Display HDD: Best way to clean platters?

[Butters]

Today I was testing some old hard drives for my boss, and there were, of course, a few dead ones. Now I've seen an open hard drive before, but I've never actually disassembled one myself. So I asked my boss if he would let me have one to take apart, and he told me to go for it.

So I successfully opened the drive but I unfortunately ended up getting a few fingerprints on the top platter. The platter is completely unscratched, and the parts without any fingerprints look so nice and shiny. I don't intend to actually use this drive (if I did I never would have taken it apart in the first place) but I would like to display it. So my question is: What would be the best way to go about cleaning my fingerprints off the platters without scratching them?

Again, I never expect this drive to be in working condition ever again, but I do want it to look nice for display. I'm not as worried about dust, but I would like to at least get the fingerprints off. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[HAVOC]

Have you tried a microfiber cloth?

 

[Mellon Head]

Wet a microfiber cloth with Windex and wipe it clean

 

[Butters]

Ok, well I don't have a microfiber cloth on hand, so I'll update here when I get one.

 

[Eric3742]

Normal cloth may do.
Did clean the finger print by using T-shirt.
Make sure you have to hold both outside ring edge and inside ring edge for grip.
I remove almost every hard disks, with total of 17 discs.

 

[LMiller7]

To make it very clear, cleaning HDD platter surfaces must be for display purposes ONLY. Opening a hard drive outside a "Cleanroom" and without the necessary skills and special precautions is likely to cause serious damage to the drive.

I know of one article on a respected website that actually proposes cleaning the interior of a hard drive with compressed air and spraying it with lubricating oil as a maintenance procedure. I have pointed this error out to the website operator on 2 separate occasions, yet the article remains. I pity the poor individual who follows this advice.

There is another article that gives amateurish instructions regarding a platter swap, one of the most difficult and demanding procedures used by data recovery professionals.

 

[RoasterMen]

Opening hard drive should be done in an isolated place because the platter is very sensitive.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Opening hard drive should be done in an isolated place because the platter is very sensitive.

Unless you have access to a clean room (and the vast majority of people do not) and the proper training on how to do it, you should never open a hard drive,

 

[cornemuse]

Tee shirt cloth from high in the back, fabric from bum part of cotton knickers(!), either, with some 70% + rubbing alcohol, unless you have denatured alc which works better.

Or, take the screws holding the disks to the motor out, (<- 4 - 6 small torx screws) (unless your using a cold chisel for disassembly!), just turn top disk over & reassemble, = looks like new! Hey, its just for display, , ,

-c-

 

[Eric3742]

Opening hard drive should be done in an isolated place because the platter is very sensitive.

Unless you have access to a clean room (and the vast majority of people do not) and the proper training on how to do it, you should never open a hard drive,

From what s/he mentioned, as successful took out the platter.
And for Display, so no need for clean room.

S/He only want to clean the platter as accidentally touched the platter, fingers print.

Open the hard disk (3.5") is not difficult, as i did on at least >10 hard disk, only keeping the platters & the powerful magnetic, as i keep them.
Some of the platter do have burnt mark, and/or scratches.