Ripping old CD's -- CD Cleaner needed

[jimbo45]

Hi all
Ripping some old CD's I found that some of the old "Double / Triple" CD boxes had brown sponge like coverings to protect the CD's

It's been SO long since I've even opened the CD's (some are 15 - 20 years old or more) that the coverings have rotted in some cases sticking to the CD.

Anyway of cleaning this stuff off without damaging the CD's --once I've ripped to FLAC I probably won't ever need the originals again - but I do want to rip the CD's at least once.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[derekimo]

Have you tried rubbing alcohol?
How to Clean CD?s and DVD?s | Electronics

 

[peck1234]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE1gvaM3iAs

Works beautifully....

 

[electrotune1200]

I would give the CD's a good clean with warm water and a mild dish soap. Clear away any residue that you can. Give a quick wipe with cotton T-Shirt. Apply a few drops of Rain X to playable side of the Cd. Let dry a few minutes and lightly buff with a cotton T-Shirt. If the CD's are in a very bad state put a second application on.

I put Rain X on all my new discs. Some say it increases the fidelity which I really can't say if it does or not. But it does leave a thin layer of protection.

 

[noobvious]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE1gvaM3iAs

Works beautifully....

I would never have thought of that method.:shock:

I would give the CD's a good clean with warm water and a mild dish soap. Clear away any residue that you can. Give a quick wipe with cotton T-Shirt. Apply a few drops of Rain X to playable side of the Cd. Let dry a few minutes and lightly buff with a cotton T-Shirt. If the CD's are in a very bad state put a second application on.

I put Rain X on all my new discs. Some say it increases the fidelity which I really can't say if it does or not. But it does leave a thin layer of protection.

Rain-X? Never would have thought of that either.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

The youtube method seems to be for scratches only and conveniently doesn't even refer to playability improvments, if any.

I'd guess the people that use that method do it purely for cosmetic reasons to improve the "look" of a disc when reselling it. Otherwise, why would you care about scratches if playability was unaffected?

I know used CD stores have commercial polishers for precisely that purpose: a prospective buyer might shy away from a scratched disc but accept a polished one--without knowing the disk has been polished and no indication that polishing eliminates playback issues.

The rare coin business is likewise full of "polishing" schemes to improve the look of coins so they can fraudulently be given a higher grade. A few higher grades on a coin can make it worth 10 times as much easily. Legit dealers won't do it and there are methods to determine if a coin has been polished.

I've even heard of polishing schemes on vinyl records.

I have cleaned thousands of vinyl discs in my time with luke warm liquid soap and water, an old toothbrush, rinsing, and air drying or patdown with clean white cloth. No issues.

Going from memory, I think I recall that CDs should be cleaned with a straight line motion from outer edge to spindle---rather than circular or rotating.

You might investigate "Goo-gone", a product sold in general stores to remove all kinds of residue. It is citrus-based and supposed to be completely benign. Often used to clean photographs, documents, etc.