How to repair a scratched CD
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
CDs were supposed to be the answer to everything. Crystal clear audio, no humming, no hiss, no fuss. However, they're not as resilient as all that. Just one little scratch is enough to make your precious CD jump more than the Olympic Champion Skipping team.
Anyway, if you've got a CD or two in your collection that is causing problems, don't turn it into a fashionable coaster just yet. It can be repaired.
What you will need
To repair a scratched CD, you will need:
- a soft, lint-free cloth or chamois
- some mild abrasive, eg toothpaste, Brasso, and
- water.
What to do
- Note down where your CD skips. This makes it easier to check to see if the repairs were successful.
- Clean the CD first with mild soap and water. The CD may just be dirty with fingerprints and dust. Dry with the cloth from the centre to the edge.
- Find the scratches by looking at the surface of the CD at a 60 degree angle. A CD plays from the centre out, so if your CD is skipping at the start, then you should be looking a the centre of the CD. Thick scratches and scratches running parallel to the edge are more likely to make the CD skip.
- Smoothe out the scratches. Dampen your cloth with a bit of water and use a small amount of cleaner on the cloth. Rub the cleaner lightly on the CD, working from the centre to the edge, never circular. Rinse the cleaner off with water and dry the CD with a dry bit of cloth.
- Play the CD and test your work. If it doesn't skip, congratulations! If it still does, try again, this time rub a bit harder. Not every scratch can be repaired, but most can.
