doesnt liquid harm a disc?

Question

i hear people talk about cleaning CDs and DVDs with water or alcohol, wont that f' up your disc?

Answer 1

No, as long as the disc is dry before sticking it back into a drive. CD and DVD discs have no moving parts and the thick plastic layer and label protect the part the data is actually stored on.

I myself have washed some horribly smudged up DVDs from my local public library, and it's helped be able to watch them without it skipping.

Answer 2

Probably water and mild detergent is harmless; avoid abraisives.

Alcohol - which probably is a 50% isopropyl alcohol in water may not be harmful to the plastic but it may dissolve ink (depending upon the ink) used to label it. There are trace amounts of mineral oil in this type of alcohol and the oil may over time start to plasticize the polymer used to make the disc and this could be harmful. I would suggest using this only on a limited basis.

Stay away from stronger solvents (esters, ketones, ethers) as these will surely damage the disc. Commercial finger nail polish removers, laquer thinners, etc fall in this group.

Answer 3

CD's and DVD's are protected by a layer of polycarbonate plastic on the bottom, preventing the water or alcohol from touching the thin film that stores the data on the disc.

Answer 4

No, as long as you use a lint-free cloth (cloth with lint---like a regular towel--- can scratch the surface), water and/or alcohol will not harm the disc. I wouldn't recommend anything stronger or other types of cleaning solvents, but I have used water/alcohol to clean my discs (DVD's/CD's) and have never had a problem with damage.

Answer 5

NO they don't. if that were true then they would sell DR skip with a liquid spray. plus the actual layers of the CD are super super tightly compressed between two thick plastics.

Answer 6

No, the thing that harms it is if you clean it in a circular motion and not in a in to out motion.