Although compact discs (CDs) are fairly durable, sometimes it is difficult for us to prevent scratches or damage from appearing over time, especially if the disc is used frequently. Such damage can result in missed music tracks or the loss of important documents loaded on the disc. Luckily, with toothpaste or an abrasive, you can try repairing a scratched disc and reusing it.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Using Toothpaste
Step 1. Choose a regular toothpaste
You don't need to use toothpaste with sparkling powder, spiral gel, and unique flavors. Instead, choose regular toothpaste (white in color) to repair discs. All types of toothpaste usually contain sufficient amounts of the abrasive minerals needed to repair discs.
Regular toothpaste is certainly cheaper than other “special” toothpastes. Using regular toothpaste is more economical, especially if you need to repair multiple discs
Step 2. Apply toothpaste on the disc surface
Dispense a small amount of toothpaste on the scratched surface of the disc, then apply it evenly on the entire surface of the disc using your fingers.
Step 3. Scrub the disc
Rub the surface of the toothpaste-coated disc slowly and in a radial motion. Start at the center and work your way to the outside.
Step 4. Clean and dry the disc
Flush discs with warm water and rinse thoroughly. After that, use a clean, soft cloth to dry the disc and double check that all remaining toothpaste and moisture has been removed from the disc surface.
After you have cleaned and dried the disc, use a soft cloth to buff the surface of the disc
Method 2 of 4: Using Abrasives
Step 1. Determine the material you want to use
There are a number of household products that can be used to polish compact discs, but products like 3M and Brasso are usually the most widely used and most effective. You can also use a fine grit product that is commonly used to polish cars or other hard surfaces.
If you want to use Brasso, make sure you do the polishing in a place with good ventilation. You should also not inhale the vapors or gases produced by the product. Always read the safety instructions and warnings on the packaging of any chemical product as many chemical products (eg alcohol) are flammable and/or can cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation
Step 2. Pour the product on the rag
Pour a small amount of 3M or Brasso product on a soft, clean, lint-free cloth. You can use an old t-shirt or an eyeglass cleaning cloth.
Step 3. Scrub the disc
Apply the product on the scratched area of the disc and rub it carefully and in a radial motion. Start rubbing from the center to the outside, like you would rub on the spokes of a wheel. Rub the entire disc 10-12 times. Focus rubbing on the affected part of the scratch.
- When scrubbing the surface of the disc, make sure that you place the disc on a firm, flat, non-abrasive surface. Files copied to the disc are stored on a tin foil at the top of the disc (labeled side). Meanwhile, the top protective layer of the disc is easily scratched or damaged. Therefore, if you press the disc on a surface that is too smooth/soft, the disc may crack. In addition, the protective layer can be removed.
- Rubbing in a circular (rather than radial) motion can cause small scratches which will then reflect off the laser tracking system on the drive player.
Step 4. Clean the disc of polishing products
Rinse the disc thoroughly using warm water and pat dry. Make sure that no product remains on the surface of the disc and allow the disc to dry completely before you use it. If you're using a Brasso, wipe off any excess product that sticks to the disc's surface and allow the disc to dry. After that, use a clean cloth to carefully scrub the disc.
Step 5. Test the repaired disc
If the problem persists, repair the disc for another 15 minutes until the scratches appear to be covered or gone. After repairing and polishing, the surface of the disc will appear shiny, with only a few scratches. If you don't see any difference after a few minutes of repairing the disc, it's possible that the scratches on the disc were too deep, or that you rubbed the wrong scratches.
If the disc still doesn't work, take the disc to a game store or disc repair center for professional repair
Method 3 of 4: Waxing the Discs
Step 1. Determine whether the disc can be waxed or not
Sometimes, you may need to remove the disc's plastic coating by scrubbing it. However, removing the plastic film can affect the refracting elements of the lens, making the files stored on the disc unreadable. Therefore, waxing the scratch can be a useful option. Although the former can still be seen, a laser shined on the surface of the disc can still scan/penetrate the wax layer.
Step 2. Coat the scratches with wax
Apply a small amount of Vaseline, lip balm, liquid car wax, neutral shoe polish, or furniture wax to the surface of the disc. Let the candle sit for a few minutes. Keep in mind that in this process, you will need to fill the scratches on the surface of the disc with wax so that the disc can be read again by the disc player.
Step 3. Remove any remaining wax
Use a soft, clean, lint-free cloth to scrub the surface of the disc in a radial motion (from the inside to the outside of the disc). If you are using a wax product, follow the manufacturer's instructions for use. Some products should be allowed to dry before you wipe them, while other products should be wiped immediately wet.
Step 4. Retest the wax-coated disc
If wax or Vaseline coating makes the disc readable again, immediately copy the files from the disc to a new disc. This method is a temporary workaround that can be done so that the disc can be reused. This way, you can quickly move files from the disc to your computer or a new disc.
Method 4 of 4: Using Paper Tape
Before proceeding, accept the fact that holes in the top layer of your CD are beyond repair, even by professionals. The best way to get around this problem is to skip that section entirely so that at least the rest of the data can be accessed and stored elsewhere.
Step 1. Holding the disc, point the shiny side up in bright light
Step 2. Notice if there are any visible holes in the section
Step 3. Turn the disc over and then mark the perforated area with a permanent marker
Step 4. Take 2 sheets of duct tape and glue them overlapping the area you just marked
Note: CDs may make noise when playing. However, you may access 70% of its data
Tips
- Hold the disc by its sides to prevent damage to the surface.
- Discs that are severely damaged may not be repairable. Scratches and deep cracks that hit the tin foil render the disc unusable. For information, disc erasing applications such as Disc Eraser damage the tin layer so that compact discs or DVDs cannot be read.
- Try repairing scratches on discs that you don't use very often before you fix your favorite or frequently used discs.
- Try using a product like Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove scratches on the disc surface. Gently rub from the center of the disc to the outside, as described in the previous methods. Shine the repaired part using the polishing or waxing technique described earlier.
- It's a good idea to make a backup of any disc before any damage is done to the disc.
- If your CD is beyond repair, use it as a coaster. Search and read references to used CD creations for other great ideas.
- Xbox discs can usually be returned directly to Microsoft. You may be charged a replacement fee of 20 US dollars (approximately 200 thousand rupiah).
- Try using peanut butter instead of toothpaste. Its oily viscosity can be an effective polishing product or material. Make sure you choose peanut butter with a smooth texture.
Warning
- To prevent damage to the disc player, ensure that the CD is completely dry and free of product residue or wax before playing/playing it.
- Do not apply solvent liquid to the disc surface. Solvents can change the chemical composition of the polycarbonate, resulting in a translucent surface. This means that your disc will not be read by the disc player.
- Keep in mind that the methods of repairing the CD used may cause additional damage. Therefore, make sure you follow the steps described carefully.
- If you lift the disc and point it at the light to check for holes in the lead coating, make sure you don't stare into the light too long. A 60-100 watt lamp is considered effective enough to check for holes in the tin layer. Don't stare into the sun!
