How do you remove or fill in scratches from a DVD surface?

Answer 1

Spin Doctor is cheap and works really well.

Answer 2

I'm a tad curious if you happen to know whether or not those do-it-yourself DVD/CD scratch repair schemes actually work? I'm not talking the those repair kits you buy at the electronic stores -- I'm talking about the rumors you read online the 'net about using Turtle Wax [car polish] or tooth paste to 'buff out' those nasty surface scratches on a DVD/CD. I've personally tried two of the store-bought kits: one that removes a very fine layer of plastic from the disc [thereby removing small surface scratches]; the other kit is one that you rotate using a crank and spray the surface of the disc with a solution in order to fill the scratches. With the results I've had from either of these kits, I'm sure a damp cloth would have equally produced the same result. Do you know of a cheap, safe, and effective way to better repair a scratched CD?



For general CD/DVD cleaning -- that is, to remove lint and dust particles from a disc (and not scratches), I have used rubbing alcohol or window cleaning solution with great success. Over the years, I've read from many online sources that it is best to wipe the disc beginning from the inner part of the disc to the outer edge using a cotton swab (versus wiping the disc in a circular motion). I suppose the reasoning behind this method is to prevent further damage to the disc in case the cleaning cloth creates more surface scratches; the idea being that since a CD plays in a circular motion, it would better to have scratches across multiple tracks rather than on a single track (close together) as it plays.

As for those CD/DVD repair kits: I've never tried them, and I've never tried toothpaste or Turtle Wax, either. I'm very meticulous about not touching the surface of a disc and taking great care to put it away properly to avoid scratches. But certainly, accidents do happen to the best of us!

Answer 3

whitening toothpaste works good. it has to be whitening toothpaste, theres a special chemical compound in it. so make sure its that type. then get a soft cloth to apply the toothpast. rub it in concentric circles around the cd until the surface is covered. then you need to rub from the center of the cd toward the outside, never the other way or youll add more scratches. make sure you removed all the toothaste. any scratches should be filled to where your lens wont pick them up as scratches and your cd and dvd should play fine.

additionally, you could pick up a dvd RX or dvd dr. you can find them on ebay relatively cheap and theres other related scratch devices. the toothpaste method has always worked for me. try that and see what happens. good luck man ;P

Answer 4

There is a thing called a CD/DVD cleaner for when they get scratched. It is about $25 and you could find it at most stores like Walmart or Target. It is a "sort of cheap" solution that you can use for a long time with all of your DVD's.

Answer 5

Depends on the depth of the scratch. I have used a Q-tip before to gently buff out a scratch on a CD. Anything more than that could add more scratches-I would not recommend toothpaste.

Do you have any free AOL CDs laying around? Test cleaners & buffers on that first to see what happens. Scratch it up first, too!

Answer 6

There is no way to "remove" the scratches. You can use a Disc Doctor to Cover the scratches to fool the dvd/cd player, that's about it.

Answer 7

Go to your nearest electronics store, like Compusa, and get a CD/DVD resurfacer. They do wonders. It basically takes off some layers of plastic on the media, and that removes the scratches on them. I use it all the time on my music cd's, video games, and movies.

Answer 8

Toothpaste doesn't fill in the scratches, it abrades and smooths down their edges. Hair gel or hair spray is good if you want to fill them in. The most importnat thing is rub the disc from the centre to the edge with a lint free cloth. Wiping round and round in circles is the worst possible thing you can do to a disc.

Answer 9

buy a cd/dvd scratch remover from tower records or a place like it.

Answer 10

My boyfriend does this thing with soap and water. Sometimes it works and other times it doesnt. Just take a little bit of soap and water and spread it across the dvd. It works with CDs too.

Answer 11

Use Brasso to buff out the scratches.

Go here for directions - http://users.fulladsl.be/spb2267/restorecd/restorecd.htm