vinyl, just like LPs, so do not touch the playing surface with your finger tips, as this may eventually cause deterioration (from finger grease). Lint free clothes work best.

In addition, be careful not to scratch the back of the disc (the "painted" side). The playing surface has a back up layer of information in a replicated disc, so if it gets scratched accidentally, there is still the information there behind the top layer and the disc may still play. If you scratch the back and the lining with the data flakes off, the disc is irreparable.

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #69019 is a reply to message #69002]

Mon, 15 August 2011 07:30

audioaudio90
Messages: 623
Registered: October 2010

Illuminati (1st Degree)

I agree it is important to clean CDs but I think my friend's monthly habit is overkill.

Cleaning the CD in a circle is the most common mistake I see; I always correct someone who is doing that.

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #69027 is a reply to message #69019]

Mon, 15 August 2011 11:22

Wayne Parham
Messages: 18677
Registered: January 2001

Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Some related information in this thread:

Curious about Cds and DVDs - What part can you touch?

A little more about the physical format of compact disks:

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #70067 is a reply to message #68985]

Tue, 08 November 2011 19:32

LoveJB
Messages: 174
Registered: October 2011
Location: Cali

Master

Wow, I only wipe them down when I'm using them. I might blow on them every once in a while but I don't clean them. I did not know you had to wipe them down more to be honest.

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #70079 is a reply to message #70067]

Wed, 09 November 2011 14:18

gofar99
Messages: 1903
Registered: May 2010
Location: Southern Arizona

Illuminati (5th Degree)

Hi, I only clean one when I see crud on it. In the early days of CDs a small amount of dirt or a scratch was always a problem. Now most players can handle nearly any kind of a problem and you will never know it. I think my Oppo could play through a cracked CD and not miss a beat. Rolling Eyes

Vinyl however, I clean when first acquired and about every 4-6 months later if I play it a lot. One product (OT here sure, but good to pass on information) called "In The Groove" is funky as all get out to see Smile

, but works great and is cheap. It looks like a small paint roller and has a surface like a Gummy Bear (washable). It removes dust and lint like a magnet. I love it and it only costs about $20.

Good Listening
Bruce

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Re: Cleaning CDs [message #70122 is a reply to message #68985]

Mon, 14 November 2011 10:02

Danny
Messages: 195
Registered: September 2010

Master

If I see any smudges or dust on them, I might give them the hot breath, wipe on the shirt treatment. I don't just leave my CD's laying around to get dirty.

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